Content Blog - Palaces

During my time in Europe I have toured three palaces in two different cities.  In Vienna I toured the Schonbrunn Palace and the Hofburg Palace.  Schonbrunn was the summer palace for the Empire and its purpose was to serve as an escape from the heat and stress of the city.  However, a great deal of political work happened at this palace.  Franz Joseph had meetings often with political figures and a great dining room was used for entertainment and official dinners.  The palace was very different for Sissi than it was for Franz Joseph.  She lived in a handful of rooms in which she lived far away from the city.  She was hidden away from public eye and had no privacy in the palace because people had to walk through her rooms in the palace to get around.  Schonbrunn was a prison disguised as a palace because of its winding hallways and structured gardens.  Hofburg was the heart of the Empire, being located in the center of Vienna and serving as a political powerhouse.  The structure of the palace was strategic and organized.  Franz Joseph's meeting rooms were more elegant and larger than at Schonbrunn and the palace was extremely compact and easily recognizable.  Hofburg was created to be efficient and easy to follow.  In Hofburg, Sissi had more rooms and separation from Franz Joseph.  She was able to be entertained by the city and the riding school in order to keep herself from being bored.

In London I toured the Kew Gardens and Palace.  The Kew was hidden far away from the city and no politics took place at this palace.  The palace was not recognizable because it was the size of a home with minimal rooms and symmetrical hallways.  King George was extremely family oriented so this home was used as a place where he could only focus on his family.  Kew and Schonbrunn were both summer palaces but they were completely different.  Schonbrunn had a grand, large entrance while Kew was hidden in the gardens.  Kew was an enjoyable and relaxing escape from the hectic life within the Empire.  The gardens at Kew were also the emphasis of the palace and they were simple and less constricted than the gardens at Schonbrunn.  The absence of empire was evident at Kew.  Kew was not a gothic building, but the fireplace on the third floor was gothic because it was imported from a different older palace.