Canaletto view, Historic viewpoint at Upper Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Canaletto view is the perspective from the terrace of the Upper Belvedere in Vienna toward the inner city. In the foreground lie the Belvedere gardens; beyond them rise the Karlskirche dome, the Stephansdom tower and the Salesianerinnenkirche dome, with the Palais Schwarzenberg and the Lower Belvedere also visible.

Bernardo Bellotto, known as Canaletto, painted this view of Vienna from the Upper Belvedere around the middle of the 18th century. The painting served as a political symbol of Vienna's development under the House of Habsburg. A 2018 exhibition at the Upper Belvedere showed that Bellotto flattered his patron Maria Theresa by enlarging or shifting buildings linked to her, such as the dome of the Salesianerinnenkirche. The original painting is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

The view was painted for Empress Maria Theresa and carries political symbolism: buildings linked to her, such as the dome of the Salesianerinnenkirche, whose foundation stone was laid at her birth, were enlarged or shifted. Bellotto also added the tower of the Elisabethinenkirche, invisible from this spot, and two observatories that no longer exist, honouring the Habsburgs as patrons of science.

The viewpoint sits within the Upper Belvedere complex and can only be reached with a valid entry ticket. Going early in the morning is a good idea, as fewer visitors are around and the view over the rooftops is clearer.

In Bellotto's painting the tower of the Elisabethinenkirche appears at the far right, although it could not be seen from this spot; it was probably added because Maria Theresia had helped fund it. Two observatories that no longer exist were also painted in, honouring the Habsburgs as patrons of science.