Belvedere is famous for the gardens connecting the upper and lower palaces. But the west wing of Lower Belvedere and the orangery offer access to another garden: the Kammergarten.
- Small baroque privy garden with no crowds
- Good for an 18th-century feeling and views of the Orangerie
- Occasional special plant arrangements
- Book Lower Belvedere tickets*
- See also:
The privy garden
(The Privy Garden one October)
Belvedere’s main gardens have sculpted hedges and cascading waters that scream “baroque prince with money to spare”. The Kammergarten is a little less ostentatious.
This long, private garden hides away behind high walls, hedges and decorative gates.
Unfortunately, the aviaries, pavilions and pergolas that once provided private amusement for Prince Eugene and honored guests are largely gone. But you might still pop in for three particular reasons.
First, few people visiting Belvedere find their way to the Kammergarten, so you gain a little respite from the crowds if it’s a busy time of year.
I once found myself there entirely on my own on a Saturday morning in July.
(Inside the central pavilion of the Kammergarten around 1730, as drawn by Salomon Kleiner; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 195077; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
Second, the Bundesgärten federal gardens agency and visiting artists do a grand job of maintaining the garden, often in the form of an outdoor exhibition.
For example, one summer featured the flowers of Gustav Klimt with “real-life” versions of the plants found in his landscape paintings.
A lot depends on the timing of your visit. I’ve been there in late May and seen only empty flower beds; by mid-June those same beds had become a riot of colour.
If you’re in luck, then, the gardens form a flower and shrub-filled delight with the odd fountain or two gurgling along for good measure.
(View from the Kammergarten across to the Salesian church)
Finally, your third reason for visiting…
Find your way right to the very back and the former location of a baroque aviary. You should come across a secluded area hemmed in by tall hedges. Stand in the right place when the foliage is out, and all you can see around you are:
- To the west, the tops of the trees in the grounds of the neighboring Palais Schwarzenberg (the plans for these gardens date back to 1697)
- To the east, the large dome of the Salesian church and convent (completed in 1719)
You’re back in the 18th century.
All you now require to become a member of the baroque nobility is a decent wig, some uncomfortable clothes, and a few servants to oppress.
Ticket and visitor tips
Any ticket valid for Lower Belvedere includes entry to the Kammergarten. (The main Belvedere gardens are free to visit).
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
The gardens have also hosted occasional events in the past, such as Kino im Kammergarten (summer open-air cinema, though that event has taken a break in recent years).
Incidentally, the city apparently once intended leasing the Kammergarten to the composer Richard Strauss, but he chose instead to build a villa on the other side of the botanic gardens. His loss. Our gain.
Finding the Kammergarten
See the directions for the lower palace. Enter via the west wing, for example through the glass doors next to the orangery.
Address: Rennweg 6, 1030 Vienna