Content blog: #3

Compare and Contrast the palaces in Vienna and London.

Just the two palaces in Vienna, the Hofburg (located in the heart of Vienna) and the Schoenbrunn (the summer palace) were drastically different from each other. The Hofburg served as the Habsburg's home for six months out of the year, consisting of one long hallway that went from room to room there was virtually no privacy. For instance, to get to Franz Joseph's office, you had to first go through every other room in the apartment. There were two or three windows in every room allowing sunlight to pour in and complete with a dazzling view of the grey stone of the buildings surrounding you. Life at the Hofburg consisted mostly of business, while Sisi's apartment was much bigger than hers at Shoenbrunn, she still had very little privacy. However taking any amount of privacy she could, she installed a bell making Franz Joseph ring for her and request an audience any time he wanted to see her.

The summer palace of the Habsburg's, Schoenbrunn, where the royal family spent the other six months of the year, although was meant to be a summer home centered around business as much as the Hofburg did. Here Franz Joseph spent the majority of his days in office, and Sisi who spent most of her days in an extensive beauty and exercise routine. Unlike the Hofburg though, Schoenbrunn was built out in the country side of Vienna away from the city, and surrounded by gardens, at least making for a better view than the Hofburg. But alas, the atmosphere of the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn did not differ much. Both palaces featuring exquisite and over the top decorations.

Then there's London and the summer palace at Kew. Unlike Schoenbrunn, Kew was actually a place centered around family and relaxation. The gardens actually consisted of real flowers and green as far as the eye could see, unlike Schoenbrunn's gardens that were made up of rock paths and trees. The palace at Kew could actually be considered as just a nice house because of it's modesty, the whole house much smaller than just the servant quarters at both the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn. Unlike both palaces in Vienna, the rooms at Kew were connected by hallways and had two different floors, where as the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn apartments were all connected room to room in an almost straight line, giving virtually no privacy to it's inhabitants.

The difference in palaces at Vienna and London demonstrate the difference in not only lifestyle, but the difference in Empire. While both the Hofburg and Schoenbrunn were over the top, business and social orientated, with no privacy; the Kew was modest, family orientated, and secluded.