Short info:
- Where is it located? Address: Prinz Eugen-Strasse 27, 1030 Vienna
- What is the Belvedere? A baroque palace housing world-famous works of art, including Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss”.
- How much does entry cost? You can find all ticket prices here. One visit is free with the NÖ-Card.
- When is open? You can find all opening hours here.
- What are the highlights? In addition to the building and the area itself, paintings by Gustav Klimt (including the kiss), Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka and Helene Funke.
The Belvedere Palace is probably one of the most impressive buildings in Vienna. In front of the southern entrance there is a pond in which the castle is reflected. The palace complex was built between 1714 and 1723 by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt for Prince Eugene of Savoy.
After the prince’s death, the palace with the beautiful view became an imperial picture gallery open to the public.
The paintings
While temporary exhibitions take place in the lower Belvedere, numerous world-famous paintings can be found permanently in the upper Belvedere, for example by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka or Helene Funke. The largest collection of paintings by Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller can also be found here.
Other highlights include works by important artists such as Claude Monet, Elena Luksch-Makowsky, Vincent van Gogh and Auguste Rodin in dialogue with contemporary positions.
The building itself is no less impressive
The building
Sala terrena
The ground floor hall leads from the park to the magnificent staircase and is thus a garden hall and vestibule at the same time.
Grand staircase
The magnificent staircase leads directly to the main floor of the palace. On the right wall is a stucco relief depicting the triumph of Alexander the Great over Darius, while on the left Darius’ wives are depicted before Alexander.
Marble Hall
The Marble Hall is the central room of the Upper Belvedere. The Sallo is characterized by the large ceiling fresco. From here there is a fantastic view over Vienna.
The Austrian State Treaty was signed in this hall on May 15, 1955 by Leopold Figl and representatives of the four occupying powers Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union.
Carlone Hall
This room was named after the northern Italian fresco specialist Carlo Innocenzo Carlone (1686-1775).
He designed the impressive ceiling fresco depicting the triumph of the Aurora. Today it is the location for the Carlone Contemporary series: contemporary artists develop positions on the Baroque pictorial program of the frescoes and thus build a bridge from the ancient world of gods to the present.
Castle chapel
The octagonal palace chapel of the Upper Belvedere has largely been preserved in its original condition. Masses and church weddings still take place here today.
Holy Mass is held every Sunday at 12 noon.
The Upper Belvedere and the Lower Belvedere are connected by a garden.