The House of Habsburg is proud to announce the building of Schnbrunn Palace, Vienna.
Construction will take several months and the final wing should be finished earlyfall 2011.
The history of Schnbrunn and the previous buildings that stood on this site goes back to the Middle Ages. The whole estate was referred to as the Katterburg from the beginning of the 14th century and belonged to the manor of the monastery at Klosterneuburg. Over the following centuries the names of numerous tenants are documented, including a few prominent figures such as, in 1548, Hermann Bayer, who was mayor of Vienna and who extended the buildings, transforming the property into a manorial estate.
In 1569 the estate came into Habsburg possession through Maximilian II , and according to the title deeds included a house, a watermill and stabling as well as a pleasure garden and an orchard . Maximilian was primarily interested in extending the game park, which was principally intended for the breeding of native game and fowl. However, the pheasantry also contained exotic fowl such as peafowl and turkeys.
Following the sudden death of Maximilian II in 1576 the Katterburg passed to Rudolph II , who did little except sanction the necessary funds for its upkeep. Emperor Matthias used the estate for hunting, and according to a legend is supposed to have come across the Schne Brunnen (meaning 'fair spring'), which eventually gave the estate its name, while on a hunting excursion in 1612.
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updated by @francisi-stephen-de-lorraine: 12 Oct 2016 12:49:45AM
I noticed it during my search for 18th century Habsburg-Lorraine portraits. Its a very beautiful palace..it even says so in the name! (the"schn" in Schnbrunn means beautiful)
