The Palaces of Absolute Rulers

El Escorial: The Palace of Philip II of Spain

Palace and monastery El Escorial:Cenotaph for Philipp (Felipe) II in the Royal Pantheon.Behind the kneeling King his three queens, Maria of Portugal, Mary the Catholic and Isabella Valois.

Courtois, Jaques, A battle between Christians and Muslims. Oil on canvas

The Monastery

The Royal Pantheon of Kings is the burial place of the Spanish Kings from Charles the V (Or Charles I of Spain) until today. In the original plan Felipe had meant to build El Escorial partly as a mausoleum for his father but it ended up as the burial site of all the monarchs, and their fathers and mothers, who didn't become King or Queen.

Library- The Library in el Escorial is one of the most important ones in the world. Consisting of around 45,000 volumes from the 15th and 16th century in which many were the private collection of the King, and over 5,000 manuscripts in Spanish, Latin and Arabic. The walls and ceilings are decorated with frescos by Tibaldi, and are related to the sciences and learning.

Schönbrunn: The Palace of Maria Theresa and the Austrian Hapsburgs

Palace and Gardens of SchönbrunnPalace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and it is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, it is a remarkable Baroque ensemble and a perfect example of Gesamtkunstwerk

Palace and Gardens of SchönbrunnPalace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

The palace is located in the middle of Vienna. It is well known for its beautiful gardens, which are used as a place of relaxation by Viennese people. Even the former emperor went for walks in the gardens.

Palace and Gardens of SchönbrunnPalace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

The “Gloriette” once was used for dinners and for feasts as well as for breakfasts. It was Emperor Franz Joseph I. who had his breakfasts there. The usage as a dining hall ended with the fall of the monarchy. Today there is a café and on the roof there is a observation platform.

The zoo, as we know it today, celebrates its 250th birthday this year. The construction of the zoo started in 1452. Statistics show that there are about 1.7 million people coming to the zoo per year. It is well-known for its protection of endangered animals and the creation of new living environments for them.

Palace and Gardens of SchönbrunnPalace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn PalaceSchönbrunn Palace

Sans Souci: Palace of Frederick the Great of Prussia

Background InformationWas the summer palace of Frederick the Great

Name translates to “Without Worry,” meaning it was a place of relaxation

Contains terraced gardens as well as many smaller buildings used for servants and parties

Is now a park for tourists

Historical Windmill with the balcony open to tourists

Gilded figure on the outside of the House

Outside of the Chinese House

View from the top of the Gardens

The Orangerie lit up at night

The main palace building

“Without Worry”

View with the first terrace of the Gardens

Gilded sun porches—only the best for Frederick the Great

St. Petersburg & Peterhof: The capital and palace of Peter the Great of Russia

History and features of St.Petersburg Established on May 27, 1703 by Peter I (Peter the Great)

as a “Window to Europe” “Northern Venice” – about 100 islands and 200 bridges1712 – 1918 – the Capital of Russia 1917 - October Revolution1924 – 1991 – Leningrad1941 – 1943 – Blockade of Leningrad “Cultural capital of Russia”About 5 million peopleMore than 50 universities

ST. PETERSBURG!

St. Petersburg: The “Venice of the North”

Canals of St.Petersburg

The Winter Canal

Peter and Paul Fortress (1703-1704)

Tomb of Peter the Great

Hermitage / Winter Palace … home of the tsars from Catherine the Great (1762) onward

Peterhof … Peter the Great’s summer palace

Fountains at Peterhof

Crowds at Peterhof to watch the fountain show

The Throne Room inside Peterhof

Peterhof

Peterhof – Upper Garden

Peterhof - Interior

Peterhof--Interior