Schönbrunn Palace is a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE and Austria’s most visited tourist attraction. For centuries the palace served as the summer home of the Habsburgs, and to this day reflects the interests and tastes of the Habsburg monarchs. Schönbrunn is considered to be one of Europe’s most impressive Baroque palace complexes and Austria’s most significant cultural monument.
The Schönbrunn estate came into Habsburg possession in 1569 through Maximillian II. It passed to many successors, who did little more than use it as a hunting ground. The creation of Schönbrunn Palace can be attributed to Emperor Leopold I. In 1693, he commissioned Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, to build a grand hunting lodge for his son, and heir to the throne, Joseph I. Unfortunately, Joseph died suddenly in 1711 before the palace was completed, halting construction for many years.
