The baroque state hall of the Austrian National Library in the Hofburg Imperial Palace is not only the largest baroque library in Europe, it is also one of the most beautiful historical libraries in the world.
The former imperial court library from the 18th century was commissioned by Emperor Karl VI. built as a separate wing in the Imperial Palace.
The entrance to the National Library State Hall is located at Josefplatz 1 and is not to be confused with the entrance to the National Library on Heldenplatz.
What Can I See in the National Library State Hall?
When visiting the National Library State Hall, you can admire a breathtaking collection of over 200,000 books from the years 1501 to 1850. The collection of the important Austrian general Prince Eugene of Savoy, consisting of 15,000 volumes, is particularly worth seeing. You can see them in the center oval.
In the middle of the imposing hall stands the impressive statue of Emperor Charles VI. Furthermore, this baroque jewel is decorated with National Library State Hall When entering the National Library State Hall, you can discover the masterful frescoes by Daniel Gran in the entrance wing, which deal with secular and martial themes.
Also admire the frescoes in the rear wing adjacent to the Imperial Palace, with the original entrance for the Emperor, which depict allegorical motifs of Heaven and Peace. The showpiece is the famous fresco in the 30 meter high dome, which depicts Emperor Charles VI becoming a god. and depicts the allegorical history of the building of the library.
The four magnificent Venetian globes with a diameter of more than one meter and the marble statues of the brothers Peter and Paul Strudel are also worth mentioning.
There are also special exhibitions two to three times a year, in which extraordinary exhibits from the holdings of the Austrian National Library are on display.
Admission, Tickets and Guided Tours to the National Library State Hall
- Entrance/Tickets: The current entry prices for the State Hall can be found on the homepage of the Austrian National Library.
- Guided tour: Discover the baroque state hall on a guided tour. Public tours through the state hall last about 45 minutes. The meeting point is at the Prunksaal Servicedesk, Josefsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna. The current prices and tour times can be found on the homepage of the Austrian National Library.
The Hofburg Imperial Palace Compley Also Includes
- Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, Silver Collection
- Spanish Riding School
- Imperial Treasury
- World Museum Vienna
- Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library
- Ephesus Museum
- Vienna Court Hunting and Armory
- Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments
- Butterfly House
- Burggarten
- Volksgarten
- Austrian President's Chancellery (Seat of the Federal President)
- Federal Chancellery
History of the National Library State Hall
The State Hall of the Austrian National Library in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the former imperial residence, was once home to the Imperial Court Library. It was built between 1723 and 1726 at the behest of the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI. He commissioned the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build the library.
The imposing National Library State Hall with a length of around 78 meters and a height of almost 20 meters is also decorated with ceiling frescoes by the court painter Daniel Gran, which were completed by 1730. In contrast to today, however, the wing was free-standing.
A special feature at that time was that the library building was expressly intended for public use. Nevertheless, the library was initially only accessible to scholars. Only in 1860 was it also available to the general public.
With the end of the monarchy, the library became state-owned in 1919. The national library became the court library.
Contact
- Address: Josefsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna
- Subway: U1 Stephansplatz, U2 Museumsquartier, U3 Herrengasse
- Opening Times: You can find the current opening times of the State Hall here.