Molecule88
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So you might think at the sight of the magnificent Golden Carriage taking pride of place at the Liechtenstein museum. The carriage was made in the 18th century to ferry a prince from Vienna to Paris - and now guards the entrance hall of the Garden Palace built by the Liechtenstein princely family.
It looks straight out of a Disney cartoon, but it works the other way around - the Hollywood version was styled after the real thing. But aptly, its fairy-tale quality reflects the story of the Liechtenstein dynasty which lost most of their holdings during World War II, only to restore it within two generations.
If Cinderella's story is a rags-to-riches tale, then the Liechtensteins' is a riches to almost-rags (by their standards, at least) back to riches story, and this is embedded in two of their palaces turned into museums in Vienna.
Who is the Liechtenstein princely family? One of the smallest and richest principalities in the world, Liechtenstein is only about 160 sq km, with an estimated population of 37,000.
The nation came about in the 19th century, when the Liechtenstein dynasty (first recorded in the 12th century) purchased land in Vaduz so they could be recognised as a sovereign entity.
The family never did occupy Vaduz, which came with a draughty 13th-century castle, for over 120 years. They were always in the thick of imperial action in Vienna - being advisors to the royal family there - until 1938, when anti-Jewish sentiments were stirred up by the Nazis.
That's when the family moved to their castle in Vaduz, and also most of their family treasures - notably their extensive art collection started in the 16th century.
Click here to see the gallery.
The Vaduz castle - where the princely family now resides - is truly like a mediaeval fortress that sits on one of hills of the Swiss Alps.
It had come with the land when the family bought it in the 1600s, but they didn't move in until 1938.
Unfortunately, about 90 per cent of their estates and holdings were in Moravia and Bohemia, which were later expropriated by Czechoslovakia and Poland.
After the war, during which Liechtenstein stayed neutral, the family had to rebuild its fortunes.
Apparently, in dire financial straits, they had even thought of selling their art collection, but thankfully, only a few masterpieces were sold. One was the portrait Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Art in the United States in 1967.
The two palaces that the Liechtenstein princely family owned in Vienna had fallen into disrepair after the war. The family also had to rebuild its fortunes, and they did it through private banking and wealth management.
It wasn't until the 1970s, that the present Prince Hans Adam II began to restore the family's art collection.
And it wasn't until the 2000s that he witnessed the full restoration of the dynasty's two palaces - the Garden Palace and City Palace - which form the Palais Liechtenstein, and now operate as event spaces and museums which the public has to pre-book to visit.
The full impact of this riches-to-rags-to-riches story doesn't really sink in until one visits the City Palace, which also houses the office of the LGT Group, the wealth and asset management group of the princely House of Liechtenstein.
LGT, originally known as The Liechtenstein Global Trust, is the largest family-owned private wealth and asset manager in Europe, wholly owned by the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.
"This cabinet is still being restored," gestures Prof Johann Kraftner, to explain why an immense cabinet, dusty and broken, is sitting in the middle of the hall.
Dr Kraftner, who is the director of the family's art collection and curator for its museums, leads you through the museum, explaining not only about the art objects but also the restoration process of the building.
The family's princely treasures are mainly in the Garden and City palaces, with a small collection at their Vaduz Castle. The remainder is kept in a state-of-the-art facility below ground at the City Palace.
The family spent about 100 million euros (S$162 million) to restore the palace to its gleaming rococo glory and also on its storage.
"We just spent four years restoring the City Palace, and there were boxes and boxes of stuff in the basement that we had to piece together," explains Dr Kraftner.
Click here to see the gallery.
That included using 1.5kg of gold to gild all the walls and ceilings of the baroque building, which is about 50,000 gold leaf sheets. It took at least 52,000 man hours just to do that.
While the palaces themselves are impressive, the art collection would be the draw for art lovers. The current Prince started his acquisition programme in the 1970s, and the family has added some 700 art objects in the last 30 years, but especially the last 10 years.
One noteworthy acquisition is the 2004 purchase of a celebrated masterpiece of baroque furniture, the 20 million euro pietra dura Badminton Cabinet, setting a world record for a piece of furniture.
Front and centre of the display at the City Palace is A Girl in a Yellow Straw Hat by Friedrich yon Amerling, an icon of Biedermeier art. It was bought at auction at the Dorotheum in Vienna in the autumn of 2008.
The Liechtenstein Museum paid 1.5 million euros for it, against an estimate of 250,000-350,000 euros.
"We want only the best, and now that the Louvre is taking a greater interest in the 19th century, everything is getting more expensive," says Dr Kraftner.
The foundation is estimated to own some five million items, ranging from paintings, sculpture, furniture and coins to the princely library. If there is a Cinderella version for royalty, then this is it.
The Palais Liechtenstein Garden and City Palaces now run on a private museum model. While it's open to the public, viewers have to pre-book their guided tours. The palaces can also be rented for event spaces like weddings and dinners.
The Liechtenstein Garden Palace
Deeply rooted in Vienna's history for over 300 years, the Garden Palace was restored and opened to the public in 2004. Architecture and art are fused in its white rococo ceilings, painted frescos, and also an amazing collection of art and furniture.
The palace was commissioned around 1700 by Prince Johann Adam Andreas 1 von Liechtenstein (1657-1712), who hired an Austrian architect with a leaning towards Italian style. The building went on to influence the style of Viennese Baroque architecture. The private art collection here contains masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the High Baroque era.
Of note is the stucco decoration throughout the palace, one of the finest decorative schemes of the High Baroque in Vienna to have been preserved without any late 19th-century Historicist additions. The adaptation of the building and revitalisation of the gardens totalled around 25 million euro.
