Belvedere, Art museum in Landstraße, Vienna, Austria
The Belvedere is an art museum in Landstraße, Vienna, Austria, housed in two Baroque palaces linked by formal gardens with decorative pools and fountains. The terraced green spaces rise over stone staircases from the lower to the upper building and offer views of symmetrical flowerbeds and sculptures.
Prince Eugene of Savoy commissioned architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to build this summer residence outside Vienna's city walls in the early eighteenth century. After the prince's death, Empress Maria Theresa purchased the complex in 1752 and converted it into an imperial picture gallery.
Viennese painting from the turn of the twentieth century fills several rooms with works by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka. The Art Nouveau galleries in the Upper Palace retain the original ceiling frescoes and marble decoration that once framed aristocratic gatherings.
Visitors can explore three separate venues: the Upper Palace for historical art, the Lower Palace for temporary exhibitions and the Belvedere 21 for contemporary works. The walk between the two main buildings passes through the garden and takes about ten minutes on foot.
The Alpine Garden within the palace grounds holds the distinction of being the first garden of its kind established in Europe. The collection of alpine plants grows among limestone blocks and recreated mountain formations.
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