Palais Lobkowitz

Palais Lobkowitz, located in Vienna's first district, Innere Stadt, is one of the oldest palace buildings in the city and is considered the first major Baroque city palace built after the Second Turkish Siege. Standing on Lobkowitzplatz, the building was constructed between 1685 and 1687 by Giovanni Pietro Tencalla. While the interior was remodeled several times over the years, the facade still looks largely as it did when it was first built. The main portal in particular, which Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach reworked in 1709 with a unique, three-dimensional diadem arch, bears witness to the high architectural quality of the ensemble.

Historically, the site is best known for its musical significance. In the early 19th century, the palace was an important meeting place for the music world. Among other works, Ludwig van Beethoven's Third and Fourth Symphonies premiered here, and the ballroom was later named the "Eroica Hall." The Society of the Friends of Music, now the Vienna Musikverein, was also founded here. After World War II, the building served for a time as home to the Institut français before the state purchased it in 1980.

Today, the renovated palace houses the Austrian Theater Museum, which is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Here you can explore the rich history of theater and opera and experience the historic splendor of the Baroque interior, shaped over the centuries by its use as a residence, embassy, and cultural center.