Compare and Contrast the Palaces

Schonbrunn was the summer palace of the Hapsburgs. It was built by Maria Theresa and designed with many French and baroque inspirations. It was bright and had a lot of light which hid the fact that the palace acted as a prison and buisness place. It had massive gardens and large, highly decorated rooms. However it was a cage for the Empress Sisi.

Though meant as a summer escape from the busy life of the city, for Empress Sisi it meant no privacy and a reminder of being ensared by Franz Joseph. Who spent most of his time in his office doing official buisness.

The winter palace of Hofburg was extremely large and right in the middle of Vienna. It had many rooms and was the center of the empire. It ran like a machine with Franz Joseph as its head. It was not as grand but seemed more cozy than Schonbrunn possibly due to it being the winter residence and they needed the warmth. It also felt more personal with many painting and portaits of the family. Like an actual home. Also Sisi had much more privacy here.

The English palace of Kew was probably the most pleasurable of all the palaces. It had the biggest gardens full of creatures and different flora. The house was smaller and meant as a home or a place for family, not granduer. It was somewhere that they could escape the stress of the empire and practice their various hobbies. It was in a simple style but still slightly elegant.

I think the houses reflected the lives of the people who lived there. In Schonbrunn it was made as a vacation home. But it was still near the city so people could visit Franz Joseph and its gardens were cultivated and contained. The Hofburg was more like an office building that also housed the royal family in one cozy corner. Kew was like a wonderland for children to run and play and a hove or safehouse for the family to spend time together.