Palais Liechtenstein

After many years collecting dust in depot vaults, the private collection of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is now displayed in the magnificent Palais Liechtenstein. It’s a magnificent private collection consisting of some 200 paintings and 50 sculptures, dating from 1500 to 1700.Built between 1690 and 1712, the palace illustrates the audacious folly and extravagance of baroque architecture. Frescoes and ceiling paintings by the likes of Johann Michael Rottmayer (1654–1730) and Marcantonio Franceschini (1648–1729) dec­orate the halls, staircases and corridors of this sumptuous palace. The palace is in four sections. On the ground floor near the western staircase (left as you enter), is the Gentlemen’s Apartment Library, a magnificent neoclassical hall containing about 100,000 books, frescoes by Johann Michael Rothmayr and a temple-like empire clock dating from 1795. From the library you can enter galleries I–III, which have changing exhibitions. You can also enter these directly from alongside the eastern staircase (near the cloak room). After that, climb the eastern staircase, which, like its western counterpart, is decorated with Rothmayr frescoes uncovered during restoration work in 2003. Upstairs is the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall) – so named for the Hercules motifs within its ceiling frescoes by renowned Roman painter Andrea Pozzo (1642–1709). Surrounding the hall on three sides beginning from the eastern staircase and culminating at the western staircase are galleries IV–X with the permanent collection of the palace. And what a collection this is! Seven galleries intertwine to provide a trip through 200 years of art history, starting in 1500 with early Italian panel paintings in Gallery IV. Gallery V is dedicated to late-Gothic and Renaissance portraits; Raphael’s Portrait of a Man (1503) is a highlight here. The centrepiece of the upper floor is Gallery VII, which is home to Peter Paul Rubens’ Decius Mus cycle (1618). Consisting of eight almost life-size paintings, the cycle depicts the life and death of Decius Mus, a Roman leader who sacrificed himself so that his army could be victorious on the battlefield. Gallery VIII is totally devoted to Rubens and Flemish bar­oque painting, and even more Rubens are on display in Gallery IX – this time his portraits – alongside Van Dyck and Fran Hals. The sheer exuberance and life captured by Rubens in his Portrait of Clara Serena Rubens (1616) is testament to the great artist’s talent. Gallery X gives you a soft landing of ivory craftwork and Dutch still life. From 2008 the palace plans to open only on Sundays, when concerts held between 2pm and 3pm in the Hercules Hall will provide the focal point of a visit to including the galleries. Check ahead for current times.