The Hofburg

The Hofburg in Vienna was the winter palace of the Austro-Hungarian emperors; in the summer they decamped to the country, and higher altitudes. 

It is a pastiche of building from different periods, the oldest sections built in the 13th century and the last just before World War I.

A rendering of the palace around 1575.

The St. Augustine chapel, late 17th century.

These days the palace is largely a museum, but one wing serves as the residence of the Austrian president.

The Austrian emperors were very rich, and their filled their palace with wonders.

There are lots of hidden courtyards and other spaces.

One of the most wonderful is the library, which preserves much of its 17th-century decoration.

One of the best parts for tourists is the imperial treasury, which preserves the crown jewels and the solid gold basin that was used for imperial baptisms.

I love this painting of a royal wedding held in the Hofburg in 1763. Most of the people seem to be there to watch the most royal guests eat dinner.

I have been there, but I find that Vienna all blends together for me, so the Hofburg doesn't stand out in my memory. But Vienna does, as the cleanest and most glittering city I have ever seen, with the most public sculpture and the the most fantastically decorated buildings.