Belvedere Palace: Klimt Almost Sent Me to Hell
Arriving back in Austria and checking my watch, I realized I had plenty of time. Hmm... with an hour or two to spare on my way to the subway, I decided to stop by Vienna's landmark, Belvedere Palace. This choice planted a massive fantasy of medieval Europe in my head, while simultaneously leading me to hell in reality.
Since I only saw Bratislava Castle from afar and couldn't go inside while in Bratislava, I really wanted to visit a palace or museum. It was my first time in Europe, so the historic old buildings lining the streets were fascinating and fun to see. I rationalized to myself that it would be disrespectful to Europe to just pass by a palace—the crown jewel of European architecture and the first thing that comes to mind when you think of traveling here. Plus, the art museum next to Belvedere Palace houses Klimt's "The Kiss," making it an absolute must-visit no matter what. Well... to give you the conclusion first, I ran out of time and couldn't even see the inside of the palace, let alone Klimt. I only saw the gardens. (The catch is that I completely lost track of time just looking at the gardens.)
There are gardens at the front and back of Belvedere Palace, and the one here—whether it's the front or back gate—is on the smaller side. (Looking at Wikipedia, they aren't front and back gates, but rather the Upper and Lower palaces.)
Every single statue carved into the building is a work of art. It's so grand and beautiful that I wondered if it was really okay to just leave such masterpieces outside like this.
One funny thing I noticed was the abundance of group tours, often called "flag tourism." It's generally known that East Asians, like Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese, often travel this way, while Europeans tend to go backpacking individually. But arriving at Belvedere Palace, I saw about five or six group tours made up of Europeans. I don't know why, but seeing them traveling around following a flag just like us was so amusing to me.
This area isn't even the main part of Belvedere; it's more like a sub-section. Since the gardens were all I saw, from here on out, I just took pictures of the truly stunning gardens of Belvedere Palace. But before that, shouldn't we read through Wikipedia at least once?
Belvedere Palace
Belvedere Palace is a historic building complex in Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces located southeast of Vienna.
The royal family purchased the land in 1697, and Prince Eugene of Savoy (Eugen von Savoyen) first created a massive park. Belvedere Palace emerged as a representative building where royalty could spend their time in the city's suburbs. Construction began in 1714, laying the foundation and building the gardens. Around it, an orangery and a space for exhibiting paintings were created. The architecture was handled by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, who is still considered a master who maximized Austria's Baroque style. He was joined by Giovanni Stanetti, a sculptor from Venice. The Lower Belvedere was completed in 1716, and the ceiling was finished by a painter named Martino Altomonte.
To the west is a space with an elaborate grotesque style, which was used as a bedchamber. There is also a painting gallery made of granite, decorated by Domenico Parodi. Another granite room inside had its ceiling painted by a man named Giacomo del Po starting in 1720. To the east, the main reception and dining areas are arranged.
The Upper Belvedere was completed between 1720 and 1723, originally attempted with the intention of using the central garden to anchor the axis of the palace. The palace was sold to Empress Maria Theresa in 1752, and she was the first to name the place Belvedere. Under the Habsburgs, the palace further solidified its reputation. After 1775, Belvedere Palace was used as an imperial painting gallery, and paintings from other palaces were relocated to the Lower Belvedere. The last person to reside here was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After World War I, the Austrian Gallery museum was established at Belvedere Palace. It suffered significant damage during World War II, and restoration took a considerable amount of time. It is known that external renovations are currently underway, focusing mainly on redesigning the gardens. It was completed in 2008.
http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/벨베데레_궁전
An old lady passing by told me about the best spot to view the gardens, but I couldn't take a picture. I only thought about taking one after I had already walked past it. It was a great view that captured downtown Vienna—specifically St. Stephen's Cathedral—and the garden in a single frame, so it's a real shame. I always think this, but when traveling, you can gain a lot of good things if you listen well to what the grandmas and grandpas tell you.
I went to the art museum next to the palace where Klimt's works are exhibited, but time was just too tight. Walking so leisurely because the gardens were so large and beautiful was my mistake. I wanted to see it so badly that I stood in front of the ticket office for 15 minutes debating whether to go in or not, but in the end, I decided to just skip it this time. I was so disappointed that I took a picture of a replica as proof that "I came to see it but left empty-handed."
I was so excited at the time that my judgment was clouded, but thinking about it now, I believe Klimt was tempting me to send me to hell.