Belvedere Palace in Austria, Vienna resort
Rating: 8,2/10 (1753 votes)  Belvedere Palace is the best example of the Baroque style in Austria. The construction of the palace began at the beginning of the 18th century at the direction of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Belvedere is represented by two palaces: the Lower Belvedere and the Upper Belvedere. They are opposite each other and are connected to each other by French gardens. The Lower Belvedere was built from 1714 to 1716. When you see this building for the first time, you might think that this is a large greenhouse. This is partially true, as the living quarters were located in the central pavilion and the west wing, which were flanked by two greenhouses. After the completion of the Lower Belvedere, Belvedere Park was designed. It was designed by landscape designer Dominique Girard. The park is a long strip, divided into three rectangular parts with fountains and trees. Construction of the Upper Belvedere began in 1721. If you look at the palace building from the side of the park, you can see that it consists of 7 pavilions. The largest central pavilion has a mansard roof, while the small pavilions create a complete symmetry of the ensemble with domed roofs. In 1752, the heirs of Eugene of Savoy sold the Belvedere Palace to the Habsburgs. In 1779, Joseph II decided to reorganize the art collection of the Habsburgs, which was kept at Stallburg Castle. As a result, about 1300 paintings by 508 authors were transferred to the Belvedere. All of them were arranged in chronological order and depending on belonging to a particular school. So in the first half of the 19th century, the palace became known as a museum and a venue for various festive events. At the end of the 19th century, by order of Prince Franz Ferdinand, the Upper Belvedere was reconstructed and modernized to accommodate the imperial family. After the death of the crown prince and his wife, the palace stood empty for several years. In 1919, the Belvedere Palace became the property of the state, and a little later a public museum was opened here. During the Second World War, the palace was badly damaged, but was later rebuilt. One of the important events, which took place in the palace, is the signing of the ceremonial agreement on the sovereignty of Austria in May 1955. Today the Upper Belvedere houses the Austrian gallery, which displays works of art from the 19th-20th centuries. The Lower Belvedere houses the Museum of Medieval Art and the Baroque Museum.   
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