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Imperial court palace kaiserliche Hofburg In 1401 Duke Friedrich IV got the house in a barter deal. Towards the end of the 15th century, with Emperor Maximilian displaying the splendour of Court life in it, the building had today's size already. Empress Maria Theresia had it transformed in two renovation stages into a monumental residence of late baroque style. One of the many showrooms containing precious furniture and paintings is the giant room (Riesensaal) known as the most marvellous feast and ceremonial room in the Alps, it gives a vivid impression of a past time ruling class life! The decoration and furniture in most of the rooms are not of the same date of origin, but of the same style. Most pieces of furniture are of the 19th century, such as the Biedermeier pieces made by Johann Nepomuk Geyer, a carpenter of the city, or the 2nd Rokoko-style furniture by La Vigne. Still, of the items of Maria Theresian times there is almost nothing left. In 1990, the revitalization of the whole Imperial Residence has been started. As far as the museum section is concerned restauration works are partly focused on the entrance foyer with the Cafeteria, an elevator for disabled persons and on the other hand on further scientific investigations of interiors which are based on a well preserved "business and furniture inventory" of the year 1841. The "Imperial guest room" was chosen for restauration and adapted to the technical standards of a modern museum with maximal regard to preserving authentic old parts, a method the whole, long-term restauration concept for all other showrooms is based on. |
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