The Winter Palace of Prince Eugene (german: Winterpalais Prinz Eugen), also known as the City Palace (german: Stadtpalais), is a high- Baroque palace in the Innere Stadt district of

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. Located on a narrow street at Himmelpfortgasse 8, the palace was used as the winter residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who spent his summers at the

Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to: Places Australia *Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region Africa * Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco *Belvedere, Harare, Zi ...

. The Winter Palace was designed and constructed 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 ...

from 1695 to 1700, and by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt from 1702 to 1724 following his predecessor's plans.Parsons 2000, pp. 89–90.Gaillemin 1994, p. 147. The palace was acquired through auction by Empress Maria Theresa for the imperial court in 1738, along with most of the prince's other buildings. In 1752, the palace was converted by

Nicolò Pacassi Nicolò Pacassi (5 March 1716 – 11 November 1790), also known as Nikolaus Pacassi, was an Italian-Austrian architect. He was born in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria in a family of merchants from Gorizia. In 1753, he was appointed court archit ...

into the seat of various state institutions. The palace housed the Finance Ministry of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

from 1848 to 1918 and the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire. Since 1919, the palace has housed the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

. From 2007 to 2013, the palace was extensively renovated. The Winter Palace of Prince Eugene is considered "one of the most magnificent Baroque edifices in Vienna".Brook 2012, p. 80.

History

In 1694 and 1695, Prince Eugene of Savoy purchased several old houses on Himmelpfortgasse in Vienna,Aurenhammer 1973, p. 85. including an early Baroque theater. In 1695,

won the prestigious and lucrative contract to build a palace at this location for the prince.Toman 1999, p. 70. In 1697, Fischer von Erlach began constructing the seven-bay palace, and by 1698, painters were already working on the ceiling frescoes. Fischer von Erlach's construction manager was Andrea Simone Carove. The stonemasonry was done by the Viennese master Johann Thomas Schilck. The large portal with side reliefs—Hercules fighting the giant Antaeus on the left, and Aeneas saving his father from burning Troy on the right—was sculpted from ''Kaiserstein'' by

Lorenzo Mattielli Lorenzo Mattielli (1678/1688 ? – 27 or 28 April 1748) was an Italian sculptor from the Late Baroque period. His name has also variously been written as ''Matielli'', ''Mattiely'', ''Matthielli'', and ''Mathielli''. He supplied statuary for pal ...

. During this first phase of construction, the remarkable staircase with ''Kaiserstein'' steps and the Atlas figures were completed. The sculptures from ''Zogelsdorfer'' stone in the stairway were executed by Giovanni Giuliani. Material deliveries were made by master Reichardt from Moenchhof Fux. In 1702, the project was taken over by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. During this phase of construction, some of the halls were completed, in particular the gold cabinet with oil paintings. Following the acquisition of the eastern properties, the facade was extended in 1708 by 12 meters. The stonework for this work was provided by the ''Kaisersteinbrucher'' master Giovanni Battista Passerini and Elias Hill. In 1710, the chapel and a gallery were added. The central focal point of the blue saloon with its frescoes by Marcantonio Chiarini dates from this time. In 1719, the palace was widened through the acquisition of the western area. The stonework was provided by Elias Hill. Lorenzo Mattielli crafted the entrance reliefs and courtyard fountains. Upon the death of Prince Eugene in 1736, his niece Anna Viktoria of Savoy inherited the prince's property. After her marriage to Joseph Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on 17 April 1738—he was a military commander and administrator for the Habsburgs—she put all of Prince Eugene's properties up for auction. The palace was acquired by Empress Maria Theresa for the imperial court in 1738, along with most of the prince's other buildings. In 1752, the palace was converted by

into the seat of various state institutions. The palace housed the Finance Ministry of the

from 1848 to 1918 and the dissolution of the Habsburg Empire. Since 1919, the palace has housed the

. During World War II, the Winter Palace did not escape undamaged. On Sunday 8 April 1945 at 2:00 pm, in the course of a bombing raid by the Soviet Red Army, a bomb shattered the roof of the palace and another bomb exploded in the attic. The ceiling painting by the French painter Ludovico Dorigny was damaged, but was eventually restored by experts from the

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

.Stephan 1997, pp. 62–87. From 2007 to 2013, the palace underwent extensive renovations. On 18 October 2013, the main rooms of the Winter Palace state apartments became accessible to the public as the Belvedere's new exhibition venue in Vienna's Innere Stadt.

Description

The Winter Palace has a twelve-bay flat Baroque

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

with three portals, each given double corbels that support a balcony and decorated balustrade. In place of standard columns or pillars, Fischer von Erlach designed

bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

depicting military scenes from ancient mythology—Hercules fighting the giant Antaeus on the left, and Aeneas saving his father Anchises from burning Troy on the right. These images from the classical world are meant to invoke Prince Eugene's glorious military accomplishments. Above each portal are tall windows of the piano nobile, made distinct from the other windows by their reversed segmented

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

s with insert

cartouche In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the f ...

s. The façade is broken up by colossal

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s with flat composite capitals that extend the full height of the building to the cornice.

Gallery

File:Stadtpalais Prinz Eugen4.jpg, Historical information marker File:Stadtpalais Prinz Eugen3.jpg, Palace entrance File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Aug 2006 031.jpg, Front portal balustrade, piano nobile windows, and coat of arms File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 023.jpg, Staircase statue File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 025.jpg, Staircase statue File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 026.jpg, Staircase statue File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 017.jpg, Ceiling fresco above the staircase File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 029.jpg, Hercules statue File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 018.jpg, Palace interior File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 015.jpg, Palace interior File:Winterpalais Prinz Eugen Vienna Oct. 2006 007.jpg, Palace interior

References

Citations

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External links

The Winter Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy
{{Authority control Palaces in Vienna Baroque palaces in Austria Baroque architecture in Vienna Houses completed in 1719 1719 establishments in Austria