The Vienna Hofburg

It was originally built as a fortress by Ottokar Premisel, King of Bohemia, in 1275. At the end of the 16th century, the Hofburg consisted of 3 separate buildings.

The first part, today's Schweizerhof with the Hofburg chapel, is the home of the Hofmusikkapelle, which consists of members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the male chorus of the State Opera as well as the Vienna Boys' Choir. Every Sunday at 9:15 am from mid September to the end of June, you can attend Mass. We strongly recommend ordering tickets in advance.

Over the course of time, the Hofburg was expanded time and again until it reached its current size. Every emperor built his residence according to his own taste and style. Today, you can visit the Amalienburg, the court library, the Imperial apartments, the Court Silver & Table Room, as well as the Emperor Elisabeth Museum and the Imperial Treasury.

The Museum of Historical Musical Instruments and the Museum of Weapons and Armaments are also housed in the Hofburg. And we can't forget that the Spanish Riding School also calls the Hofburg its home. In 1562, Emperor Maximilian had the first horses imported from Spain. Many years later, in 1683, Emperor Leopold I had a riding stable built on today's Josefsplatz square. But with construction almost finished, it was destroyed during the Turkish siege. From 1729-1735, the Winter Riding School was built under Emperor Charles VI, where gala performances are still held to this day.