The story of this place
Built between 1712 and 1723 as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy, the general who broke Ottoman power in central Europe, the Belvedere is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. On 15 May 1955 the Austrian State Treaty was signed in its Marble Hall, restoring Austria's full sovereignty and ending a decade of four-power occupation after WWII; Foreign Minister Leopold Figl stepped onto the balcony and declared Austria free. Today the Upper Belvedere houses the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings, including the golden masterpiece The Kiss of 1908.