The Austrian Room

From the 10th to the 16th- century, the Austrian Empire grew to include Germans, Magyars, Slavs, and Latins. During the reign of Charles V in the 16th- century, it's far-reaching borders caused it to be known as an empire on which the sun never set.

In the 18th- century, under the enlighted reign of Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II, the empire experienced a social and cultural renaissance which resulted in far- reaching reforms and produced outstanding composers such as Franz Josef Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Elements of the Haydn Saal in Schloss Esterhazy at Eisenstadt, where Franz Josef Haydn servred as Kepellmeister from 1766 to 1778, combine to form a unique Baroque elegance. Exhibits tracing the development of the multinational Austrian Empire and the birthplaces of representative Austrian composers born within its borders between the years 1000 and 1918 define the room's historical perspective.

The ceiling paintings depict scenes from Roman mythology similar to those in the Haydn Saal. Lobmyer crystal chandeliers illuminate the white lacquer seminar furniture patterned after that in the formanl dining hall of Vienna's Hofburg. Against royal red- tapestried wall and stately pilasters, the white porcelain stove stands on the parquet flooor inlaid in a starburst design.

ARCHITECTS: Franz Gerhardt Schnögass, Vienna and Gunther J. Kaier, Pittsburgh
STYLE:Baroque, 17th- 18th century
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Created by Gregory Wieclaw

Edited and modified 4/98 by Marie Mazzocco