Schönbrunn Palace is in Austria, where it served as the Habsburg monarchs’ principal summer residence in Vienna.
The palace developed from a hunting lodge commissioned by Emperor Maximilian II in the sixteenth century. Maria Theresa later transformed it into a grand Baroque residence during the eighteenth century, and architect Fischer von Erlach helped shape its monumental design.
Schönbrunn has 1,441 rooms, although only a selection is open to visitors. Its gardens include the Gloriette, a hilltop structure overlooking the palace and grounds. The palace is sometimes confused with Vienna’s Hofburg, which was the Habsburgs’ main winter residence.
UNESCO added Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens to the World Heritage List in 1996. Austria is landlocked in Central Europe and borders eight countries, including Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic.