What if I told you this small structure had witnessed centuries of change? This is the Belvedère. While perhaps not as grand as its Viennese counterpart, this Belvedère holds its own quiet significance.
The Belvedere in Vienna is a historic building complex. It features two Baroque palaces. These are the Upper and Lower Belvedere. You will also find the Orangery and the Palace Stables. The buildings sit in a Baroque park landscape. This is in Vienna’s third district. It lies on the south-eastern edge of the city center. Today, it houses the Belvedere museum. It is known in German as the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere. In English, it is referred to as the Belvedere Museum and Austrian Gallery. The grounds have a gentle gradient. They include tiered fountains and cascades. Baroque sculptures adorn the landscape. Majestic wrought iron gates add to the splendor. The Baroque palace complex served as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy.
Construction boomed in Vienna when the Belvedere was built. Vienna was the imperial capital. It was home to the ruling Habsburg dynasty. Prosperity followed Prince Eugene of Savoy’s victories against the Ottoman Empire.
Prince Eugene bought land south of the Rennweg in 1697. This was the main road to Hungary. He planned the Belvedere garden complex immediately. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt became the chief architect. He had built Ráckeve Palace for the prince in 1702. Hildebrandt also designed Schloss Hof Palace. He created the Schwarzenberg Palace. The Kinsky Palace is also one of his works.
The area was undeveloped when Prince Eugene planned his Belvedere. It was ideal for a garden and summer palace. Count Heinrich Franz von Mansfeld bought a neighboring plot. He commissioned Hildebrandt to build a garden palace there. Prince Eugene took out a loan to buy his plot. He expanded the garden in stages.
Construction of the Lower Belvedere began by 1712. Marcantonio Chiarini painted the quadratura in the central hall in 1715. Dominique Girard significantly changed the garden plans by 1717. The gardens were completed by the following summer. Girard had worked in Versailles. Giovanni Stanetti created the statuary for the balustrade.
The Belvedere Gardens were designed in the formal French manner. Dominique Girard trained in the gardens of Versailles. He was a pupil of André Le Nôtre. Mythological references allude to Prince Eugene’s rise. Sculptures link him to the god Apollo. A great water basin sits in the upper parterre. Stairs and cascades connect the upper and lower parterres.
Bernardo Bellotto’s painting shows Vienna from the Belvedere. This view plays a significant role in urban planning. It is especially important when altering the city center’s skyline.
The Upper Belvedere’s construction began as early as 1717. By 1719, Prince Eugene received the Turkish ambassador there. Francesco Solimena painted the altarpiece for the Palace Chapel. He also created the ceiling fresco in the Golden Room. Carlo Carlone painted the ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall from 1721 to 1723. The building was finished in 1723.
In the winter of 1732–33, Hildebrandt installed a vaulted ceiling in the Sala Terrena. This was supported by four Atlas pillars. Salomon Kleiner documented the Belvedere complex in detail between 1731 and 1740.
Prince Eugene died in 1736. His niece Victoria inherited the Belvedere. She auctioned off the palace complex. Maria Theresa purchased the estate in 1752.
The Imperial Picture Gallery moved to the Upper Belvedere in 1776. It opened to the public five years later. This made it one of the first public museums in the world. The Lower Belvedere housed royal family members fleeing the French Revolution.
Following relocation of the imperial collections, Emperor Franz Joseph I decided that the Upper Belvedere should serve as a residence for the heir to the throne, his nephew Franz Ferdinand.
The Austrian State Treaty was signed in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere in 1955. It officially ended the occupation of Austria after World War II.
Remember the Belvedere. It stands not just as a structure but as a silent witness to history.