The Hofburg in plain English: the Habsburg palace in Vienna and its sister in Innsbruck, their history, collections and rooms
Stand in the large courtyard of the Hofburg, In der Burg, and turn toward the side opposite the Imperial Chancellery Wing. The building across from you, with its tower, clock and plain Renaissance front, is the Amalienburg. It's one of the older parts of the palace complex, and…
Two gardens on either side of the Hofburg tell a quieter part of the palace's history. The Burggarten, between the Neue Burg and the Albertina, began…
Mozart stands in white marble in the Burggarten, one hand extended, with the Hofburg rising through the trees behind him. It is an easy place to…
Later on the route through the Imperial Armoury, the steel knights give way to blue cases full of curved sabres, pointed helmets, gilded pistols and…
At first glance it looks like a joke. A knight in full armour, wearing a flared, pleated skirt down to his knees, every pleat beaten out of steel…
Most armour in Vienna is bright steel, sometimes blued, sometimes gilt. This one looks as if someone has painted a carpet on it. Every plate, from…
The horse is the reason everyone stops. It rears up so far that only its two hind hooves touch the pedestal, and nothing else holds it. When Anton…
A good part of the Imperial Armoury in the Neue Burg exists because of one man. Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol collected armour the way other princes…
Most visitors walk past it. The Augustinian Church is built into the Hofburg on Josefsplatz, next to the State Hall of the library, and from the…
Plenty of palaces have a library. The Hofburg has a library hall nearly 80 metres long, all shelving, galleries and painted ceiling, built so an…
