Reichskanzleitrakt, Government building in Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria
The Reichskanzleitrakt is a wing of the Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna's Innere Stadt, featuring a baroque facade and ornate architectural details. The building connects ceremonial state rooms with former private imperial apartments, which today serve as exhibition spaces open to visitors.
Construction started in 1723 on the orders of Emperor Charles VI, based on designs by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach then took over and finished the project in 1730.
The Reichskanzleitrakt houses the Imperial Apartments, where visitors can see original furniture, wallpaper, and personal objects from the time of Francis Joseph I. The room arrangements give a concrete sense of how a Habsburg ruler organized daily life in these chambers.
The building sits at the heart of the Hofburg complex and is easy to reach on foot from central Vienna. Access to the exhibition areas depends on museum opening hours, so it is worth planning your visit around them.
The wing originally took its name from housing the chancellery of the Holy Roman Empire, which was the administrative nerve center of Habsburg rule. This function is largely forgotten today, even though it is the reason the building carries its name.
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