Gardens

The Belvedere’s garden is one of Europe’s most significant historical gardens in French style and, even in its pared down form today, is still a fine example of late Baroque garden design. In front of the Upper Belvedere’s outdoor steps, a large pool mirrors and duplicates the building’s façade. At the opposite end of the grounds, closest to the city on Rennweg, a cour d’honneur abuts the Lower Belvedere. The Kammergarten (Privy Garden) adjoins the Lower Belvedere to the right and continues to the Orangery at its northern end. This narrow strip on the west of the plot of land was for the sole use of the prince. Next to the Upper Belvedere, up until 1726 the grounds extended eastward to encompass a semi-circular menagerie. To the south, a geometrical kitchen garden was located in the area now occupied by Vienna’s Botanical Gardens.

Belvedere Schlossgarten mit Springbrunnen
Foto: Johannes Stoll, © Belvedere, Wien

Palace Gardens

Exterior view Upper Belvedere
Exterior view Upper Belvedere
Photo: Eva Würdinger / Belvedere, Vienna

 

Palace Gardens

The Baroque gardens of the Belvedere rank among the most beautiful in the world.

 

The main garden is situated between the Lower and the Upper Belvedere and extends over three large terraces. The design, by Dominique Girard, garden architect of the Elector of Bavaria, showcases all the essential elements of Baroque garden architecture: symmetrical flower parterres, water basins, tiers and steps, trimmed hedges, and more. On the south side of the Upper Belvedere, the reflection pond offers a sophisticated visual: the mirroring effect creates a visible duplication of the monumental palace façade.

Opening Hours

March
7 am to 7 pm

April
6:30 am to 8 pm

May to July
6:30 am to 9 pm

August to September
6:30 am to 8 pm

October
6:30 am to 7 pm

November to February
7 am to 5:30 pm

Tickets

Admission free

Note

Dogs and other pets are not allowed.

 

The Palace Gardens is run by Österreichische Bundesgärten.

 

Privy Garden

Privy garden with view of the Upper Belvedere
Photo: Eva Würdinger / Belvedere, Vienna

Privy Garden

The former private garden of Prince Eugene, known as the Privy Garden, offers a particularly secluded ambiance. 

 

 

It is located west of the Lower Belvedere and divided into two terraces. At one time, this garden area was bordered to the north by the orangery and to the south by an aviary. In between, there were fountains, ornately decorated pavilions with pergolas, and magnificent parterre areas ablaze with flowers, all reserved exclusively for the former landlord and his closest companions.

 

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday
10 am - 6 pm

Tickets

Access with a valid ticket via the Lower Belvedere/Marble Gallery.

Note

The Privy Garden is run by Österreichische Bundesgärten.

 

Sculpture Garden

Skulptur Chará der Künstlerin Kris Lemsalu
Kris Lemsalu, Chará, 2023
Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna

Sculpture Garden

 

The Belvedere 21 sculpture garden showcases works by internationally renowned artists. In 2013, Heimo Zobernig created an architectural intervention with five stage-like concrete bases. These platforms relate to the overall architecture of the building and are suitable for various purposes.

 

Beyond the plinths of Heimo Zobernig, there are other works on display as well, such as Wild Cube by Lois Weinberger. This work, which is continually changing due to the proliferation of nature inside its metal cage, can be understood as a skeptical alternative in juxtaposition with the orderly art inside the museum and thus connects the garden and museum in an ideal way.

Opening Hours

From 1 November, 2024 to 15 April, 2025, the sculpture garden in the B21 and the entrance from the Schweizergarten will remain closed.

Tickets

The sculpture garden is accessible free of charge during museum opening hours via the new access from the Schweizergarten.

Note

The sculpture garden remains closed in bad weather.

The Sculpture Garden is run by Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.

