402 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp408–409
Exploring the Hofburg Complex
The vast Hofburg complex contains the former
imperial apartments and treasuries (Schatzkammer)
of the Habsburgs, several museums, a chapel, a church,
the Austrian National Library, the Winter Riding
School and the offices of the president of Austria.
The entrance to the imperial apartments and treasuries
is through the Michaelertor on Michaelerplatz.
State Apartments
Michaelerkuppel-Feststiege.
Tel (01) 533 7570. # Sep–Jun:
9am–5pm daily; Jul & Aug: 9am–6pm
daily. & 8 Sat & Sun.
The State Apartments
(Kaiserappartements) in the
Reichkanzleitrakt (1726–30)
and the Amalienburg (1575)
include the rooms occupied by
Franz Joseph I from 1857 to
1916, those of Empress
Elisabeth from 1854 to 1898
and those where Czar
Alexander I lived during the
Congress of Vienna in 1815.Spanish Riding School
Tel (01) 533 9031. # for
performances. ¢ pub hols. &
7 some areas.
The Spanish Riding School is
believed to have been founded
by the Habsburgs in 1572 to
cultivate the classic skills of
haute école horseman ship.
Today, 80-minute shows take
place in the building known
as the Spanish Riding School,
built between 1729 and 1735,
to a design by Josef Emanuel
Fischer von Erlach.Schatzkammer
Schweizerhof. Tel (01) 525 240.
# 10am–6pm Wed–Mon. ¢ pub
hols. & 7
Sacred and secular treasures
amassed during centuries of
Habsburg rule are displayed inNeue Burg
Heldenplatz. Tel (01) 5252 4484.
10am–6pm Wed–Mon. ¢ 1 Jan,
6 Apr, 25 May, 2 Nov. &
http://www.khm.at
The massive curved building,
Neue Burg, was added to the
Hofburg between 1881 and
- The Ephesus Museum
houses archaeological finds
from Ephesus, while pianos
that belonged to Haydn,
Schubert and Beethoven are
kept in the musical instruments
museum – the Sammlung alter
Musikinstrumente. The col lec-
tion of weapons in the Hofjagd
und Rüstkammer is one of the
finest in Europe. There is also
a fine ethnological col lec tion,
the Museum für Völkerkunde,
as well as art collections from
the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Augustinerkirche
Augustinerstrasse 3. Tel (01) 5330
- http://www.augustinerkirche.at
The church has one of the
city’s best-preserved 14th-cen-
tury Gothic interiors. The
Loreto Chapel here has a
series of silver urns that con-
tain the hearts of the Habsburg
family. The church is also
celebrated for its music, with
masses by Schubert or Haydn
performed here on Sundays.
Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of
Austria (1865) by Winterhalter
Tenth-century crown of the Holy
Roman Empire, Schatzkammer21 rooms known as the
treasuries (Schatzkammer).
They include relics of the
Holy Roman Empire, the
crown jewels and liturgical
objects of the imperial court.
Visitors can also admire the
dazzling gold, silver and por-
celain that were once used
at state banquets.Hofburgkapelle
Schweizerhof. Tel (01) 533 9927.
# 11am–3pm Mon–Thu, 11am–1pm
Fri. ¢ pub hols. & Vienna Boys’
Choir Jan–Jun & Sep–Dec: 9:15am
Sun (book by phone). &
Originally built in 1296, the
Hofburgkapelle was reno vated
in 1440s by Friedrich III; it
contains Gothic statues in can-
opied niches. Every Sunday,
visitors can hear perform ances
by the renowned Vienna Boys’
Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben).Burggarten and Volksgarten
Burgring/Opernring/Dr-Karl-Renner-
Ring. # daily.
Some of the space left around
the Hofburg after Napoleon’s
invasion was transformed by
the Habsburgs into gardens.
The Volksgarten opened in
1820, but the Burggarten
remained the palace’s
private garden until 1918.Ornamental pond in the Volksgarten, with Burgtheater in the background