Schonbrunn Palace served as the principal summer residence for the Habsburg monarchs, situated in Hietzing, the 13th district of Vienna. The term Schonbrunn (which translates to "beautiful spring") originates from an artesian well that provided water for the court.

The Baroque palace, with 1,441 rooms, stands as one of the country's most significant architectural, cultural, and historic landmarks. The palace's history and its expansive gardens cover more than 300 years, illustrating the evolving tastes, interests, and goals of the Habsburg monarchs who succeeded one another. It has served as a significant tourist draw since the mid-1950s.

In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II acquired a vast floodplain of the Wien river located beneath a hill, positioned between Meidling and Hietzing. The previous owner built a mansion named Katterburg in 1548. The emperor commanded the area to be enclosed and stocked with game like pheasants, ducks, deer, and boar, to function as the court's leisure hunting reserve. In a distinct section of the space, "exotic" birds like peafowl and turkeys were housed. Fish ponds were also created.

Over the following century, the region served as a location for hunting and leisure activities. Eleonora Gonzaga, an avid hunter, spent considerable time in that location and inherited the area as her residence as a widow following the passing of her husband, Ferdinand II. Between 1638 and 1643, she expanded the Katterburg mansion by adding a palace, and in 1642, the name "Schönbrunn" first appeared on a bill.

The roots of the Schonbrunn orangery also appear to trace back to Eleonora Gonzaga. The Schönbrunn Palace in its current appearance was constructed and renovated in the 1740s and 1750s under the rule of Empress Maria Theresa, who was given the estate as a wedding present. Franz I ordered the renovation of the palace's exterior in the neoclassical style that we see today.

Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria with the longest reign, was born at Schonbrunn and spent much of his life in that location. He passed away there, at the age of 86, on November 21, 1916. After the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy in November 1918, the palace transitioned into the ownership of the newly established Austrian Republic and was maintained as a museum.

Since 1992, the palace and gardens have been owned and managed by Schloss Schonbrunn Kultur-und Betriebsges.m.b.H., a limited liability company fully owned by the Republic of Austria. The firm carries out the conservation and refurbishment of all palace assets without government funding. UNESCO included Schonbrunn Palace in the World Heritage List in 1996, along with its gardens, as an outstanding Baroque collection and illustration of artistic integration.

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