Vienna was the home of the Royal House of Liechtenstein for generations until the Anschluss (annexing of Austria into Nazi Germany) in 1938 forced them back to their tiny mountain principality between Switzerland and Austria. The family left two baroque palaces full of treasures: the City Palace and the Garden Palace. After decades of gathering dust, Prince Hans-Adam Ii's private collection of artwork, known as the Princely Collections and showcasing works from the 16th to the 19th centuries, was transferred back to Vienna and installed into the fabulously ornate Garden Palace. The architecture of the Garden Palace is also a masterpiece, with opulently frescoed apartments decorated by the Austrian Baroque master Johann Michael Rottmayr and complemented with sweeping marble staircases and ceiling paintings by Andrea Pozzo.
The Garden Palace is used for private events and the art collection can only be viewed by joining a public tour (in German; English audio guides are provided).
There are two Liechtenstein palaces in Vienna, and the Liechtenstein Garden Palace should not be confused with the City Palace, located on Bankgasse in the center of the city. The Garden Palace is set in the Liechtensteinpark, off Fürstengasse to the north of the Ringstrasse. It’s accessible by public transportation from the city center.
The Interiors and Princely Collection in the Garden Palace can only be visited via a guided tour in German (English audio guides are provided). Tours are generally offered on Fridays when there are no events scheduled.
The Princely Collections are one of the most prestigious private art collections in the world. Highlights include the highly elaborate and inlaid 16th-century Badminton Cabinet and a number of Renaissance and baroque paintings and sculptures, including 30 paintings by Flemish artist Pieter Paul Rubens. You'll also find pieces by Franz Hals, Anthony Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Raphael. An ornate carriage, gilded and adorned with painted side panels of cherubim painted in the workshops of Boucher, was made by Parisian craftsman Nicholas Pineau in 1738, and is a rare survivor of the French Revolution.
