This edifice takes us back to the Baroque era with its pomp and splendour when Austria and its great empire were at the hub of political events in Europe. The pleasure palace which was built for the famous general Prince Eugene of Savoy as his summer residence represents the peak of this stylistic and artistic epoch in Austria. It was designed by the local master architect of the Baroque, Lukas von Hildebrandt. Today the architectural and cultural monument with its wonderful grounds is one of the most popular attractions for visitors to Vienna, but it also has historical significance as it was from one of its balconies on 15 May 1955 that the jubilant crowd was told “Austria is free!” after the signing of the Austrian State Treaty by the four occupying powers. Today, the Upper Belvedere (the actual name of the part of the palace that is exhibited at Minimundus) houses the largest collection of Klimt paintings in the world. A predecessor of today’s model was on display in Minimundus in the early 1960s but the materials couldn’t withstand the weather conditions. This gave Friedrich Jerina the chance to prove his special talents for model making as his work reached new heights for the art of model making at the time.
