Palace Hopping

Yep, that's me in front of Schonbrunn, the palace built by Empress Maria Theresa in Vienna. It was the childhood home of Marie Antoinette and was the palace that the last Austrian Emperor left to go into exile after World War I.

 I love the history of Europe's royal families, both families still on their thrones and the ones deposed due to war or revolution. So it's not unusual for me to plan trips around my interests. In 2002 I went to London for Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee, one of the highlights for me was to see the royal wedding dress collection on exhibit at Kensington Palace. Queen Victoria to the present Queen's dresses were on display. Interesting that it seems the Royals don't throw anything away, but how wedding dresses have changed over the years, from just a plain white dress for Victoria to the magnificent embroidery on HM's dress. Some royal spotting we just stumbled upon, like the spring break we were in Copenhagen Denmark and were doing a city tour to get our bearings. The guide said today's tour will be a bit different since we will be stopping at Amalienborg Palace first as it's Queen Margarthe's birthday and she makes an appearance on the balcony. I had the little Danish flag that was handed out for everyone to wave for years.

My top picks for getting your Royal History fix:

London: My suggestion is to go in late July-late September when Buckingham Palace is open to the public, when HM heads to Scotland for her summer break at Balmoral. There is always a special exhibit, from the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress, to the extra special exhibit on the 50th anniversary of the Queen's coronation. This year a special exhibit on the behind the scenes view of a state visit is highlighted. Also Kensington Palace, Windsor and Hampton Court all former homes of the British Monarchy can be visited.

Vienna: One of my favorite cities and former capital of the Habsburg dynasty. It still has the grand buildings of a major empire. The Hofburg was the main palace, while the rulers tended to prefer Schonbrunn outside the former city walls(now the famous Ringstrasse that circles the city). Here was the home of Franz Josef who ruled from 1848-1916, unhappily seeing his younger brother shot by a Mexican firing squad, only son and heir commit suicide, his wife the beautiful Elizabeth stabbed by an anarchist when she was travelling incognito(as royals could do in the old days) and then his next heir shot in Sarajevo, which we all know what that lead to. Since we are in the midst of the 100th anniversary of WWI, a stop in this capital is a must for a history buff.

Chateau de Versailles courtesy of Trizek

Paris: The Louvre Museum was a royal palace until Louis XIV decided to move the court to Versailles in 1682. It was original built in the 12th century by Phillip II. Remnants of the medieval fortress can be viewed in the basement of the museum. Now looking out towards the Tuileries Gardens from the Louvre courtyard, you have to imagine the Tuileries Palace being there. It was built in 1564 by Henry II widow Catherine de Medici and was in use as a royal palace until Napoleon III was given the boot after the French debacle in the Franco-Prussian War. The palace was set on fire shortly after by the Paris Commune and it was finally torn down in 1883. There has been talks of rebuild it to use it as an extension of the Louvre to display more art works. Of course you need to take a trip to Versailles, the former hunting lodge turned into the seat of the French Government by Louis XIV. With the monarchy and the aristocracy in their gilded cage away from Paris and their estates, it is now easy to picture how and why the French Revolution happened.

Winter Place courtesy of saint-petersburg.com

St Petersburg: When Peter the Great toured Europe, he returned home and decided he need a grand "European" style capital for his empire, Moscow wouldn't do. So he had built Russia's window on the West. The Winter Place, now a part of the Hermitage Museum, was the official home of the Russian Monarchy until 1917. But after the assignation of Alexander II in 1881, the Winter Palace was just used for official functions and the Imperial Family elsewhere. Outside of St Petersburg is Pushkin where the Catherine & Alexander Palaces are located. It was in the Alexander Palace that Nicholas II and his family were held under arrest after his abdication. Also Peterhof Palace, called the Russian Versailles, a favorite summer location for the Imperial Family. But the family usually stayed in "cottages" on the estate. What is most amazing is the restoration work done on some of these palaces, since a lot of them were severely damaged in WWII.

Even if you are not a royalty buff, these cities and their palaces should be on your bucket list for their beauty and their place in the history of the world.