Thomas Baumann, Wak, 2020

In the elongated water basin of the sculpture garden, a computer-controlled mechanism is programmed to generate artificial waves at regular intervals. Thomas Baumann refers to his work Wak as a kinetic sculpture, the original poetic idea being the desire to “invent a miniature sea.” In this way, he simulates a natural phenomenon in the urban space, wherein the real main feature is the wild force of nature – both captivating and disturbing at once.
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Skulptur von Carola Dertnig aus Stahlrundrohr in einer geschwungenen Form und drei Pferdeköpfen aus Mühlsteinen

Carola Dertnig, Feldenkreis_F2_002 extended, 2023

In her sculpture, Carola Dertnig engages with questions pertaining to body experience, performance, and her own personal history. The form is inspired by the journals of the artist's mother, who studied and taught the Feldenkrais method in the 1950s. The “structure” evokes a drawing in space that documents a past action. The “heads,” crafted from polymer concrete, allude to fragments of medieval millstones that Dertnig has previously “revived” in performances and videos.
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VALIE EXPORT, The Doppelgänger

VALIE EXPORT, The Doppelgänger, 2010

Two pairs of scissors interlocked to form a single figure: the scissor dancers, as the feminist artist called them, served as an advertising theme for the Tanzquartier Wien in 2009. The act of cutting “into one’s flesh” is also present in EXPORT’s early videos and performances. There, the act of cutting is often used to signify the way in which social norms inscribed on the female body cause psychological harm. In this context, the scissors can also be seen as a reference to the domestic tasks typically associated with women.
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Sculpture made of geometric cuboids in the primary colors red, blue and yellow

Roland Goeschl, Column Formation, c. 1979

“Everyone can build their own color space.” Roland Goeschl’s motto from 1968 can also be applied to this column formation. Its defining characteristics are the geometric shapes and the primary colors red, blue, and yellow. By rotating the shapes to equal degrees around their shortest side, the artist lends dynamism to the otherwise static solid figures, encouraging the viewer to actively explore the monumental object in its spatial setting – as if the cubes were calling on the viewer to rearrange them.
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Gehisste Flagge gegen den Krieg in der Ukraine

Anna Jermolaewa, Manfred Grübl, Half-Mast, 2022

A flag as a political act with the inscription: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.” This phrase is taken from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and is accompanied on the flag by a globe. With Half-Mast, Jermolaewa and Grübl are not only taking a clear stand against war and its devastating consequences but are also making a political appeal for the enduring significance and universality of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Spiegelnde Metallplastik von Hans Kuppelwieser

Hans Kupelwieser, e 14/1 sculptor, 2014

The sculpture captivates with its multiple perspectives, an effect magnified by its irregular shape and reflective surface. The reflection also has a contextual dimension, encouraging contemplation from all angles. The material properties of the metal are thwarted: what is reminiscent of crumpled paper weighs 270 kilograms. The crushing process involves the use of an excavator, introducing a level of unpredictability to the outcome. This principle of guided chance is a defining feature of Hans Kupelwieser’s approach.
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Skulptur Chará der Künstlerin Kris Lemsalu

Kris Lemsalu, Chará, 2023

Themes of birth, rebirth, renewal, and the fountain of youth emerge throughout Kris Lemsalu’s work. The figure of Chará draws upon popular culture and mythology and conveys a personal story. The image of a heart, a vagina dentata (toothed vagina), and a portal emerge from playing with the shape of a reindeer jaw. The word “chará” is of ancient Greek origin and translates to “joy.” The artist aims to convey that joie de vivre and cheerfulness are essential aspects of life.
Lebensgroße Bronzeskulptur von Ingeborg Pluhar

Ingeborg G. Pluhar, Leaning Figure, 1965

Initially created in plaster, Ingeborg G. Pluhar had the life-size sculpture cast in bronze for a Belvedere exhibition at the Augarten in 1994. The sculpture is composed of organically formed segments and literally steps out of two-dimensionality. This piece remains an early exception in Pluhar’s work as she increasingly turned to abstraction in the 1970s. While her unique stylistic idiom has departed from the traditional genre of sculpture, her understanding of physicality endures.
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Skulptur einer überdimensionalen rosafarbenen Baseball-Kappe

Maruša Sagadin, B-Girls, Go!, 2018

The oversized pink baseball cap is a reference to hip-hop and street culture – key reference points for Maruša Sagadin, whose sculptural and architectural work is shaped by her engagement with pop culture, gender, and language. B-Girls, Go! creates a kind of stage for girls, women, and those who identify as female. The participatory sculpture provides a venue for community activities, a meeting point, and place to linger.
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Rot lackiertes Wegrandhaus von Lois Weinberger

