Also known as the “Palais Rofrano” or the “Rosenkavalier Palace” (after its original owner Hieronymus Capece de Rofrano) this 18th century Baroque style palace is one of the most significant garden palaces in Vienna. It was built in the early 1700s by two famous architects and designers Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt and has been a favorite residence for the royalty. Among those who used the palace was Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen who promptly turned it into an entertainment venue where music, balls and receptions were held regularly. He even hired well-known conductors such as Giuseppe Bonno and Christoph Willibald Gluck to head the orchestras for the concerts. It was then bought by Prince Johann Adam of Auersperg in 1777 and was renamed Palais Auersperg much later. The palace continued to be used as a musical event venue where some of the most well-known performances and lavish parties for the royalty were held. One such gala performance was the opera “Idomeneo” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played to Vienna’s elite. The palace was also the venue for the wedding of King Albert of Saxony to the granddaughter of King Gustav Adolf of Sweden. Over time, the palace was extended and rebuilt, adding a winter garden, an English-style landscaped park and more rooms.
The Palais Auersperg changed ownership several more times throughout the years and was even used as a military headquarters during World War II. But with its exquisite halls and ballrooms, it remains to be one of Vienna’s most elegant cultural venues for balls and musical shows.
