Palais Augarten is a Baroque palace in the district of Leopoldstadt,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

.Gaillemin 1994, p. 269. Constructed in the late seventeenth century by

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

on the site of a hunting château and gardens, the palace and gardens were expanded in the nineteenth century under Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

. Despite extensive damage suffered during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the palace has been maintained almost in its original appearance, and many of the original furnishings can still be found there. Today, Palais Augarten is the home and rehearsal space of the

Vienna Boys' Choir The Vienna Boys' Choir (german: Wiener Sängerknaben) is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other count ...

, who also have their own school there. The palace is located in the 130-acre Augarten park, which is the oldest Baroque garden in Vienna.

History

Until the 18th century, the present-day Leopoldstadt district consisted of forestland used by the Emperor and his court as a hunting ground. In 1614, Emperor Matthias built a hunting château on the site. In 1649, Emperor Ferdinand III added a Dutch-style gardens. Under his successor, Emperor Leopold I, the Augarten area saw increased settlement by nobility and Carmelite monks and eventually became part of Vienna. In 1677, Leopold I, who gave his name to the district (''Leopold's City''), added an extensive Baroque garden to the hunting château of his predecessors. In 1683, during the Battle of Vienna, Turkish forces used the area as a military base, and by the end of the war, the Baroque gardens were completely destroyed. In 1688, the Augarten hunting château was sold to businessman Zacharias Leeb, who hired

to construct a palace on the site. Augarten park remained the possession of the Emperor. Palais Augarten was completed in 1692, and was originally called "Palais Leeb". In the coming decades, the palace was expanded and remodeled several times, changing owners more than once. In 1712, Emperor Charles VI hired landscape gardener Jean Trehet to redesign the Baroque park in the French style. In 1780 this palace came into the possession of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. Until the beginning of the twentieth century it remained in the possession of the Habsburg family. During this period, and especially in the nineteenth century, many balls were held in the palace, and a salon was opened. Among the guests at that time were Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, and Hans Makart. The greatest ball in the Palais Augarten took place on the occasion of the Viennese World's Fair of 1873; among the guests were Emperor Francis Joseph I and Czar Alexander II of Russia. In 1897 the palace was significantly remodeled for the family of Archduke Otto, the nephew of Emperor Francis Joseph. From 1934 to 1936 the palace was inhabited by the

Austrian Chancellor The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Austria, Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime minister, Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies. Current officeholder is ...

Kurt Schuschnigg Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian Fatherland Front politician who was the Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert Doll ...

. During the Second World War, the estate was badly damaged, but after the war it was completely restored. In 1948 it was given to the Vienna Boys' Choir. The porcelain manufacture Augarten Porzellan is also located there. Today the palace, along with the rest of the Augarten, is in the possession of the state of Austria.

References

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External links

Augarten Wien
{{Coord, 48, 13, 20, N, 16, 22, 46, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark, display=title Augarten Augarten Baroque architecture in Vienna