The history of the Liechtenstein Garden Palace in Vienna begins in 1658 when Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein bought a vineyard from the Auersperg family and expanded it through further acquisitions.
Construction of the main building began in 1697 according to plans by Domenico Egidio Rossi and the shell was already finished in 1704.
The prince then hired the best artists in Vienna and Italy for the elaborate interior design.
His call was followed by the sculptor Giovanni Giuliani, the plasterer Santino Bussi, and the painters Marcantonio Franceschini, Johann Michael Rottmayr and Andrea Pozzo.
In 1709 they finished the interior design and created an Italian-antique work of art, a closed city villa in the Roman style, resembling a palazzo.
However, the premises were only used in summer and for representation purposes, as it was practically impossible to heat the large rooms.
At the beginning of the 19th century, a large part of the extensive art collection of the Liechtenstein royal family was transferred to the garden palace. In 1807 the collection was made accessible to the public for the first time.
The Second World War brought major changes to the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. The royal family moved their main residence to Vaduz in 1938 and towards the end of the war the art collection followed.
Since 1957 the palace has mainly been used as a museum for art. For example, the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) was located here before it moved to the newly built “Museumsquartier” (the museums quarter) in 2001.
From 2004 to the end of 2011, the Liechtenstein Museum was located in the Liechtenstein Garden Palace, with one of the largest and most valuable private art collections in the world. Part of the collection is still exhibited in the gallery rooms.
