View of the Upper Belvedere

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300 years of the Belvedere

The 10 years it took to build the Upper Belvedere, which initially served as a summer residence for the famous military commander Prince Eugene of Savoy, came to an end in 1723. The unique, Baroque Belvedere palace complex was thus complete. 

The institution is taking the opportunity of this major anniversary in 2023 to look back over its own history. As a museum it has developed down the years into one of the leading addresses for art. Maria Theresa once opened one the world's first publicly accessible museums in the Upper Belvedere (1777). However, the Baroque palace also became the setting for glittering parties and important events like the wedding reception of Marie Antoinette (1770) and, of course, the signing of the Austrian State Treaty (1955).

300 moving years

The major exhibition project "The Belvedere. 300 Years a Place of Art" can be seen in the Orangery from December 2022. It is a critical homage to the history of a place that has undergone constant change through the centuries. The exhibition spans the years from 1723 to the present day. For 13 months, visitors can dive into the eventful history of the institution and its world-famous art collections covering 800 years from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The museum's holdings are used to show how different focal areas were in demand, depending on the epoch. Historical developments and institutional changes are traced. The exhibition also looks at how works were added to and removed from the collection. A famous example? The return of Gustav Klimt's "Goldene Adele" to inheritors in 2006.

Program highlights

The special exhibition is followed in 2023 by many other program highlights at all of the museum's locations – the two palaces of the Upper and Lower Belvedere as well as the contemporary art museum Belvedere 21. On at the Lower Belvedere from February to May is the long-prepared major exhibition project "Klimt. Inspired by Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse...", which looks at the question: Who influenced the Viennese Art Nouveau genius Gustav Klimt?

Further highlights in 2023 include: Exhibitions on young - "On the New" - and female art - retrospectives on Louise Bourgeois and Renate Bertlmann - as well as the sculpture project "Public Matters. Contemporary Art in the Belvedere Garden" from May until October. Events, publications, workshops, ceremonies, and digital projects round off the program. From March, the show collection of the Upper Belvedere also shines in a new light. 

In its anniversary year, however, the Belvedere wants not only to reflect on its past, but also to look to the future. That is also expressed in the motto of the festivities. The "Golden Spring" addresses two basic principles: Gold stands for tradition, the holy spring (ver sacrum) as a sign of awakening.

"The Belvedere has been a central place of art from the very beginning. On the three-hundredth anniversary, we are celebrating not only the developments of the past, but in particular those that are still to come." – General Director Stella Rollig

The Belvedere. 300 Years a Place of Art

Orangery, December 2, 2022 – January 7, 2024

Upper Belvedere (Oberes Belvedere)

Prinz-Eugen-Straße 27
1030 Vienna
  • Comments

  • Vienna City Card

    • Your benefit with the Vienna City Card: -9%

      Additional information on the offer:

      - 1,50€ on the current entry ticket price (Upper Belvedere)

      - 2,50€ on the current entry ticket price (Upper and Lower Belvedere)

  • Opening times

    • daily, 09:00 - 18:00
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps (Swinging doors102 cm wide)
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        Parking space for visitors with disabilities in front of the entrance at Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, Parking: 10 am – 6 pm
    • Elevator available
      • Door 150 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Reduced admission for persons with special needs and their escorts (3 Euro each). "Seeing differently" tours (tactile tours) in the Upper Belvedere: The tours with picture descriptions and tactile support are particularly suitable for blind and visually impaired visitors.
 Multimedia guides with videos in Austrian Sign Language (OGS) are available to deaf and hearing impaired visitors. Over 30 videos provide information on selected works of the collection in the Upper Belvedere and on the palace and garden complex as well as the history of the Belvedere.

    • Comments

      2 elevators reachable via a ramp (staff will provide assistance), wheelchairs available at the cloakroom.
      Shop/café: a few steps (staff will provide assistance).

Lower Belvedere, Orangery

Rennweg 6
1030 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Your benefit with the Vienna City Card: -14%

      Additional information on the offer:

      -€ 1,50 on the current entry ticket price
      (Lower Belvedere)

      -€ 2,50 on the current entry ticket price
      2in1 Ticket (Upper & Lower Belvedere)

  • Opening times

    • daily, 10:00 - 18:00
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • (90 cm wide)
        Rennweg 6
      • Ramp 600 cm long , 200 cm high
    • Elevator available
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Guided tours for groups in Austrian sign language and for the visually impaired (tactile tours).
 Reduced admission for persons with special needs and their escorts.

    • Comments

      Lower Belvedere Shop & Orangerie: no steps

      Orangery entrance: wheelchair access via link corridor from Lower Belvedere to the Orangery, 2 single, paned doors (each 131 cm wide). Wheelchair-accessible restroom in the Orangery.

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