Breakfast at the Gloriette - Schonbrunn Park
The history of Schonbrunn Park can be traced to the 14th century. The manor house situated on the river Wien was acquired by emperor Maximilian II in 1569 to be used as a hunting lodge. Between 1695 and 1711 a baroque palace was constructed based on plans by Fischer von Erlach. In 1740 Maria Theresia ordered the palace to be renovated for the comfortable accommodations of the Royal Household. The palace was extended to house over 1000 people in the lap of luxury befitting the Empress and her 16 children for their summer palace.
The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Neptune Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The gardens, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet in 1695. It contains, among other things, a maze and over 32 sculptures representing deities and virtues.
If you looked out of Schönbrunn Palace, across the gardens and up to the crest of the hill, your eye would come to rest on the columns and arches of the Gloriette.
The story goes that a lack of a fitting object for the Imperial eye as it reached the periphery of the garden generated the idea for the Gloriette. Constructed by Hetzendorf von Hohenberg in 1775 along with the Neptune Fountain, the two were designed to be used as a point of interest and for picnics and festivities. Franz I, the much beloved husband of Maria Theresia, used the Gloriette as a breakfast room. Today the Gloriette is a cafe on the palace grounds, looking down on the incredible view of the palace and the city of Vienna below.
The story goes that a lack of a fitting object for the Imperial eye as it reached the periphery of the garden generated the idea for the Gloriette. Constructed by Hetzendorf von Hohenberg in 1775 along with the Neptune Fountain, the two were designed to be used as a point of interest and for picnics and festivities. Franz I, the much beloved husband of Maria Theresia, used the Gloriette as a breakfast room. Today the Gloriette is a cafe on the palace grounds, looking down on the incredible view of the palace and the city of Vienna below.
The Leopold Museum, Saturday Market, Lunch at Plachutta and a wine bar dinner
The Leopold is home to one of the largest collections of modern Austrian art, featuring artists such as Egon Schiele, Gustay Klint, Oskar Kokoschka and Richard Gerst. More than 5,000 exhibits collected by Elisabeth and Rudolf Leopold over five decades were consolidated in 1994 with the assistance of the Republic of Austria and the National Bank of Austria into the Leopold Museum Private Foundation. In 2001 the Leopold Museum was opened. The IDC had a private tour of the museum starting with the Secession Expressionism and designs.
Lunch was at the Plachutta for a traditional Viennese meal. Delicious and very filling!
Lunch was at the Plachutta for a traditional Viennese meal. Delicious and very filling!
Dinner at Unger and Klein - the Back Room of a Small Wine bar
Because the IDC is about different experiences, we fit nicely in the small back room of a Viennese Wine Bar where we drank wonderful bottles of Austrian wines and dined on cheese, bread, olives and various dried meats. It gave us all the opportunity to reflect on the past few days and plan for our next adventure.