Schonbrunn, Vienna

The first place that Mozart performed publicly in Vienna, was at the summer palace of Schonbrunn, when he was just 6 years old. Maria Theresa had only recently had the palace completely rebuilt. After the performance, Mozart is said to have jumped up onto the Empress’s lap and given her a kiss.

Schonbrunn is an exercise in extravagance. Maria Theresa said “there must be extravaganzas; without them one cannot live here in such a huge residence.“ The great gallery is over 43 metres long and 10 meters wide. The ballroom is at the very centre of the palace, and would have held balls, dinners, receptions and court celebrations. It shows the scale on which Schonbrunn was built.

The Palace of Schonbrunn sits in nearly 400 acres of gardens, which contain Schonbrunn Zoo, which is the oldest existing zoo in the world. The grounds also hold the Palm House, Imperial Coach Museum and Garden Maze, as well as numerous statues and fountains. In 1996, UNESCO included the entire complex in its world heritage listing.