Schloss Laxenburg
Encyclopedia
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
s and castles outside Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, in the town of Laxenburg
Laxenburg
Laxenburg is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, near Vienna.- History :The place is well-known for its castle, Schloss Laxenburg, which, beside Schönbrunn, was the most important summer seat of the Habsburg dynasty....
, Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. The castles became a Habsburg possession in 1333 and formerly served as a summer retreat, along with Schönbrunn
Schönbrunn
Schönbrunn may refer to:*Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria*Schönbrunn , a municipality in Rhein-Neckar , Baden-Württemberg, Germany*Schönbrunn , a village in the Fichtelgebirge mountains in Bavaria, Germany...
palace, for the imperial Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
dynasty. Blauer Hof Palace was the birthplace of some members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Rudolf. Another castle nearby is named Franzensburg
Franzensburg
Franzensburg is a castle in Laxenburg, Lower Austria, Austria.-References:This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
castle.
Today the castles are used for events, conferences, and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s. The castles also acts as a museum in preserving the various paintings and furnishings contained within.
History
Old Laxenburg Castle became a Habsburg possession in 1333 and was extended in the 17th century by Lodovico Burnacini. The Blauer Hof (German for: blue court) or Neues Schloss (German for: new castle) was built around 1745 during the reign of empress Maria Theresia and has a RococoRococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
interior.
The church of Laxenburg, which was the first building north of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
containing swung facade components (characteristics of the high baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
), was built between 1693 and 1703 by Carlo Antonio Carlone and continued between 1703 and 1724 by Matthias Steinl
Matthias Steinl
Matthias Steinl was an Austrian painter, architect and designer, and one of the country's best known Baroque sculptors...
.
After 1780, the castle garden was rearranged as an English landscape garden. It contains several artificial ponds, and, on an island, the Franzensburg
Franzensburg
Franzensburg is a castle in Laxenburg, Lower Austria, Austria.-References:This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia....
castle, named after emperor Franz I, can be found.
In 1919, the city of Vienna took over the war-damaged castle and became the property owner of the park area of Laxenburg.
After the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of Austria in 1938, the municipality of Laxenburg
Laxenburg
Laxenburg is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, near Vienna.- History :The place is well-known for its castle, Schloss Laxenburg, which, beside Schönbrunn, was the most important summer seat of the Habsburg dynasty....
became part of the city Vienna. In 1954, the place became independent again and was returned to Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
. In 1972, Schloss Laxenburg became the home to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, (IIASA), and brought together the best scientists from either side of the iron curtain to study global problems. After the Cold War, the Institute broadened its mandate from the East and West to a truly global focus and, today, it brings together researchers from all over the world to provide science-based insights into critical policy issues in international and national debates on global change.
Several members of the imperial family were born at Laxenburg:
- Archduchess Gisela of AustriaArchduchess Gisela of AustriaGisela Louise Marie, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Hungary and Bohemia, Princess of Bavaria was the second daughter and eldest surviving child of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth...
, (15 July 1856 in Laxenburg, 27 July 1932 in Munich), Archduchess of Austria-Hungary, daughter of Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiserin ElisabethElisabeth of BavariaElisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
. - Crown Prince Rudolf (21 August 1858 in Laxenburg, 30 January 1889 in Mayerling) - son of Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiserin Elisabeth.
- Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of AustriaArchduchess Elisabeth Marie of AustriaElisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela , was an Archduchess of Austria and the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. She was known to the family as "Erzsi", a diminutive of her name in Hungarian...
(2 September 1883 in Laxenburg, 16 March 1963 in Vienna), daughter of Crown Prince Rudolf.
Literature
- Wolfgang Häusler. Laxenburg: Franzenburg Castle. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg (2006). ISBN 379546630X