Imperial Furniture Collection

Last updated
Imperial Furniture Collection
(Hofmobiliendepot)
Hofmobiliendepot-Moebel-Museum-Wien aussen.jpg
The Imperial Furniture Collection in Vienna
Imperial Furniture Collection
Established1747 (1747)
Location Vienna, Austria
TypeFurniture museum
Owner Bundesmuseen  [ de ]
Website www.Hofmobiliendepot.at
Entrance from the Mariahilferstrasse Hofmobiliendepot 3 stitched.jpg
Entrance from the Mariahilferstrasse

The Imperial Furniture Collection (German : Hofmobiliendepot) in Vienna is a furniture museum that houses one of the most important collections of furniture in the world. [1]

Contents

Today, the museum mainly contains furniture of the Habsburg monarchs. In addition the museum offers an overview of the history of Viennese cabinet making and interior decoration, from purveyors to the Imperial Household to well-known artists of the early 20th century, Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann and Otto Wagner, who characterized the domestic architecture of Vienna.

The main building is located in Andreasgasse 7 in the 7th Vienna district of Neubau.

History

In 1747, the first Court Furniture Inspector (Hofmobilieninspektor) was entrusted with the inventory control, care and transportation of the furniture belonging to the imperial court of Empress Maria Theresa. In 1809 this court service was designated as the Court Furniture Directorate (Hofmobiliendirektion) and was responsible for the purchase of new furniture for the imperial household. In 1901 the present building of the Imperial-Royal Court Furniture Depository (k. k. Hofmobiliendepot) on Mariahilfer Straße 88, together with attached workshops and coach houses, was built as a central storage facility for furniture not actually being used. Because the Habsburgs furnished their residences and palaces in accordance with the style of the period and their own aesthetic taste, 160,000 items ended up in the exhibition. Anything that was no longer used, just made its way to the depot.

After the end of the Danube monarchy in 1919 the entire imperial furniture collection was transferred to the Republic of Austria. Part of it was, and is, used for representative purposes, for example for the official residences of the federal presidents.

Collection

Today a large number of original items of furniture belonging to the Habsburgs may be seen in the museum, from commodes to imperial thrones. Even exhibits that appear strange today can be seen, such as the spittoons that were de rigueur a hundred years ago.

Austrian furniture designers and architects of the 20th century are also represented.

Organizationally, the Imperial Furniture Collection is part of the Schönbrunn Palace Cultural and Joint Operating Company (Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H.)

All federal government ministers may borrow furniture for their chancellery for the time of their period in office. Embassies draw on furniture from this depot and film companies also use original furniture for their films.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schönbrunn Palace</span> Palace in Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna. The name Schönbrunn has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emperor of Austria</span> 1804–1918 hereditary head of state of the Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian) Empire

The emperor of Austria was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, and continually held by him and his heirs until Charles I relinquished power in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvedere, Vienna</span> Historic building complex in Vienna, Austria

The Belvedere is a historic building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces, the Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The buildings are set in a Baroque park landscape in the third district of the city, on the south-eastern edge of its centre. It houses the Belvedere museum. The grounds are set on a gentle gradient and include decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates. The Baroque palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hietzing</span> 13th District of Vienna in Austria

Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna. It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling. Hietzing is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings, but also contains large areas of the Vienna Woods, along with Schönbrunn Palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albertina</span> Art museum in Vienna, Austria

The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings. Apart from the graphics collection the museum has acquired, on permanent loan two significant collections of Impressionist and early 20th-century art, some of which are on permanent display. The museum also houses temporary exhibitions. The museum had 360,073 visitors in 2020, down 64 percent from 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still ranked 55th in the List of most-visited art museums in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural History Museum, Vienna</span> Museum in Vienna, Austria

The Natural History Museum Vienna is a large natural history museum located in Vienna, Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hofburg</span> Imperial palace in Vienna, Austria

The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence. Since 1946, it is the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrian Crown Jewels</span>

The Austrian Crown Jewels are the regalia and vestments worn by the Holy Roman Emperor, and later by the Emperor of Austria, during the coronation ceremony and other state functions. The term refers to the following objects: the crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, crosses, holy relics and royal robes, as well as several other objects connected with the ceremony. The collection dates from the 10th to the 19th centuries, and it reflects more than a thousand years of European history. It is kept in the Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrian National Library</span> Largest library in Austria

The Austrian National Library is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of Vienna. Since 2005, some of the collections have been relocated within the Baroque structure of the Palais Mollard-Clary. Founded by the Habsburgs, the library was originally called the Imperial Court Library ; the change to the current name occurred in 1920, following the end of the Habsburg Monarchy and the proclamation of the Austrian Republic. The library complex includes four museums, as well as multiple special collections and archives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of Military History, Vienna</span> Museum in Vienna, Austria

