The Hofburg Vienna conference and event centre

From the old castle to the new

On Heldenplatz in the outmost left wing of the Neue Burg or New Castle can be found the entrance to the Hofburg Vienna conference and event centre. It extends over parts of the Neue Burg, the Swiss Wing, the Redouten Wing, the Leopold Wing and the Festival Hall Wing, erected between 1910 and 1923 between the Neue Burg and Leopold Wing.

Within the Festival Hall Wing we find the Zeremoniensaal, the largest hall at the Vienna Hofburg with an area of around 1,000 m².

There is a long tradition of conferences at the Vienna Hofburg. As early as 1814 and 1815 the crowned heads of Europe gather here after Napoleon is defeated to negotiate Europe’s political order.

But after the Austro-Hungarian Empire comes to an end and until the 1950s the historic halls of Vienna Hofburg are only used for balls and concerts. It is not until 1958 that the Vienna Hofburg takes on the role of conference centre once more for the 2nd general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Today the former imperial residence has over 17,000 m² in 35 rooms available for events at its disposal. Each year it handles over 300 events with more than 300,000 guests from all over the world. Furthermore, the Hofburg Vienna conference and event centre is the permanent seat of the OSCE, the Organisation for Safety and Cooperation in Europe.