HOFBURG PALACE

Hofburg Palace has been the heart of power in Vienna since 1279, so naturally it is rich with history that can’t be experienced anywhere else. Once the Habsburg’s winter residence, this massive palace complex now serves as the workplace and home of the President of Austria. However, visitors can still catch a glimpse of Hofburg Palace’s Imperial past; the richly decorated Imperial apartments, the Sisi Museum, and the lavish silver collections are all open to guests who want to understand the palace’s rich history. The palace faces the Heldenplatz (Heroes Square) ordered under the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I, as part of what was planned to become the Kaiserforum [de] but which was never completed.

Numerous architects have executed work at the Hofburg as it expanded, notably the Italian architect-engineer Filiberto Luchese, Lodovico Burnacini and Martino and Domenico Carlone, the Baroque architects Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, Johann Fischer von Erlach, and the architects of the Neue Burg built between 1881 and 1913.

Address: Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna