Gartenpalais Liechtenstein

The Garden Palace Liechtenstein in Vienna's Alsergrund district is a magnificent example of Baroque architecture, located on Fürstengasse in the ninth district. Its origins go back to 1687, when Prince Johann Adam Andreas of Liechtenstein acquired a garden plot. In 1688, a competition was announced for the construction of the palace. The young Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach took part, but his design was rejected. The commission went first to Domenico Egidio Rossi and later to Domenico Martinelli. The building was conceived as a hybrid of town house and country house in the Roman style, with a clear, blocklike structure and an emphasized central projection, which suited the conservative taste of the patron. The facade and interior are richly decorated; the staircases are made of marble monoliths, and the door frames are crafted from white Salzburg marble.

The palace's artistic furnishings are of exceptional quality. On the ground floor you'll find frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr, while the ceiling paintings on the second floor (the first floor in European usage) are the work of Italian masters such as Andrea Pozzo and Antonio Bellucci. Among other works, Pozzo created the ceiling painting in the so-called Hercules Hall. The stucco work was carried out by Santino Bussi, who also decorated the vaults of the hall and the salons. The adjoining park was originally laid out as a classic Baroque garden and was later redesigned in the Neoclassical style in the 19th century. Today the grounds extend between the main building and the so-called Alserbach Palace, which originally served as a belvedere and was later replaced by a new building designed by Heinrich Ferstel.

After a long history as the home of the princely art collection and as the site of various museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the palace housed the Liechtenstein Museum until the end of 2011. Because of declining visitor numbers, regular museum operations were discontinued. Since the beginning of 2012, the building has served primarily as an event venue. Part of the prince's private art collection is still housed in the gallery rooms, but it is shown only on special occasions or to groups that have registered in advance. Today, the forecourt area contains the administrative offices as well as a court winery, where wines and specialty products are sold.