Ostarrichislam - The Belvedere
Austria excels in magnificent castles and palaces, documenting a wide variety of styles and architecture. Some even reflect the architectural principles of the Ottoman Empire.
They were constructed on the basis of a blue print as designed for a sultan’s tent.
The upper Belvedere in Vienna has become an architectural symbol of Austria. From 1663 till 1736 it was a baroque summer castle of Prince Eugene of Savoy, who became famous during the second war against the Turks. The great architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745) designed it relying on the floor plan and layout of a luxuriously accomplished Ottoman tent. In the same way a royal castle “Neugebäude” in Simmering was built even before the second siege of Vienna by the Turks replacing the palatial tent of Khalifa Suleyman Kanuni.
The architecture of the summer palace convincingly resembled the splendour of such a tent. Guests from Turkey keep paying visits to the palace with great respect.
In the 18th district of Vienna visitors encounter Palace built in 1808 (then Pötzleinsdorf) and named after its architect „Geymüllerschlössl“. Its central element is a round dome, reminding of a mosque (originally accompanied by a minaret)
In 1871 Count Ladislaus Koszielski ordered palace Bertholdstein in Styria to be rebuilt and to add oriental details as for example to stylize one tower as a minaret. Since 1918 a catholic convent has been housed inside it, with the building still including the minaret.
