The State Apartments and Treasury may be the logical place to start a tour of the Hofburg, but with so many places to visit in Vienna, you’ll probably want to be economical with both your money and your time looking around the rest of the complex. The Hofburg, as I’ve mentioned before, has grown organically over the centuries, and so I’m going to mention a few other places around the palace that I think you should know about which won’t leave you going around in circles and ‘Hofburg’d out’.

After leaving the Treasury, you should  cross over the Swiss Courtyard and pop into the Court Chapel, not because it’s anything special to look at, but because you may be interested to see where the Vienna Boys Choir perform. It’s seen a fair number of changes since Albert I founded it in 1287, and the latest version was created for Maria Theresa during the 18^th century. The world famous choir perform here every Sunday morning, but I warn you, they come at a price.

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Originally posted 2022-07-26 12:28:31.

I’m assuming that those of you who are reading this post will realise that following the Hapsburg family isn’t quite the same as following the Borgias. Why I’m mentioning this is because the State Apartments could be a bit underwhelming if you were expecting a lavish opulent palace fit for an emperor, and the reason for this is because the last incumbent, Emperor Franz Joseph, for all his adherence to official pomp and circumstance, lived a rather frugal, not to say mundane lifestyle when he was at home. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t bother to pay his Apartments a visit, as I’ll explain.

If you read my previous post, you will already know that by walking through St. Michael’s Gate in Michaelerplatz we arrive at the spot where the original 13^th century castle stood. There’s no medieval castle to be seen in the Old Palace Courtyard today though, because as the Hapsburg dynasty grew in importance, then the castle gradually morphed into a series of buildings that reflected the family’s power.

From those early days as rulers of Austria, the Hapsburgs extended their influence to become Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire which lasted from 1452 until 1806 when they became Emperors of Austria. After ending up on the losing side in World War I the monarchy was abolished altogether and the country became a republic.

The legacy they left behind was a sprawling complex of buildings containing 19 courtyards, 18 wings and 2,600 rooms where almost 5,000 people still work today.

The Old Palace Courtyard (or Burgplatz) is still at the heart of the Hofburg, and its rectangular shape is surrounded by the long Leopold and Chancellery Wings and the Amalienburg and Swiss Wings at either end. It was from here that the Hapsburgs ruled their empires, and although Austria is no longer ruled by a monarchy, the Austrian Federal President still uses the Leopold Wing, and has done since 1946.

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Originally posted 2022-04-10 11:09:49.

It’s impossible to come to Vienna and not get caught up in the history of the Hapsburg dynasty, and it’s not difficult to see why. For hundreds of years, right up until the end of World War I, the family ruled over large swathes of Europe, and for the vast majority of that time it was from here in Vienna – mostly at the Hofburg, or Imperial Winter Palace.

As the Hapsburg’s influence around Europe expanded, then so did the Hofburg, and just as the history of their ‘Empire’ isn’t easy to get to grips with, then neither is the layout of the Hofburg, as it’s taken as long to evolve as the dynasty itself.

There are any number of buildings connected to the complex, but Michaelerplatz is as good a place as any to start, because one side of it is dominated by the Hofburg’s Michaelertrakt (St Michael’s Wing), and by walking through Michaelertor (St Michael’s Gate) you arrive in the heart of it all at the Old Palace Courtyard.

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Originally posted 2022-01-21 19:06:43.