The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-eastern from the city's center. After buying the plot of land in 1697, Savoy had a large park created. In 1714 work began to erect what is now called the Lower Belvedere as a palace designed for living, which was finished in 1716. In 1720-1723, the Upper Belvedere was built. The architect of both buildings was Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt , one of the most important architects of the Austrian Baroque together with Fischer von Erlach.

Front view of the Upper Belvedere

The complex was sold in 1752 to Maria Theresa by the prince's heiress. Since 1775, the Belvedere has housed the imperial picture gallery on behalf of Joseph II, and in 1806 the collection of Ambras Palace was moved to the Lower Belvedere as well. Both were transferred to the Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in 1890.

Since World War I, the Austrian Gallery resides in the Belvedere.

The building suffered heavy damage during World War II. A room known as the Gold Cabinet burnt down and was reconstructed. The building is still being renovated today, the work is scheduled to be complete by 2008.

On June 7, 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that 88-year-old Maria Altmann, the niece and heir of Gustav Klimt model Adele Bloch-Bauer , could sue Austria in a U.S. court for the return of six Klimt paintings stolen from her uncle by the occupying Nazis in 1938. Kept by Austria after the war, the paintings are currently displayed in the Austrian Gallery in the Belvedere. The paintings include the celebrated "Buchenwald" and "Adele Bloch-Bauer I" and have a current estimated market value in excess of US$150,000,000.

External link

• The Bloch-Bauer court case