World's Greatest Palaces

Season 1, Episode 2: Schönbrunn Palace

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For 350 years, Schönbrunn Palace was the main Summer residence of Austria's imperial family, the Habsburgs. Designed in a rococo style, the 1,441 rooms have played host to some of Europe's most influential figures including Marie Antoinette, Mozart and Napoleon Bonaparte. Schönbrunn was home to two of the great Habsburgs matriarchs, Empresses Maria Theresa and Elisabeth. Maria Theresa ruled for 40 years in the 18th century and married her daughters into some of the most powerful royal houses across Europe. Empress Elisabeth, known affectionately across the Austrian Empire as Sisi, has often been compared to Princess Diana because of her beauty and iconic status. She was assassinated in Geneva in 1898.