The fact that the apartments of Hof Palace are once again full of the original furniture and art objects of their former aristocratic owners is due primarily to the conscientiousness of 18th century clerks. Their inventories meticulously listed every single one of the several thousand objects that were transferred in 1898 from Marchfeld to what is now the Imperial Furniture Collection in Vienna.
Original furniture and ornaments returned to Hof Palace
A hundred years later, these inventories provide the most important source for the authentic restoration of the Palace. With their help it was possible to trace some 1500 chairs, tables, chests of drawers, fire screens, crystal chandeliers and oil paintings all the way down to the present. In many cases these often tortuous paths led to Austrian museums, but sometimes the destinations were far beyond the borders of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: Sweden or the Vatican, for example.
The ambience of imperial times
Many of these precious items connected to Austrian cultural history have been carefully restored and returned to the former place for which they were made by some of the finest artists and manufacturers of their time. And because the inventories also include information about the former interior design of the Palace, every piece of furniture and every picture is now in exactly the same place it occupied in the days of Prince Eugene and Empress Maria Theresa.
Info about the history of the Palace
Info about the current exhibition
Info about the restoration
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