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The Imperial Furniture Collection for product line

The Imperial Furniture Collection Ÿ Vienna Furniture Museum houses outstanding holdings of historical cultural artefacts. The core of the collection is original items of furniture from the

Habsburg court household that were used to furnish Schönbrunn Palace, the Belvedere, Laxenburg and many other imperial residences. On display are carpets, chandeliers, paintings, tableware, chairs, tables, beds, commodes and even entire suites. Linked to individual personalities such as Prince Eugene of Savoy, Crown Prince Rudolf or Empress Elisabeth, these objects reflect not only political events and imperial court ceremonial but also day-to-day life 

The approximately 6,500 items on display derive from the furniture depository established by Empress Maria Theresa in 1747 in which all the furniture of the imperial court household was stored and maintained until the end of the monarchy. The depository has been in the ownership of the Republic of Austria since 1919, and in 1924 the first permanent display was opened. Part of this original display in the form of fifteen ‘Biedermeier alcoves’ has been preserved as a kind of ‘museum within the museum’ and integrated into the current permanent exhibition. The alcoves contain furniture from the imperial household arranged into ensembles illustrating lower middle class interiors.

The current display goes back to 1998, when the museum was reopened following extensive remodelling and restoration. The reorientation of the museum was to focus not only on presenting the holdings according to customary museum conventions but also to emphasise its continuing role as a repository. For this reason, ‘walk-in’ access was created to a repository that has remained virtually unchanged since the time of Emperor Franz Joseph. The holdings still supply furniture for federal offices, embassies and state receptions.