History Belvedere

Construction work begins at the Lower Belvedere.

Work begins at the Upper Belvedere.

The extensive works on the Baroque park are complete; planned by the French garden architect Dominique Girard, they reflect his expertise of water technology and garden design acquired while working in Versailles.

The Turkish ambassador Ibrahim Pasha is received at the Upper Belvedere. Francesco Solimena, the greatest exponent of Neapolitan painting in his day, is commissioned to paint an altarpiece in the palace chapel and the ceiling painting in the Gold Cabinet. Prince Eugene selects Italian frescoist Gaetano Fanti for the illusionist architectural painting in the Marble Hall.

Carlo Carlone, a pioneer of the Rococo style, is commissioned to paint the ceiling fresco in the Upper Belvedere’s Marble Hall.

Completion of the Upper Belvedere.

To improve its structural stability, the Sala Terrena is remodelled into its current form by Hildebrandt.

On April 21, Prince Eugene of Savoy dies in his Vienna City Palace. As he did not leave a legally valid will, a commission tasked by Emperor Charles VI appoints his niece Princess Victoria as his heir.

Lavish celebrations mark the marriage of the Emperor's daughter Maria Antonia to the French Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, on April 17 at the Belvedere.

Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, decide to move the Imperial Picture Gallery from the Stallburg to the Upper Belvedere. In keeping with the ideals of Enlightened Absolutism, the imperial collection is to be made accessible to the public.

Inauguration of the Picture Gallery at the Upper Belvedere, hence becoming one of the world’s first public museums.

The imperial collections are relocated to the newly built Kunsthistorisches Museum. After its opening on October 17, 1891, the Belvedere palaces, for a time, are not used as a museum..

By decree of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1896, the Upper Belvedere becomes the residence of the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand. The building undergoes renovations led by ministerial architect Emil von Förster.

Gustav Klimt's Art Nouveau icon, The Kiss (Lovers), is acquired by the Imperial Ministry of Culture and Education for the Modern Gallery.

Director Friedrich Dörnhöffer

The Modern Gallery is converted into the Austrian State Gallery, showcasing a cross-section of Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collection's holdings are complemented by loans from the Association of Friends of the State Gallery.

Director Franz Martin Haberditzl 

Extensive expansion of the collection, with prestigious donations and permanent loans from patrons such as the Bloch-Bauer, Lederer, and Wittgenstein families among others. At the request of Adele Bloch-Bauer, some of Gustav Klimt's portraits are entrusted to the Austrian State Gallery on permanent loan.

The Austrian Gallery is expanded to include both the Upper and Lower Belvedere.

Director Bruno Grimschitz

Close connections between the museum administration and Nazi authorities are evidenced both by the considerable acquisition budget for "native German art" and by the closure of the Modern Gallery under the false claim of "saving degenerate art from confiscation." Despite substantial measures of recovery, important works such as Gustav Klimt's faculty paintings are lost.

During World War II the palaces are severely damaged. Bomb strikes destroy parts of the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere and the Hall of Grotesques in the Lower Belvedere. Beginning in 1945, the Belvedere palaces undergo reconstruction and renovation.

Director Karl Garzarolli-Thurnlackh

On completion of repair work, museum operations at the Upper Belvedere resume as the Austrian Gallery.

On May 15, the Austrian State Treaty is signed at the Upper Belvedere: “Austria is free!”

Director Hans Aurenhammer

Exhibition programming is determined by the ministry in charge.

Director Hubert Adolph

The 1980s are marked by financial constraints and shortened opening hours.

Director Gerbert Frodl

The 1990s bring about the modernization of federal museums under the heading "A Billion for our Museums." The two palaces undergo extensive renovations and the collections are restructured. Major exhibitions such as Claude Monet (1996), Klimt's Women (2000), and Franz Xaver Messerschmidt attract international attention and set new visitor records.

The 20er Haus, a pavilion created by Karl Schwanzer for the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, is integrated into the Austrian Gallery.

Director Agnes Husslein-Arco

Installation of a White Cube at the Orangery; remodeling of the 20er Haus and reopening as the 21er Haus; enhancement of the research mandate under the umbrella of the Research Center. The Winter Palais is added as an additional exhibition venue. The Upper Belvedere is positioned as a tourist magnet.

Dieter Bogner, Chief Financial Officer

Single-brand strategy of the Belvedere with three locations:

Lower Belvedere, Upper Belvedere, and the Belvedere 21 (formerly 21er Haus).