Austrian National Library - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

The State Hall – built in the 18th century as part of the former Court Library – is a breathtaking 80 metres long and 20 metres high. The Habsburg Emperor Charles VI had this gem of secular Baroque architecture built to accommodate his court library. The hall is an exceptional experience not only for bookworms.The library complex includes four museums, as well as multiple special collections and archives.

The Sisi Museum in the Imperial Apartments of the Imperial Palace compares the myth and the facts. Among the highlights are numerous personal objects once owned by Elisabeth as well as the most famous portraits of the beautiful empress. The show focuses on Elisabeth's private life, her rebellion against the court ceremonial, her flight into beauty, sporting excellence, travel and rapturous poetry.

The Palm House in Burggarten is considered one of the most beautiful art nouveau structures of its kind in the world. Since 1998, the building, more than 3,000 square feet in area, towers over the garden of the Imperial Palace; it houses hundreds of free-flying tropical butterflies in a re-creation of their natural environment. The temperature is 27°C and the humidity 80%.

The most important treasury in the world is home to two imperial crowns as well as the Burgundian treasure and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The Imperial Treasury is divided into two collections: the secular collection and the ecclesiastical collection. The secular collection contains numerous imperial artifacts from the House of Habsburg, including jewels and precious stones that due to their unique size could not be fitted into the imperial crowns.

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the only institution in the world which has practiced for more than 450 years and continues to cultivate classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the Haute Ecole. The leading horses and riders of the school also periodically tour and perform worldwide. It is one of the "Big Four", the most prestigious classical riding academies in the world, alongside the Cadre Noir, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, and the Royal Andalusian School.

The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Located in the centre of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence. Since 1946 it is the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria.