Treasury of the Hofburg (Schatzkammer Hofburg) description and photos - Austria: Vienna (Topic)

Treasury of the Hofburg (Schatzkammer Hofburg) description and photos - Austria: Vienna. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Schatzkammer Hofburg.

Photo and description

The Hofburg Treasury, the largest treasury in the world, is part of the Habsburg collection, is part of the Museum of Art History and is located in the Hofburg. You can enter the treasury in the Swiss Court, which got its name in honor of the Swiss Guard, who once guarded the Empress Maria Theresa.

In 1556, Giacolo Strada, an art critic from Nuremberg, was appointed as the court antiquary. Ferdinand I took over the management of the imperial treasury. Originally, the collection, which consisted of works of art, paintings and cultural regalia, was kept in the Augustinian church. Maria Theresa put the crown jewels on public display for the first time to divert attention from the sale of part of the imperial collection. This was done in order to finance the wars with Prussia.

The treasury has been greatly replenished after the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. So, among the exhibits you can see the crown of the Holy Roman Empire (962), the imperial sword and scepter, the spear of fate and the imperial cross. The treasury contains relics of the Order of the Golden Fleece. There are also extremely funny things in the collection. For example, a unicorn, which is two and a half meters long.

Before the start of World War II, on the orders of Hitler, the entire collection was transported to Nuremberg. However, it was not possible to save it there. Already in May 1945, during the occupation, it was captured by American troops. A year later, the collection was returned to the Austrian capital.

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Topic: Treasury of the Hofburg (Schatzkammer Hofburg) description and photos - Austria: Vienna.