Hofburg, Vienna

The Hofburg Complex is a vast palace comprising of many buildings, courtyards, gardens and a church, all built over a seven century period. The Habsburgs imperial family lived and ruled here. The surrounding neighbourhood is filled with palaces of nobility who wished to live close to them. Today these buildings are apartments, hotels, and shops. The Hofburg complex offers tourists a lot to see and explore. There are two public gardens: the Volksgarten and Burggarten. The Winter Riding School where you can see the Lipizzaner stallions. The Greenhouses where you can visit the Butterfly Garden. The Albertina which houses one of the finest art collections. The Prunksaal is the largest Baroque library in Europe. The Burgkapelle or Hofburg Chapel where on Sundays you can hear the Vienna Boys Choir. The gothic Augustiner Church where some of the family tombs can be found. And of course, The State Apartments and Treasuries where you can view the furnished imperial apartments and their treasure. You can easily spend several days exploring all the sights of the Hofburg complex. Petra Mehner