The medieval architecture of the Imperial Palace of Vienna

Notwithstanding the fact that the Imperial Castle of Vienna represents one of the largest and most important residences of Europe, there is still a great deficiency in the knowledge about its architectural history. The origin of the mediaeval structure is interpreted in different ways. The applicant`s arguments that the castle would be a foundation of emperor Frederick II just recently were veryfied by the exposure of parts of medieval ashlar masonry and afford new investigations. Consequently the original structure appears as a square castle with four quadrangular towers of bound masonry in ashlar, very similar to corresponding castles in Southern Italy. Finished and used for the first time was the castle of Vienna only since the reign of king Ottokar II. Premysl, who traditionally has been named founder of this palace. Under the reign of the first Hapsburg kings (Rudolf I, Albrecht I) the seize of the castle was not much enlarged, but in the 14th century alternated its character by the addition of the Augustine monastery, founded by the Austrian duke, and hence becoming a monastery-residence-complex. The renovation of the castle`s chapel in gothic style mainly took place under the reign of duke Albrecht V, not during the time of Frederick III, as it has been stated in current literature; this evidence has to be proved by stilistic comparisons. During the 15th century the castle of Vienna temporarily was used as residence by emperor Frederick III, but the narrow capacity of its apartments already at that time was critizised as inconvenient. In this project the degree, in which the medieval structure still is existing within the present building, should be detected by means of "active architectural analysis" with punctual exposure (opening) of original masonry and its scientific interpretation. The evidence has to be documented in specific plans, which will indicate the different building phases, in three-dimensional models and also in virtual reconstructions. For this project it was possible to engage a team of specialists in the field of analyzing medieval masonry, which already had been working very succesfully in a former scientific project sustained by the FWF (Architectural Investigations in Medieval Cellars of Vienna). The deduction and position of the Imperial Palace of Vienna as a quadrangular four-tower-castle, according to the typus of the Hohenstaufen-castles of Southern Italy and on the contrary of residence castles in Bohemia and Hungary will be the objective of this project from the point of art history. The castle`s building history during the 14th century has to be compared with the church architecture under the reign of the dukes Frederick "der Schöne", Albrecht II and Otto "der Fröhliche" with special consideration of the Augustine monastery and the chapel of St.George. The history of the construction of the castle`s chapel shall be reconsidered as well. The situation of the Imperial Palace during the late Middle Ages as centre of the Holy Roman Empire has to be compared with the royal residences of Prague, Buda and Visegrad (Hungary) and the castles of Bratislava and Milan either. All results will be published in the first volume of a three part publication about the art history of the Imperial Palace of Vienna in company with several additional papers to special topics.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Imperial Castle of Vienna represents one of the largest and most important residences of Europe, there is still a great deficiency in the knowledge about its architectural history. The origin of the mediaeval structure is interpreted in different ways. The applicant`s arguments that the castle would be a foundation of emperor Frederick II just recently were veryfied by the exposure of parts of medieval ashlar masonry and afford new investigations. Consequently the original structure appears as a square castle with four quadrangular towers of bound masonry in ashlar, very similar to corresponding castles in Southern Italy. Finished and used for the first time was the castle of Vienna only since the reign of king Ottokar II. Premysl, who traditionally has been named founder of this palace. Under the reign of the first Hapsburg kings (Rudolf I, Albrecht I) the seize of the castle was not much enlarged, but in the 14th century alternated its character by the addition of the Augustine monastery, founded by the Austrian duke, and hence becoming a monastery-residence-complex. The renovation of the castle`s chapel in gothic style mainly took place under the reign of duke Albrecht V, not during the time of Frederick III, as it has been stated in current literature; this evidence has to be proved by stilistic comparisons. During the 15th century the castle of Vienna temporarily was used as residence by emperor Frederick III, but the narrow capacity of its apartments already at that time was critizised as inconvenient. In this project the degree, in which the medieval structure still is existing within the present building, should be detected by means of "active architectural analysis" with punctual exposure (opening) of original masonry and its scientific interpretation. The evidence has to be documented in specific plans, which will indicate the different building phases, in three-dimensional models and also in virtual reconstructions. For this project it was possible to engage a team of specialists in the field of analyzing medieval masonry, which already had been working very succesfully in a former scientific project sustained by the FWF (Architectural Investigations in Medieval Cellars of Vienna). The deduction and position of the Imperial Palace of Vienna as a quadrangular four-tower-castle, according to the typus of the Hohenstaufen-castles of Southern Italy and on the contrary of residence castles in Bohemia and Hungary will be the objective of this project from the point of art history. The castle`s building history during the 14th century has to be compared with the church architecture under the reign of the dukes Frederick "der Schöne", Albrecht II and Otto "der Fröhliche" with special consideration of the Augustine monastery and the chapel of St.George. The history of the construction of the castle`s chapel shall be reconsidered as well. The situation of the Imperial Palace during the late Middle Ages as centre of the Holy Roman Empire has to be compared with the royal residences of Prague, Buda and Visegrad (Hungary) and the castles of Bratislava and Milan either. All results will be published in the first volume of a three part publication about the art history of the Imperial Palace of Vienna in company with several additional papers to special topics.