Inside the Belvedere Palace

Step inside the Belvedere Palace complex and you’ll discover two worlds that couldn’t be more different.

Upper Belvedere wasn’t built as a home. Prince Eugene of Savoy commissioned this palace in the early 18th century for one purpose: to impress the hell out of his guests.

Think of it as the baroque equivalent of a luxury showroom, designed by architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to showcase power, wealth, and impeccable taste.

Today, this building serves as Austria’s national art gallery, housing the permanent collection that spans 800 years of Austrian art. The irony? A palace built for showing off now shows off the nation’s greatest artistic achievements.

Before we get to Klimt, you need to understand the heart of this palace. The Marble Hall (Marmorsaal) is a two-story ceremonial space that stretches through the center of the building. Look up and you’ll see Carlo Carlone’s ceiling fresco from 1720, a swirling baroque masterpiece that glorifies Prince Eugene’s military victories.

But here’s what makes this room truly special: on May 15, 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed right here, ending the Allied occupation after World War II and restoring Austria’s sovereignty. That’s the kind of symbolic power this room holds.

The hall uses a technique called quadratura, essentially architectural trickery through painting that makes the ceiling seem to dissolve into the heavens. Combined with the lavish marble work, it’s designed to make you feel small and awestruck.

Photo: "View of the Marmorsaal inside the Upper Belvedere Palace, Vienna" by Bahnfrend.

The Upper Belvedere houses the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt oil paintings, with 24 works by the master. Walking into the central gallery where “The Kiss” (1908) hangs is an experience that stops people in their tracks.

The canvas measures roughly 180x180 cm, and Klimt covered it in actual gold leaf, a technique he borrowed from Byzantine mosaics. The two lovers, wrapped in elaborate robes decorated with geometric patterns and organic forms, exist in their own golden universe against a field of flowers.

Also you’ll find “Judith” (1901), another gold-leaf masterpiece where Klimt portrays the biblical heroine as a femme fatale dripping in sensuality. There’s also his landscapes, society portraits, and earlier works that show his evolution from academic painter to the founder of the Vienna Secession movement.

Walk down the hill to the Lower Belvedere Palace and the atmosphere shifts completely. This was Prince Eugene’s actual residence, built between 1712 and 1717, before the showpiece palace above. These rooms were designed for living, for intimate conversations with fellow collectors and scholars, for enjoying art in private rather than parading it before ambassadors.

In the Lower Belvedere, the rooms themselves are the permanent exhibition. The palace uses these historic state rooms as atmospheric settings for high-profile temporary exhibitions, creating this fascinating dialogue between 18th-century opulence and whatever contemporary or historical art happens to be on display.

Golden Cabinet (Goldkabinett) might be the most exquisite room in the entire complex. Originally designed as a conversation room, it was renovated under Empress Maria Theresa and became a masterpiece of rococo decoration. The walls gleam with gold decoration, punctuated by enormous mirrors and whimsical grotesque paintings.

The mirrors face each other across the room, creating what one observer called “an endless cascade of golden arches.” This is classic baroque theater, using mirrors to multiply space and candlelight, making the room feel infinite. Francesco Solimena painted the ceiling in 1719, adding another layer of artistic prestige to an already stunning space.

Photo: “Belvedere at Wintertime – Lower Belvedere Interior” by Deror avi.

Don’t confuse this with the Marble Hall in the Upper Belvedere. The Marble Gallery (Marmorgalerie) in the Lower Belvedere is a single-story residential gallery, magnificently decorated but designed for a completely different purpose. Historical paintings show it as the “Marble Hall of the Ambraser Gallery,” decorated with stucco reliefs and sculptures rather than ceiling frescoes.

This was where Prince Eugene displayed his sculpture collection and entertained educated guests. The scale feels human, not overwhelming.

Photo: "Vienna-Landstraße, Lower Belvedere, Marble Gallery" by Ricardalovesmonuments.

The Orangery was originally Prince Eugene’s greenhouse for protecting delicate orange trees during Vienna’s harsh winters. Today it’s been converted into a minimalist “white cube” gallery space, typically used for modern and contemporary art exhibitions that complement whatever’s showing in the main palace.

Photo: "Orangery - Lower Belvedere" by MrPanyGoff.

The Palace Stables (Prunkstall) deserve special mention. These weren’t ordinary stables, they were luxury accommodations for Prince Eugene’s 14 most prized riding horses. Since 2007, they’ve housed the Belvedere’s permanent collection of Medieval and Renaissance art, spanning from the mid-14th to early 16th century.

This includes the Salzburg Altarpiece by late Gothic painter Rueland Frueauf the Elder, panel paintings by Michael Pacher and Thomas von Villach, carved figures by Hans Klocker, and sandstone sculptures by the Master of Grosslobming.

Photo: “Palatial Stables, Belvedere Palace, Vienna, Austria” by Panoramio.