Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
actually died in). The Mirrored Room was where six-year-old Wolfie Mozart performed his
first concert. The opulent, chandeliered Great Gallery—with its mirrored walls and dramat-
ically frescoed ceilings—was the site of a famous 1961 summit between John F. Kennedy
and Nikita Khrushchev.
Fortunately, the palace managed to escape destruction when WWII bombs rained on the
cityandthepalacegrounds.Thepalaceitselftookonlyonedirecthit.Thankfully,thatbomb,
which crashed through three floors—including the sumptuous central ballroom—was a dud.
Most of the public rooms are decorated in Neo-Baroque, as they were under Franz Josef and
Sisi. The rest of the palace was converted to simple apartments and rented to the families
of 260 civil servants, who enjoy rent control and governmental protections so they can't be
evicted.
Unlike the gardens of Versailles, meant to shut out the real world, Schönbrunn's park was
opened to the public in 1779 while the monarchy was in full swing. It was part of Maria
Theresa's reform policy, making the garden a celebration of the evolution of civilization
from autocracy into real democracy.
Today it's a delightful, sprawling place to wander—especially on a sunny day. You can
spend hours here, enjoying the views and the people-watching. And most of the park is free,
asithasbeenformorethantwocenturies(opendailysunrisetodusk,entranceoneitherside
of the palace).
Getting Around the Gardens:
A
tourist train
makes the rounds all day, connecting
Schönbrunn's many attractions (€6, 2/hour in peak season, none Nov-mid-March, one-hour
circuit). Unfortunately, there's no bike rental nearby.
Visiting the Gardens:
The large, manicured grounds are laid out on angled, tree-lined
axes that gradually incline, offering dramatic views back to the palace. The small side gar-
dens flanking the palace are the most elaborate. As you face the back of the palace, to the
right is the
privy garden
(
Kronprinzengarten,
€2.50); to the left are the free
Sisi Gardens.
Better yet, just explore, using a map (pick one up at the palace) to locate several whimsical
fountains;
a kid-friendly
maze
(Irrgarten)
and playground area (€3.50); and the
Gloriette,
a purely decorative monument celebrating an obscure Austrian military victory and offering
a fine city view (pay for a pricey drink in the café, shell out €2.50 to hike up to the viewing
terrace, or skip the whole thing, as views are about as good from the lawn in front; included
in Schönbrunn passes described earlier, daily April-Sept 9:00-18:00, July-Aug until 19:00,
Oct 9:00-17:00, closed Nov-March).
At the west end of the grounds is Europe's oldest
zoo
(Tiergarten),
built by Maria
Theresa'shusbandfortheentertainmentandeducationofthecourtin1752(€15,€20combo-
ticketwithpalmanddeserthouses,dailyApril-Sept9:00-18:30,closesearlieroff-season,tel.