Lois Weinberger, Wayside House, 2019/2021

Lois Weinberger’s work explores the concept of “wilderness” as it is shaped by cultural influences and the role of architecture in this context. In Greece, he came across roadside houses, which not only serve as memorials to accident victims but also store provisions for wayfarers. The Wayside House is painted red and dedicated to poppies. Notes with poems by the artist can be stamped and taken away – an allusion to hiking passbooks that document the distances traveled.
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Pflanzenkäfig von Lois Weinberger

Lois Weinberger, Wild Cube, 2011

Inside a giant steel cage, various plants are growing rankly and out of control, their branches reaching out from between the iron bars. As the seasons change, the Wild Cube reveals the constant cycle of nature’s growth and decay; the cage does not confine nature instead it excludes people. In this work, as in his other artistic endeavors, Lois Weinberger explores the idea of artwork as a living organism that continually surpasses the limits set by humans.
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Skulptur Figurenrelief von Fritz Wotruba

Fritz Wotruba, Figural Relief, 1958

Fritz Wotruba devised an art form based on structuralist principles and the dissolution of the object into simplified, geometric forms. His Figural Relief, initially created for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, formed part of the overarching concept of the Austrian Pavilion, which is now the Belvedere 21. The influential Austrian sculptor’s work comprises seven individual bronze plates, six of which portray standing figures in various poses modeled from cylinders and tubes.
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Concrete platforms by Heimo Zobernig, 2013

Heimo Zobernig, Untitled, 2013

In 2013, Heimo Zobernig realized an intervention with five concrete platforms arranged in a stage-like configuration. The installation references the overall architectural design of the Belvedere 21 building and can serve as a base for sculptures, a performance space, or be left empty. Zobernig’s intervention is open to multiple interpretations and uses, defying precise categorization. It encourages viewers to rethink their perception of sculpture.
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Neighboring Gardens

 

 

Botanischer Garten mit dem Schloss Belvedere im Hintergrund
Foto: Johannes Stoll, © Belvedere, Wien

Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden adjoins the Belvedere park. Established in 1754 under Empress Maria Theresa, it is now an independent division of the University of Vienna. The expansive grounds include open spaces and greenhouses and are home to thousands of species including medicinal plants, which were the foundation of the garden originally. The special collections containing orchids, succulents, and Pannonian plants are of great importance for species conservation and biodiversity research. The Botanical Garden, the Schweizergarten, and the parks of the Belvedere and the Palais Schwarzenberg form Vienna’s largest inner-city green space.

University of Vienna

 

 

Opening Hours

January
10 am to 4 pm

February to March
10 am to 5 pm

April to September
10 am to 6 pm

October
10 am to 5 pm

November to December
10 am to 4 pm

(24 Dec. to 6 Jan. closed)

Tickets

Admission free

Note

The entrance at the Upper Belvedere opens 15 minutes later and closes 15 minutes earlier than the main entrance Mechelgasse. The Botanical Garden remains closed in bad weather.

The Botanical Garden is run by the University of Vienna.

 

 

 

Eingang des Alpengartens
Foto: Johannes Stoll, © Belvedere, Wien

Alpine Garden

The Belvedere park is home to the oldest Alpine garden in Europe and houses the Austrian Federal Gardens’ valuable historical Alpine plant collection. Established in 1803 by the Archdukes Johann, Rainer, and Anton at Schönbrunn Palace park, it was transferred to the gardens of the Belvedere in 1865. Unique attractions are the rhododendron blossoms that start flowering in April and a collection of more than 100 Japanese bonsai. The Alpine Garden is open to the public every year during peak flowering season, from the end of March to the beginning of August.

Österreichische Bundesgärten

 

 

Opening Hours

Monday to Sunday
10 am - 6 pm

Tickets

Adults

€ 4,00

Children & Teenagers under 19

€ 3,00

Note

The Alpine Garden remains closed in bad weather.

The Alpine Garden is run by Österreichische Bundesgärten.