Belvedere Palace, Austria

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna is a Baroque palace complex built in 1721-1722 by order of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna. This palace occupies an important place in the history of Austria and the Habsburgs. The Belvedere Palace was erected in honor of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was one of the best military leaders of his time, as well as one of the richest princes in Europe. After the expansion of the Belvedere by the Habsburgs, the palace housed the imperial picture gallery in the period 1775-1890.
Eugene acquired the place in 1697 and initially used the land as a large park. Belvedere Palace consists of two parts. Both parts were built by Johann Lucas von Hildebrand - one of the most important Austrian architects working in the Baroque style. One, which is the smaller and first part of the palace, known as the "Lower Belvedere", was built in 1714 - 1716. The architect of the project was the Austrian Johann Lucas von Hildebrand, and the decoration was entrusted to Italian artists. Its halls are covered in gilding and in them are exhibited sculptures from the Middle Ages.
The other part, which is also larger, is called "Upper Belvedere". It was erected in the period 1720-1722 and was originally conceived as the completion of the central axis of the main garden. It is a picture gallery that exhibits the richest collection of canvases by the famous Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. In the gallery you can also see works by Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele, who were Klimt's contemporaries.
The gardens of the Belvedere Palace are extremely beautiful, and the water pool located in them was popular because nymphs and goddesses swam in it. Upper Belvedere is considered their perfect finish. The beautiful park and gardens of the Belvedere are the work of Dominique Girard, who trained in the gardens of Versailles. Built in the typical French style of the time, with paths paved with small pebbles, a huge pool of water in the upper part, stairs and cascades with figures of nymphs and goddesses connecting it to the lower part - all this is a wonderful, amazing and unforgettable sight.