Neugebäude Palace
Being there
This 16th-century palace is said to have been built on the spot where Sultan Süleyman camped during the first Turkish siege of Vienna in 1529. After the 17th century the complex fell into disrepair, with parts reused for other building projects, and after 1945 it was converted to a storage facility and factory. Since the 1970s it has been protected, and some portions of the remaining structures have been restored. Visitors can gain access to the palace during one of the events and festivals frequently hosted here, or alternatively can participate in a regularly-scheduled tour. The palace gardens have been newly redesigned on the original garden beds, and are freely open to the public.
The story
Neugebäude Palace (German: Schloss Neugebäude) is a large Mannerist castle complex in the Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It was built from 1569 onwards at the behest of the Habsburg Emperor Maximilian II. The site of the palace is said to be where the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent's tent was erected during the 1529 Siege of Vienna. The palace was modeled after it.
It fell into disuse in the 17th century and today stands in ruins. Protected as a historical monument Since the 1970s, various efforts have been made to restore the site.
In 1922, Clemens Holzmeister's architectural designs for Austria's first crematorium placed Feuerhalle Simmering into the walled gardens of the derelict Schloss Neugebäude, thus putting the former palace gardens with its many ancient trees (designated natural monuments) to new use as an urn burial ground.