"Schönbrunn Gardens - II" a Vienna Travel Page by yooperprof

"Front" courtyard of Schönbrunn - the part which faces the street. On significant occasions, the Habsburgs would step out onto the balcony and address their adoring (?) subjects.

The Palm House at Schonbrunn is one of the key attractions on the west side of the park. It's really big - longer than a football field, and the height of a four-or-five story building. The humidity inside can be a bit stifling, but it can take you to a world of tropical flowers and fragrances far removed from baroque Vienna.

Flowering borders can be so pretty!

Another interesting highlight of the gardens is "The Fan" - eight hedge-lined paths that converge upon a semi-circular open area. Each path "fans" out in symmetrical straightness, giving the observer a sense of the metaphorical possibilities of life.

There is a small but classic maze in the center of the Schonbrunn Gardens - it's become a popular attraction for children of all ages. There had been a large maze here in the middle of the 19th century, but it was closed and torn down when it discovered that the center of the maze was being used for "disreputable encounters"!

In the center of the maze stand two "harmony stones" - taken from the northern Waldviertel region of Austria - which are said to represent the flow of energe between eternal earth (rock) and transient spirit (humankind). The site was then "blessed" by a feng shui master, which explains the floating sense of well-being you will achieve when you find the center of the maze.

While I was at Schönbrunn, a light shower passed over, and I took refuge under a thick and generous tree. After a few minutes, the sky lightened and a rainbow slunk into the sky on the far western horizon.