If you ever get a little weary from all the sightseeing, pop into the Burggarten park alongside the tourist hotspots for a bit of a rest. Then thank Napoleon for the opportunity.
- City centre park most famous for its Mozart statue
- Borders the Hofburg and Albertina palaces
- Nice place to sit and relax while sightseeing
- See also: Mozart monument | Butterfly House
Burggarten history
(View of the Burggarten across from the Neue Burg palace)
When Napoleon’s troops withdrew from Vienna in 1809, clutching the Treaty of Schönbrunn and their souvenir fridge magnets, the mess they left behind demanded a redesign of the area around the Hofburg palace.
Part of this redesign was the creation of a private garden or park for the Imperial family, long known as the Kaisergarten.
(Double eagle emblem above the main entrance)
The area was extended in 1863, then reduced again a few decades later to create space for the Neue Burg palace extension.
Following the change from monarchy to republic in 1919, many streets and similar were renamed to remove the Imperial connection. And so the Kaisergarten (Emperor’s Garden) simply became the Burggarten.
(View across to the butterfly house and national library)
The small park is surrounded by the long Ringstrassen boulevard, the Neue Burg, the butterfly house and palm house, and Goethegasse (a street named after the famous German footballer writer).
Inside the Burggarten
The Burggarten – now managed by the federal garden services (the Bundesgärten) – offers wonderful views of its historical surrounds, a place to enjoy some greenery in the middle of a city, a shortcut to the Albertina museum (out the main gate to the northeast), a little respite from sightseeing crowds, and four monuments and statues:
- The famous Mozart monument (completed in 1896 and moved to the Burggarten in 1953)
- Hercules and the Nemean lion (created around the turn of the 19th century and incorporated into a small fountain feature in the Burggarten pond in 1948)
- Franz I – husband of Empress Maria Theresa – on his horse (from 1781 and moved here in 1819)
- Emperor Franz Joseph (from 1903 and moved here in 1957)
If you’ve ever watched the period detective series, Vienna Blood, then you’ll recognise the Burggarten from the end of Episode 1.
How to get to the Burggarten
If you’re visiting the Hofburg area, you’re more or less already there:
- Subway: Station Herrengasse (U3) or Museumsquartier (U2), then a short walk
- Tram: 1, 2, D or 71 to Burgring (which runs along the edge of the park)
- Bus: 2A to Albertinaplatz
Address: Burggarten, 1010 Wien