Hofburg, Vienna

This is the home and center of government of the Hapsburg dynasty who ruled here for about 600 years, ending only in 1918 as they were on the losing side of world war 1. The Hofburg was begun in the 12th century and remodeled, enlarged and otherwise changed over the centuries.
The 1st picture is of the main entrance to the Hofburg.
The 2nd picture is of the portion of the palace built on the 13th century foundations. Behind that wall is the "home field" of the Vienna Boys Choir. The 3rd picture is one of the few examples in Vienna of renaissance art. It is a gate into that section of the palace in the previous picture. The Hapsburgs were deeply Roman Catholic, and the Counter- Reformation was big here. So the baroque over took and replaced renaissance architecture.
The 4th picture is in the main courtyard of the Hofburg. You'll notice one floor has larger widows. This floor houses the royal apartments. The 5th picture is the rotunda in one of the entries to the main courtyard.
The last picture is of the last part of the Hofburg that was built and shows how this building's importance continues beyond the Hapsburgs. It is from the balcony in the center that Hitler gave the speech that incorporated Austria into 3rd Reich. The building now houses offices of the Austrian Presidency.Read more