Built in the early 1700s as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Belvedere Palace complex is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beautifully preserved over the years, the two palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere) and the Orangery now house art exhibitions, while the Baroque state rooms, namely the Marble Gallery, the Golden Room, and the Hall of Grotesques, are all open to the public.

The Upper Belvedere houses a huge collection of Austrian art, boasting art pieces that range from the Middle Ages to contemporary art by the new generation of Austrian artists. The highlights would have to be the gilded and glittering Gustav Klimt pieces, with his two most famous works, The Kiss and Judith I, displayed in their full glory. The works of the famous Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka are exhibited here as well. The Upper Belvedere also houses important French impressionist works, including classics by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne and van Gogh. There is even a version of Jacques-Louis David’s “Napoleon Crossing The Alps,” a work of neoclassical art that most, if not all, of us are familiar with!

The Lower Belvedere and Orangery currently house temporary art exhibitions. Since 2007, the Orangery has been redesigned into a modern exhibition hall while still maintaining its Baroque charms. The nearby Belvedere 21, housed across the street, is a Museum of Contemporary Art, also designed and built in the post-War era. For all the art aficionado planning on visiting Vienna, the Belvedere Palace Museum is certainly the place to be.