The Upper Belvedere Palace in Vienna was completed in 1723.
The Upper Belvedere formed the grand, ceremonial half of Prince Eugene of Savoy’s summer residence. Designed by the Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, it was built on the higher ground above the Lower Belvedere so that the palace and gardens could create a dramatic approach and offer views toward Vienna.
Construction of the Upper Belvedere began in 1717. By 1719, the building was advanced enough for Prince Eugene to receive the Ottoman ambassador Ibrahim Pasha there. Artists including Francesco Solimena, Gaetano Fanti, and Carlo Carlone supplied the frescoes, illusionistic architectural painting, and other decoration that made the palace a showcase of early-18th-century court culture.
The date 1723 refers specifically to completion of the Upper Belvedere, not the start of the entire estate. The Lower Belvedere had been built earlier, between 1712 and 1716, while later repairs altered some interiors. Today the complex is a museum, famous for Austrian art and for the Marble Hall, where the Austrian State Treaty was signed in 1955.