Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(filled with the bigwigs—literally—of the day), Josef is wearing the same crown and royal
garb that you've just seen.
Room 12 also displays the
leather cases
used to store and transport the crowns, crosses,
and other objects. Another glass case contains
relics
—such as a fragment of Jesus' manger,
a piece of Christ's loincloth, and a shred of the Last Supper tablecloth.
The Rest of the Treasury:
Rooms 13-15 have (among other things)
portraits of im-
portant Habsburgs,
such as Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy. Room 16 contains the
royal vestments
(15th century), which display perhaps the most exquisite workmanship in
the entire Treasury. Look closely—they're “painted” with gold and silver threads. But after
seeing so much bling, by the time you view these vestments, they can seem downright un-
derstated—just another example of the pomp and circumstance of the majestic Habsburgs.
The New Palace (Neue Burg) houses three separate collections (covered by a single ticket).
The
Arms and Armor Collection
displays weaponry and body armor from all over the vast
Habsburg Empire, including exotic Turkish suits of armor. The
Ancient Musical Instru-
ments Collection
shows instruments through the ages, including Beethoven's (supposed)
clarinet, Leopold Mozart's violin, a keyboard perhaps played by Wolfgang Mozart, and
Brahms' piano.The
Ephesus Museum
hasartifacts andclassical statuary fromthat bustling
ancient Roman city of300,000people (located inmodern-day Turkey,near Kuşadas1 onthe
southwestern coast). The included audioguide brings the exhibits to life and lets you hear
the collection's fascinating old instruments being played. An added bonus is the chance to
wander alone among the royal Habsburg halls, stairways, and painted ceilings.
Cost and Hours:
€12, ticket covers all three collections and the Kunsthistorisches Mu-
seum across the Ring, €18 combo-ticket with the Hofburg Treasury, Wed-Sun 10:00-18:00,
closed Mon-Tue, last entry 30 minutes before closing, almost no tourists, tel. 01/525-240,
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Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule)
This stately 300-year-old Baroque hall at the Hofburg Palace is the home of the renowned
Lipizzaner stallions. The magnificent building was an impressive expanse in its day. Built
without central pillars, it offers clear views of the prancing horses under lavish chandeliers,
with a grand statue of Emperor Charles VI on horseback at the head of the hall.
Lipizzaner stallions were a creation of horse-loving Habsburg Archduke Charles, who
wanted to breed the perfect animal. He imported Andalusian horses from his homeland of
Spain,thenmatedthemwithalocallinetoproduceanextremely intelligent andeasilytrain-
