EUROPE’S BEST PALACES:

WHY NOT HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT INONE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL VENUES?

The Belvedere Palace Vienna

The Belvedere palace was built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). One of Europe’s most stunning Baroque landmarks, this ensemble – comprising the Upper and Lower Belvedere and an extensive garden – is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Royal PalaceMadrid

The Royal Palace (Palacio Real in Spanish) is not the official residence of his Majesty the King of Spain, but rather where state ceremonies, official banquets and other state functions take place. The King lives in Zarzuela Palace, which is just outside of Madrid.

STHE ROYAL PALACE (PALACIO REAL IN SPANISH) IS NOT THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SPAIN, BUT

National Palace of PenaSintra

Located in the Sintra hills, the Park and Palace of Pena are the fruit of King Ferdinand II’s creative genius and the greatest expression of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal, denoting clear influences from the Manueline and Moorish styles of architecture.

The Nymphenburg Palace Munich

Nymphenburg Palace owes its foundation as a summer residence to the birth of the long-awaited heir to the throne, Max Emanuel, who was born in 1662 to the Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, after some ten years of marriage. A site on the edge of the court lands, to the west of the city and the Residenz, was chosen for the new building – a location which, at that time, was still some way out of Munich surrounded by open countryside.

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez Madrid

The palace is in the style of Herrera. Special mention should be made of the façade, adorned by statues of the three kings who played a part in its construction. Particularly worth noting for their beauty and master craftsmanship are the Rococo staircase and balustrade by Bonavía; and the Porcelain Room, whose walls are lined with porcelain.

Buda CastleBudapest

If you expected to see a royal palace luxury room exhibition in the Buda Castle, you may be disappointed to learn that due to the lootings at the end of the WW2 (plundered by the Nazi troops, then by the Russian troops), the building and its beautiful interior has been ripped and stripped to the naked walls, however it is this rich history that makes Buda Castle such an interesting site to visit.

Neuschwanstein CastleSchwangau

Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public life. Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale king". In the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single inhabitant.

The Papal PalaceAvignon

The Palace of the Popes stands as the mighty symbol of the church’s influence throughout the western Christian world in the 14th century. Construction was started in 1335 and completed in less than twenty years under the leadership of two popes, Benedict XII and his successor Clement VI. The Popes’ Palace is the biggest Gothic palace in all of Europe and a must see.

The Alhambra Palace Granada

The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, (al-Hamra means Red Castle). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba. The Alhambra boasts stunning views over the whole city and surrounding meadows making it perfect for site seeing.

The Château de ChenonceauChenonceau

`Property of the Crown, then a royal residence, the Château de Chenonceau is an exceptional site with an intriguing history. The Château de Chenonceau possesses an exceptional museum collection of paintings by great masters: Murillo, Tintoretto, Nicolas Poussin, Correggio, Rubens, Primaticcio, Van Loo and a rare selection of Flanders Tapestries of the XVI century.

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Sanssouci Palace Potsdam

`The most visited attraction in Potsdam is the Palace Sanssouci. The architect Georg W. von Knobelsdorff planned the building which was erected between 1745 and 1747.The Rococo-style Hohenzollern palace is located within the Park Sanssouci. Frederick’s desire to be buried in the Palace Sanssouci was finally honored in 1991, on the 205th anniversary of his death.

Versailles PalaceParis

`The Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.

Royal Palace of CasertaCaserta

`The Royal Palace of Caserta and its park, inserted as one of the 50 Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997, are treasures of truly incomparable splendour. Commissioned by Charles III of Bourbon in the 1700s, Luigi Vanvitelli planned this palace, a triumph of the Italian Baroque and one of the most famous and important works by the Neapolitan architect. Everyday visitors are left enchanted by the beauty of its interiors and by the magnificence of its

exterior.

The Royal PalaceAmsterdam

`The Royal Palace Amsterdam is one of three Palaces used by the Dutch Monarch, notably for State Visits, Award

Ceremonies, New Years Receptions and other official functions. The building plays a role in royal marriages and in the abdication and investiture of the Monarch. When the Palace is not in use by the Royal House, the Amsterdam Royal Palace Foundation opens the building to the public.

Schönbrunn Palace Vienna

`At the end of the 17th century Emperor Leopold I commissioned the gifted Baroque architect Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build a palatial hunting lodge for the heir to the throne. On the site of the old imperial château de plaisance a splendid edifice was to arise. Half a century later under Maria Theresa Schönbrunn Palace was to become the magnificent focus of court life. From that time onwards it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe. Although

Austria is now a republic, Schönbrunn has remained a place of political encounter at the highest level.

Interested in visiting one of these palaces for an upcoming

incentive trip or event?

Contact: enquiries@emc3.eu