Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Mirabellplatz 4; palace 8am-4pm Mon, Wed & Thu, 1-4pm Tue & Fri, gardens dawn-dusk)
What a
way to woo your mistress: Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich had this splendid palace
built for his mistress Salome Alt in 1606. It must have done the trick because she went on
to bear the archbishop some 15 children; sources disagree on the exact number - poor
Wolf was presumably too distracted by spiritual matters to keep count himself. Johann
Lukas von Hildebrandt, of Schloss Belvedere fame, remodelled the palace in baroque
style in 1721. The lavish baroque interior, replete with stucco, marble and frescoes, is
free to visit. The
Marmorsaal
(Marble Hall) provides a sublime backdrop for evening
chamber concerts.
The flowery parterres, rose gardens and leafy arbours are less overrun first thing in the
morning and early evening. The lithe
Tänzerin
(dancer) sculpture is a great spot to photo-
graph the gardens with the fortress as a backdrop.
The Sound of Music
fans will of course
recognise the
Pegasus statue
, the steps and the gnomes of the
Zwerglgarten
(Dwarf Garden),
where the von Trapps practised 'Do-Re-Mi'.
Rupertinum
GALLERY
(
www.museumdermoderne.at
; Wiener-Philharmoniker-Gasse 9; adult/child/family €6/4/8; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, to
8pm Wed)
In the heart of the Altstadt, the Rupertinum is the sister gallery of the Museum
der Moderne (
Click here
)
and is devoted to rotating exhibitions of modern art. There is a
strong emphasis on graphic works and photography.
Friedhof St Sebastian
CEMETERY
(Linzer Gasse 41; 9am-6.30pm)
Tucked behind the baroque
Sebastianskirche
(St Sebastian's
Church), this peaceful cemetery and its cloisters were designed by Andrea Berteleto in
Italianate style in 1600. Mozart family members and well-known 16th-century physician
Paracelsus are buried here, but out-pomping them all is Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich
von Raitenau's mosaic-tiled mausoleum, an elaborate memorial to himself.
Stift Nonnberg
CHURCH
