Schönbrunn Palace - Vienna

Schönbrunn Palace is located on Schönbrunner Schloßstraße in Vienna, Austria.  Although the current structure dates back to the 1750's, the original site dates back to 1548, and the building of a mansion called Katterburg.  In 1569 Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased the land to serve as hunting and recreational grounds for the court.  In later years the lands passed on to Ferdinand II, who gave the estate to his wife, Eleanora Gonzoga.  She enlarged the mansion into a palace, but it wasn't until the reign of Empress Maria Theresa in the 1740's that the existing palace was remodeled into the one that currently exists.  Emperor Franz Joseph I was born here on August 18, 1830 and died here on November 21, 1916, the longest-reigning Austrian emperor.  Shortly after his death came the fall of the Hapsburg dynasty and palace fell into the hands of the Austrian Republic.  The palace began its new life as a museum, but was requisitioned during World War II as the headquarters of the British military in Vienna.  Since the 1950's the palace has once again been used as a museum, serving as host for the meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Krushchev in 1961.  Schönbrunn Palace and gardens was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.     

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