Court stables
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Court stables

The history of Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier

Today’s MuseumsQuartier has a colourful past: 300 years lie between the time construction begins on the Imperial Court Stables at the start of the 18th century and the opening of the MuseumsQuartier in 2001.

First built in the 18th century as the Imperial Court Stables, the plans for what is to become the MuseumsQuartier are drawn up by the famous Austrian architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Together with the Hofburg, Neue Burg and the art and natural history museums, it is originally intended to form the border of the Kaiserforum or Imperial Forum.

In 1713, Emperor Carl VI commissions Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to construct court stables on the plot used for the Imperial Poultry Farm. Stables for 600 horses, a coach house for 200 state and gala coaches, an amphitheatre in the main courtyard and a horse pond are envisioned.

The main front, a 400m-long baroque façade, is completed in 1725 and is still one of the longest baroque facades in Vienna today. This so-called “Fischer von Erlach” tract houses the stables on the ground floor. Parking spaces for horse and carts as well as dwellings for countless personnel are scattered throughout the facility. The Court Stables Master resides in the state rooms on the first floor, now the “Baroque Suites” event spaces. Between June 7th, 1748 and their dissolution in 1767, the 180-man strong Swiss Guard, who serve as bodyguards to Emperor Francis I and his son Joseph II, are also housed in the Imperial and Royal Stables Building.

During the Siege of Vienna by the French under Napoleon I, the court stables act as a bulwark and are severely damaged. From 1815 they undergo thorough restorations. In the years that follow there are numerous conversions and extensions. Among other changes, Emperor Franz Joseph I has the Winter Riding School (Halle E+G today) rebuilt in the neoclassical style between 1850 and 1854. In 1874, a manège is built for Empress Elisabeth. In the octagonal riding hall the Empress takes lessons from Elise Petzold, a rider with the world famous Circus Renz. Today the riding hall is home to the library of the Architekturzentrum Wien. At the beginning of the 20th century, the stables are converted into garages due to increasing car usage.

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