Belvedere Palace . . .AUSTRIA

Belvedere Palace, situated right in the heart of Vienna, is Austria’s most famous art gallery and home to der Kuss (The Kiss) which was painted by Gustav Klimt. There are two permanent collections – Oberes Belvedere(Upper Belvedere) and Unteres Belvedere(Lower Belvedere) – in the Palace. The palace was built by Lukas von Hildebrandt between 1714 and 1723 as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The two museums house an impressive collection of Austrian art from the Middle Ages through to the 20th century. Today, the Upper Belvedere is home to the Austrian Gallery and works by Renoir, Monet, Klimt, Kokoschka and Schiele, whilst the Lower Belvedere houses the Baroque Museum and the Museum of Medieval Austrian Art.