The Liechtenstein City Palace

History and restoration of the Princely Palace on Bankgasse in Vienna. Baroque, Neo Rococo, Biedermeier
Erscheinungsjahr 2015
ISBN: 978-3-85033-957-5
Verlag: Brandstätter Verlag

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, gebunden, Format (B × H): 240 mm x 280 mm

The palace was the first major Baroque structure of this kind in Vienna to take inspiration from the monumentality of its Italian models. From the very outset, it was designed with the idea of accommodating the Princely Collection. The prince set great store by engaging only the very best Italian artists. When it was completed in 1705, the palace must have been a true temple of the muses. It also provided Austrian artists with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the international world of the Baroque. Almost all of the works by Rubens contained within the Princely Collection were already hanging on the palace walls at the time. From 2004 onwards, Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein launched a revitalisation project which culminated in a grand reopening in the spring of 2014. The return of the famous Biedermeier Collection of the Princely House of Liechtenstein means that visitors can also now view the same pictures that adorned the wall of the palace following its previous reopening in the mid-19th century. As they proceed from the facade via the High Baroque staircase to the Ceremonial Rooms, the overall work of art that astounded those who travelled to Vienna 150 years ago once again comes alive.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kräftner, Johann

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Johann Kräftner was born in 1951. He studied for a degree in Architecture, specialising in the history of art and conservation. After completing his studies, he joined the staff of the Technical University of Vienna and in 1998 became Director of the Institute of Architectural Design Theory, part of the Faculty of Architecture. He took over as Head of the Liechtenstein Museum and the Collections of the Prince von and zu Liechtenstein in Vaduz and Vienna in 2002, and since 2011 has been Director of LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna. Johann Kräftner has written numerous monographs on the history and theory of architecture and has published articles on architecture and the environment in the media in Austria and abroad.