Palais Trautson, designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Vienna. For many years it served as the seat of the Royal Hungarian Guards. Today it houses the Austrian Ministry of Justice. [German]
Palais Trautson in the 7th district
The Palais is located outside downdown in the 7th district (Neubau). For visitors to the Museumsquartier (MQ), however, it is only a few steps away. At the time of its construction, it was still in the countryside and thus bore the features of a garden palace.
Palais of the Hungarian Guards
1760 Maria Theresia bought the palace and handed it to the newly founded Royal Hungarian Guards. Since then, the building has also been called the Palais der Ungarischen Garde (Palais of the Hungarian Guards).
In 1961 the Republic of Austria acquired the palace. The building has been the seat of the Austrian Ministry of Justice since 1966. Staterooms such as the sala terrena, which Marcantonio Chiarini frescoed in an illusionist manner, or the staircase flanked by sphinxes and atlases are no longer open to the public.
The facade of Palais Trautson
However, the view of the facade remains unobstructed. The central avant-corps is particularly striking here. Above the portals, there are three worth seeing wrought iron works. The gable wall represents a gathering of the gods in Olympus. The figures in the attic also represent ancient gods.