On Saturday, May 1st, we visited Schloss Schönbrunn Palace, the Summer residence of the Austrian imperial family, the Habsburgs. The palace is located in a huge area, referred to as the Schönbrunn Park, with gardens, the zoo, a maze, a look-out (known as the Gloriette) and nice walkways among the trees.
The Habsburgs ruled Austria, and the surrounding countries, for over 600 years. They were very successful in promoting a series of dynastic marriages, which made them very influential in Europe. Let us look at one example, Maria Leopoldina, archduchess of Austria. She was the daughter of Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor, with his second wife Maria Teresa. Leopoldina married the crown prince, and heir to the Portuguese throne, Pedro de Alcântara. At that time, the Portuguese royal family was living in Brazil due to the Napoleonic Wars (curiously, Leopoldina's sister Marie Louse was Napoleon's wife). A few years later, she would be instrumental in Brazil's independence from Portugal.
The Palace has several apartments that belonged to Francis Josef I, to whom I will talk about in another entry.
Wow!! That's an AWESOME palace! I have been waiting to visit Europe very desperately and these pictures are fueling my excitement.
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