Prince Eugene's Summer Residence

Prince Eugene of Savoy, famed military leader and art connoisseur was born 350 years ago (18 October 1663 - 21 April 1736). He had the two Belvedere palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere) built by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as his summer residence. The construction work took place between 1717 and 1723. This photo shows the Upper Belvedere which primarily had a representative function at the time of the Prince and later served as an Imperial painting gallery. Today it houses the permanent collection of the "Österreichische Galerie Belvedere" museum: Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day.