The Museum of Military History – Military History Institute in Vienna is the leading museum of the Austrian Armed Forces. It documents the history of Austrian military affairs through a wide range of exhibits comprising, above all, weapons, armours, tanks, aeroplanes, uniforms, flags, paintings, medals and badges of honour, photographs, battleship models, and documents. Although the museum is owned by the Federal Government, it is not affiliated with the Federal museums but is organised as a subordinate agency reporting directly to the Ministry of Defence and Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laxenburg castles</span>

Laxenburg castles are imperial palaces and castles outside Vienna, in the town of Laxenburg owned in equal parts by Vienna and Lower Austria. The castles became a Habsburg possession in 1333 and formerly served as a summer retreat, along with Schönbrunn palace, for the imperial Habsburg dynasty. Blauer Hof Palace was the birthplace of some members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Rudolf. Another castle nearby is named Franzensburg castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambras Castle</span> Castle in Innsbruck, Austria

Ambras Castle is a Renaissance castle and palace located in the hills above Innsbruck, Austria. Ambras Castle is 632 metres (2,073 ft) above sea level. Considered one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Tyrol, Ambras Castle was built in the 16th century on the spot of an earlier 10th-century castle, which became the seat of power for the Counts of Andechs. The cultural and historical importance of the castle is closely connected with Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595) and served as his family's residence from 1567 to 1595. Ferdinand was one of history's most prominent collectors of art. The princely sovereign of Tyrol, son of Emperor Ferdinand I, ordered that the medieval fortress at Ambras be turned into a Renaissance castle as a gift for his wife Philippine Welser. The cultured humanist from the House of Habsburg accommodated his world-famous collections in a museum: the collections, still in the Lower Castle built specifically for that museum's purpose, make Ambras Castle one of the oldest museums in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Carriage Museum</span> Museum of carriages

The Imperial Carriage Museum is a museum of carriages and vehicles used by the imperial household of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary. It is housed in the grounds of the Schloss Schönbrunn in the Hietzing district of Vienna and is a department of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Villa of Monza</span> Former royal residence in Monza, Italy

The Royal Villa is a historical building in Monza, northern Italy. It lies on the banks of the Lambro river, surrounded by the large Monza Park, one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Treasury, Vienna</span> Museum in Austria

The Imperial Treasury at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria contains a valuable collection of secular and ecclesiastical treasures covering over a thousand years of European history. The entrance to the treasury is at the Schweizerhof, the oldest part of the palace, which was rebuilt in the sixteenth century in the Renaissance style under Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. The Imperial Treasury is affiliated with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and houses in 21 rooms a collection of rare treasures that were compiled by the Imperial House of Habsburg over the course of centuries, including the Imperial Crown, Orb, and Sceptre of Austria, and the Imperial Regalia of the Emperors and Kings of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourist attractions in Vienna</span> Overview of tourist attractions in Vienna, Austria

The tourist attractions of Vienna concentrate in three distinct areas. The largest cluster, centred on Schönbrunn Palace, attracted around five million visitors in 2009, down from six million in 2008. Museums and exhibitions of Hofburg Palace accounted for nearly two million visitors in 2008, with a significant decline in 2009. The third, and the newest, cluster of modern art museums in Museumsquartier attracted less than one million visitors. Nearby duo of Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches museums, located halfway between Museumsquartier and Hofburg, also reported around one million visitors. The Landstraße district, which lies south-east of the old city, is home to art exhibitions at the Belvedere Palace and the KunstHausWien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn</span> Architectural structure

The Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn is a desert botanical exhibit in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Sonnenuhrhaus, which was built in 1904 as the newest of the four botanical houses in Schönbrunn Palace Park. The desert exhibit opened in 2004 as a counterpart to the “Rainforest House” that opened in 2002 in the nearby Zoo Vienna.

The adjective kaiserlich means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the Kaiser ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hofburg, Innsbruck</span> Former Habsburg palace in Austria

The Hofburg is a former Habsburg palace in Innsbruck, Austria, and considered one of the three most significant cultural buildings in the country, along with the Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The Hofburg is the main building of a large residential complex once used by the Habsburgs that still includes the Noblewomen's Collegiate Foundation, the Silver Chapel, the Hofkirche containing Emperor Maximilian's cenotaph and the Schwarzen Mandern, the Theological University, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, Innsbruck Cathedral, the Congress, and the Hofgarten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schlosstheater Schönbrunn</span> Stage at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna

Schlosstheater Schönbrunn is a stage at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna which opened in 1747. The Baroque theatre now serves for the training of students of acting and opera of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW), and for performances of the Musik Theater Schönbrunn.

References

  1. The history of the museum at www.hofmobiliendepot.at. Accessed on 23 Aug 2013

Literature

48°11′54.388″N16°20′48.588″E / 48.19844111°N 16.34683000°E / 48.19844111; 16.34683000