State Hall of the National Library

A jewel of secular Baroque architecture

The Baroque State Hall of the Austrian National Library is one of the most beautiful historic libraries in the world. Construction of this jewel of secular Baroque architecture was initiated by Emperor Charles VI as his court library.

The State Hall was built between 1723 and 1726 by Joseph Emmanuel Fischer von Erlach (1693-1742) based on plans by his father, the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723). The ceiling frescoes were the work of court painter Daniel Gran (1694-1757), the four state globes in the central oval that of Vincenzo Coronelli (1650-1718). Brothers Peter and Paul Strudel were responsible for the marble sculptures, while the central statue of Emperor Charles VI, the library’s founder, is attributed to Antonio Corradini (1668-1752).

Together with the walnut bookcases, the statues and globes form an authentic picture of the universal Baroque library of the 18th century. Today the State Hall houses 200,000 books from 1501-1850, including Prince Eugene of Savoy’s 15,000-volume collection. With nearly 8 million books and artefacts the Austrian National Library is one of the most important libraries in the world.