Located in the capital of the country, Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most visited tourist attractions not only in Vienna, but also in Austria as a whole. The building served as the residence for the Habsburg rulers, but was converted into a museum in the 1950s. Tourists can visit some of the 1441 rooms of the palace and admire the luxurious gardens. Countless works of art, exquisite interiors, a labyrinth and a zoo make Schönbrunn one of the most famous and visited palaces in Europe.
The history of Schönbrunn and the buildings that used to stand on this site began in the Middle Ages. From the beginning of the 14th century, the mansion was called Katterburg and belonged to the Klosterneuburg Monastery. The grounds also included a mill, a farm and vineyards. Numerous tenants are documented in the following centuries, including the mayor of Vienna, Hermann Bayer, who expanded the mansion into a respectable country residence.
