Palais Harrach

Palais Harrach stands in Vienna’s Freyung, a quiet square near the old university district. The Baroque palace was once home to the Harrach family, one of Austria’s oldest noble houses. In the late 17th century Count Ferdinand Bonaventura I von Harrach bought the ruined site and commissioned a new building from architect Domenico Martinelli. Completed in 1698, the palace became a centre of aristocratic life. After decades as a private residence it was sold to the city in 1975 and later restored in the late 1990s. The building is worth visiting because it shows how Baroque architecture shaped Vienna’s skyline. Martinelli’s design still dominates the square, linking the Harrach name to the city’s history. The palace also housed one of the most important private picture collections in the 19th century. Count Aloys Thomas Raimund von Harrach’s collection filled its rooms until 1970, when it moved to Schloss Rohrau. Today the restored interiors reveal both the grandeur of the past and the elegance of modern use. Visitors find elegant Baroque rooms adapted for shops and offices. The façade still carries the Harrach coat of arms above the main door. Inside, high ceilings and ornate stucco work survive from the 17th century. The surrounding Freyung square offers cafés and bookshops, making the palace a calm stop in a busy part of town. From the square the palace’s stone steps lead up to the entrance, framed by wrought-iron lamps.