The beautiful spring
Emperor Matthias is said to have found a spring here while hunting in 1612 and called it 'schöner Brunnen', the beautiful spring. The source still flows inside a small pavilion in the gardens.
Urban Tales › Vienna › Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace: the history, and the spring that named it
An emperor found a 'beautiful spring' while hunting here, and his descendants built a 1,441-room summer palace around it. Here's what you're looking at, and what to listen for as you walk through it.
Palace begun1696
Rooms1,441
Zoosince 1752
UNESCOsince 1996
Hear the Schönbrunn Palace story, in the app's voice
A short preview. The full story plays on its own when you walk up to it with Urban Tales.
Three stories most visitors miss
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2
Mozart, aged six
In 1762 a six-year-old Mozart played for Maria Theresa in the Hall of Mirrors and, the story goes, jumped into the empress's lap and kissed her.
3
The oldest zoo still open
The Tiergarten Schönbrunn was founded in 1752 as an imperial menagerie, which makes it the oldest zoo in the world that's still open.
TipWalk up the hill behind the palace to the Gloriette for the classic view back over the gardens and the city. With Urban Tales running, the palace's story plays as you cross the main courtyard.
Nearby landmarks
Schönbrunn Palace: common questions
Why is it called Schönbrunn?
After a 'beautiful spring' (schöner Brunnen) Emperor Matthias is said to have found here in 1612.
How many rooms does Schönbrunn have?
1,441 rooms; around 40 are open to visitors.
Was the Austrian State Treaty signed at Schönbrunn?
No, it was signed at the Belvedere in 1955. Schönbrunn hosted the Congress of Vienna's diplomats and the 1961 Kennedy–Khrushchev summit dinner.