Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dinners. Next to each name card was a menu listing the chef responsible for each dish. (Talk
aboutpressure.)WhiletheHofburghadtablewarefor4,000,feeding3,000wasatypicalday.
The cellar was stocked with 60,000 bottles of wine. The kitchen was huge—50 birds could
be roasted at once on the hand-driven spits.
Franz Josef enforced strict protocol at mealtime: No one could speak without being
spoken to by the emperor, and no one could eat after he was done. While the rest of Europe
was growing democracy and expanding personal freedoms, the Habsburgs preserved their
ossified worldview to the bitter end.
In1918,WorldWarIended,Austriawascreatedasamodernnation-state,theHabsburgs
were tossed out...and Hofburg Palace was destined to become a museum.
▲▲▲
One of the world's most stunning collections of royal regalia, the Hofburg Treasury shows
offsparklingcrowns,jewels,gowns,andassortedHabsburgblingin21darkenedrooms.The
treasures, well-explained by an audioguide, include the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor,
Charlemagne's saber, a unicorn horn, and more precious gems than you can shake a scepter
at.
Cost and Hours:
€12, €18 combo-ticket with Kunsthistorisches Museum and New
Palace museums, Wed-Mon 9:00-17:30, closed Tue; from the Hofburg's central courtyard
passthroughtheblack,red,andgoldgate,thenfollow
Schatzkammer
signstotheSchweizer-
hof; tel. 01/525-240,
www.khm.at
.
Audioguides:
Abasicaudioguidecoveringthetop11jewelsisincludedwithyourticket.
Or, for €2, you can rent an audioguide programmed to describe the top 100 stops—well
worth it to get the most out of this dazzling collection.
Self-GuidedTour:
Here'sarundownofthehighlights(theaudioguideismuchmore
complete).
Room2:
Thepersonal
crownofRudolfII
(1602)occupies thecenter oftheroomalong
with its accompanying scepter and orb; a bust of Rudolf II (1552-1612) sits nearby. The
crown's design symbolically merges a bishop's miter (“Holy”), the arch across the top of a
Roman emperor's helmet (“Roman”), and the typical medieval king's crown (“Emperor”).
Twocenturieslater(1806),thiscrownandscepterbecametheofficialregaliaofAustria's
rulers, as seen in the large
portrait of Franz I
(the one behind you). Napoleon Bonaparte
had just conquered Austria and dissolved the Holy Roman Empire. Franz (ruled 1792-1835)
was allowed to remain in power, but he had to downgrade his title from “Franz II, Holy Ro-
man Emperor” to “Franz I, Emperor of Austria.”
Rooms 3 and 4:
These rooms contain some of the
coronation vestments and regalia
needed for the new Austrian (not Holy Roman) Emperor. There was a different one for each
