The Artistic History of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna
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The Belvedere Palace’s history begins as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) and now houses many famous pieces of artwork you can visit today—namely a number of world famous Gustav Klimt paintings. The Belvedere Palace in Vienna includes an Upper and Lower Belvedere, making for two palaces on either side of the gorgeous Belvedere Gardens.
Being a marvelous example of art and architecture, it’s no wonder it was the first place I visited in Vienna!
Belvedere Palace and Art History
When the Belvedere was being built, Vienna was the imperial capital and home to the ruling Habsburg dynasty. Originally the location of the vineyards outside the Imperial City, work on the palace started with the construction of the Lower Belvedere, which took place between 1712 and 1716.
While the Lower Belvedere was a residence, the upper area was originally intended to be a gloriette to create a beautiful view over the city.
Empress Maria Theresa gave the Palace its name, Belvedere, meaning “beautiful view,” and acquired the property soon after Prince Eugene’s death.
However, instead of a gloriette, the area was turned into the Upper Belvedere to create a place to display art. Construction took place between 1717 and 1723. It was adapted to house the Imperial Picture Gallery in the late 1770s.
I started my tour of the Belvedere at the Upper section, as that’s where my Vienna Pass hop-on hop-off bus tour dropped us off. The bus has stops on both ends, so there is no need to walk back up to get on it.
The Upper section has several amazing pieces of art—a few of my favorites I’ve placed above. I had to take a photo of the Napoleon painting everyone had in their school textbooks.
However, the bust of the man’s face below was my favorite thing in the palace. It’s so rare to see any expression on busts. Usually, they are so stoic and blank-faced!
The Belvedere Today
Today, the Belvedere Palaces in Vienna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the greatest collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. International artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Max Beckmann are on display as well.
The Lower Belvedere and the former Orangery now house temporary exhibitions. The photos above are of rooms in the Lower Belvedere, the lower right image is of the Marble Hall. They had such an assortment of different decorations and motifs.
The golden mirrored room was very reminiscent of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. The Upper Belvedere houses permanent displays, the main attraction of which is Klimt’s collection of paintings.
Gustav Klimt Paintings
Boasting the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt’s paintings, there is some history between the artist Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) and the Belvedere Palace in Vienna.
Klimt and other artists were the motivating factors behind the founding of the Moderne Galerie in 1903, which evolved into the Belvedere today. Their aim was to create a place for Austrian contemporary art and present it in an international context.
With 24 works, the Belvedere holds the most Gustav Klimt paintings, including the two masterpieces from his Golden Period, Kiss (Lovers) and Judith, among other major portraits, and more.
The Kiss
The Kiss (Lovers) by Gustav Klimt is the most famous Austrian painting and the highlight of the permanent exhibition at the Upper Belvedere.
Truly, it’s on nearly everything in the gift shop. It’s from Klimt’s “Golden Period,” where he developed a new technique of combining gold leaf with oils and bronze paint.
The lovers’ garments are adorned with gold leaf, and the background is suffused with delicate gold, silver, and platinum flakes. If you’ve seen the Woman in Gold film, you’ll likely know a bit about the history of Klimt’s paintings already.
The Belvedere Gardens
Between the two palaces, the Lower to the Upper Belvedere, you pass through the baroque garden. The Belvedere gardens are set on a bit of an incline, making for a great view from the Upper Belvedere. Decorative fountains, Baroque sculptures, and wrought iron gates adorn the garden.
The Belvedere garden is one of Europe’s most significant historical gardens, with its French style. Honestly, I felt like I could have seen the cast of Versailles walking through there. I’d love to go back around the holidays; I’m sure Vienna in December is amazing!
In front of the Upper Belvedere’s outdoor steps is a large pool that mirrors the palace. Up until 1726, the grounds extended eastward to encompass a menagerie. To the south, a geometrical kitchen garden was located in the area now occupied by Vienna’s Botanical Gardens.
In the eighteenth century, the park was primarily a place to take a stroll. It’s a bit of a strenuous stroll from one side to the other, so I recommend getting on the bus if you have trouble walking to save you the effort.
As you can see above, the main garden is divided into three large terraces. The Bavarian Electorate’s garden designer, Dominique Girard, planned the Palace Gardens.
Touring the Belvedere Palaces in Vienna
You can rent an audio guide with commentary about the artwork to learn even more about Belvedere Palace’s history. That’s what my Mother and I did.
They are available in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Russian. A multimedia tour in Austrian sign language is also on offer.
For the temporary exhibitions, there are audio guide tours in German and English. These guides are available at an additional cost.
Belvedere Palace Tickets
To avoid long waiting times, you can buy your tickets online. The tickets allow you to go directly to the entrance.
Below is a list of the different Belvedere Palace tickets you can get. You can see their current costs on their official site. Or you can get the Vienna Pass, as I did, which covers the cost of admission. As you likely know, I’m a big fan of city passes.
- Klimt Ticket – Upper & Lower Belvedere (You save €6.00)
- Upper & Lower Belvedere, Belvedere 21
- Upper Belvedere Single Ticket
- Lower Belvedere Single Ticket
- Belvedere 21 Single Ticket
- Annual Ticket Belvedere
*Ticket options as of 2019
Visiting the Belvedere Palace in Vienna
Final thoughts on the Belvedere: We took about 2.5 hours to visit, but I see online that it recommends 3 hours, so estimate between those two. Because we had the Vienna Pass, we didn’t wait in any lines, so that was a nice time saver.
The hop-on, hop-off bus took us directly there and was covered by the pass as well. However, if you don’t get the pass, public transport in Vienna is extremely easy. I used Maps.me to get around without Wi-fi.
If you’d like to take the work out of seeing the Belvedere Palace in Vienna on your own, I suggest Get Your Guide Tours as they offer many marvelous options for guided tours.
I love booking with them because if any issues arise, it’s easy to get a refund. Their tour operators are also affordable and reliable.
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