The Habsburg Empire, seated in Vienna and brought to
prominence in the 16th century, sought to display its authority
and power through palace complexes, much like Louis XIV of France sought
to do with the Chateau de Versailles. Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna is a Baroque
masterpiece and monument to the splendor of the Imperial Habsburgs.
“The Habsburgs derived their right to unlimited dominion
from religion; as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire they were firmly
convinced of a divine mission in exercising the highest secular office in
Christendom. The divine right of kings was firmly anchored in the idea of
Empire…The imperial ethos of the Habsburgs, underpinned by religion, was in
fact seen as the conscious antithesis to the French kingship of Louis XIV with
its flaunting of secular pomp.” –The World of the Habsburgs (
During the Middle Ages, the estate that was to become
Schonbrunn was known as the Katterburg – a hunting lodge, much like the origin of Versailles. In 1612, Emperor Matthias came upon a schöne brunnen (“fair
spring”) while on a hunting excursion, from which the name “Schonbrunn” was
derived.
In 1688, Emperor Leopold I hired Italian-trained architect
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to design a magnificent new residence
for son Joseph I, who was known as Austria’s “Sun Emperor” (another reference
to Louis XIV and the state’s increasing power). Designs were presented
for a new palace, the Schönbrunn I Project.
The floor plans below show the grand layout of one of the
floors of the Palace. In the hierarchy of rooms, the most important spaces are
toward the middle and the back of the structure (Ceremonial Room, Great
Gallery, Hall of Mirrors, etc.). The photos of the Palace interior show a glimpse of the richness, opulence, and taste of this monumental building.
http://drewidhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/european-baroque-architecture/
http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en.html
http://junkboattravels.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-8-schonbrunn-palace-vienna.html
The photograph below shows Schonbrunn's Hall of Mirrors, and the photograph after (two photographs down) depicts Versailles's Hall of Mirrors (again highlighting the similarities between the two palaces).
Schonbrunn. http://designergirlee.wordpress.com/page/9/
Versailles. http://www.guidedtoureurope.net/visit-versailles-hall-of-mirrors/
The types of garments worn in the Habsburg Court at Schonbrunn were fashions that followed the Baroque style of the French and Italians. Women wore extravagant silk dresses in vibrant colors decorated with laces and ribbons, and a narrow waist was achieved through corsets and emphasized by contrast to wide sleeves and skirts. Furthermore, “flea furs” were worn during winter and were thought to attract fleas to the fur instead of the women’s skin. Men typically wore long jackets, linen shirts, justaucorps (waistcoats), and powdered wigs.
http://www.vienna-unwrapped.com/baroque-costumes/
This is a link to a YouTube video of a Baroque musical
composition by Heinrich Biber (perhaps the forerunner to Justin Bieber). The
piece is called Battalia a 10 in D major, C. 61 and is typical of the music that would have been played for the Habsburg Court of the Baroque period. One can listen to this song and imagine what it would be like to hear it reverberating through the magnificently frescoed and decorated halls of Schonbrunn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9DJpaxT7wg
Summary of helpful links:
http://www.habsburger.net/en - World of the Habsburgs Website
http://www.vienna-unwrapped.com/baroque-costumes/ - Baroque fashions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9DJpaxT7wg - Heinrich Biber Baroque music
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