The Liechtenstein City Palace
During the 18th century, most of the paintings of the Liechtenstein family were hung in the galleries on the second floor of the City Palace on Bankgasse. The City Palace was rented out in the 1950s, and was used as ministerial offices. Dr Kraftner recalls how, during the renovation, they didn't know what could be recovered and re-used.
There are still boxes of stuff they have to assemble together, of broken chandeliers, sculpture and china, like a jigsaw puzzle. The highlight of the art here is the Beidermeier collection.
BT, Reuters
It looks straight out of a Disney cartoon, but it works the other way around - the Hollywood version was styled after the real thing. But aptly, its fairy-tale quality reflects the story of the Liechtenstein dynasty which lost most of their holdings during World War II, only to restore it within two generations.
If Cinderella's story is a rags-to-riches tale, then the Liechtensteins' is a riches to almost-rags (by their standards, at least) back to riches story, and this is embedded in two of their palaces turned into museums in Vienna.
Who is the Liechtenstein princely family? One of the smallest and richest principalities in the world, Liechtenstein is only about 160 sq km, with an estimated population of 37,000.
The nation came about in the 19th century, when the Liechtenstein dynasty (first recorded in the 12th century) purchased land in Vaduz so they could be recognised as a sovereign entity.
The family never did occupy Vaduz, which came with a draughty 13th-century castle, for over 120 years. They were always in the thick of imperial action in Vienna - being advisors to the royal family there - until 1938, when anti-Jewish sentiments were stirred up by the Nazis.
That's when the family moved to their castle in Vaduz, and also most of their family treasures - notably their extensive art collection started in the 16th century.
Click here to see the gallery.
The Vaduz castle - where the princely family now resides - is truly like a mediaeval fortress that sits on one of hills of the Swiss Alps.
It had come with the land when the family bought it in the 1600s, but they didn't move in until 1938.
Unfortunately, about 90 per cent of their estates and holdings were in Moravia and Bohemia, which were later expropriated by Czechoslovakia and Poland.
After the war, during which Liechtenstein stayed neutral, the family had to rebuild its fortunes.
Apparently, in dire financial straits, they had even thought of selling their art collection, but thankfully, only a few masterpieces were sold. One was the portrait Ginevra de' Benci by Leonardo da Vinci, which was purchased by the National Gallery of Art in the United States in 1967.
The two palaces that the Liechtenstein princely family owned in Vienna had fallen into disrepair after the war. The family also had to rebuild its fortunes, and they did it through private banking and wealth management.
It wasn't until the 1970s, that the present Prince Hans Adam II began to restore the family's art collection.
And it wasn't until the 2000s that he witnessed the full restoration of the dynasty's two palaces - the Garden Palace and City Palace - which form the Palais Liechtenstein, and now operate as event spaces and museums which the public has to pre-book to visit.
The full impact of this riches-to-rags-to-riches story doesn't really sink in until one visits the City Palace, which also houses the office of the LGT Group, the wealth and asset management group of the princely House of Liechtenstein.
LGT, originally known as The Liechtenstein Global Trust, is the largest family-owned private wealth and asset manager in Europe, wholly owned by the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.
"This cabinet is still being restored," gestures Prof Johann Kraftner, to explain why an immense cabinet, dusty and broken, is sitting in the middle of the hall.
Dr Kraftner, who is the director of the family's art collection and curator for its museums, leads you through the museum, explaining not only about the art objects but also the restoration process of the building.
The family's princely treasures are mainly in the Garden and City palaces, with a small collection at their Vaduz Castle. The remainder is kept in a state-of-the-art facility below ground at the City Palace.
The family spent about 100 million euros (S$162 million) to restore the palace to its gleaming rococo glory and also on its storage.
"We just spent four years restoring the City Palace, and there were boxes and boxes of stuff in the basement that we had to piece together," explains Dr Kraftner.
Click here to see the gallery.
That included using 1.5kg of gold to gild all the walls and ceilings of the baroque building, which is about 50,000 gold leaf sheets. It took at least 52,000 man hours just to do that.
While the palaces themselves are impressive, the art collection would be the draw for art lovers. The current Prince started his acquisition programme in the 1970s, and the family has added some 700 art objects in the last 30 years, but especially the last 10 years.
One noteworthy acquisition is the 2004 purchase of a celebrated masterpiece of baroque furniture, the 20 million euro pietra dura Badminton Cabinet, setting a world record for a piece of furniture.
Front and centre of the display at the City Palace is A Girl in a Yellow Straw Hat by Friedrich yon Amerling, an icon of Biedermeier art. It was bought at auction at the Dorotheum in Vienna in the autumn of 2008.
The Liechtenstein Museum paid 1.5 million euros for it, against an estimate of 250,000-350,000 euros.
"We want only the best, and now that the Louvre is taking a greater interest in the 19th century, everything is getting more expensive," says Dr Kraftner.
The foundation is estimated to own some five million items, ranging from paintings, sculpture, furniture and coins to the princely library. If there is a Cinderella version for royalty, then this is it.
The Palais Liechtenstein Garden and City Palaces now run on a private museum model. While it's open to the public, viewers have to pre-book their guided tours. The palaces can also be rented for event spaces like weddings and dinners.
The Liechtenstein Garden Palace
Deeply rooted in Vienna's history for over 300 years, the Garden Palace was restored and opened to the public in 2004. Architecture and art are fused in its white rococo ceilings, painted frescos, and also an amazing collection of art and furniture.
The palace was commissioned around 1700 by Prince Johann Adam Andreas 1 von Liechtenstein (1657-1712), who hired an Austrian architect with a leaning towards Italian style. The building went on to influence the style of Viennese Baroque architecture. The private art collection here contains masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the High Baroque era.
Of note is the stucco decoration throughout the palace, one of the finest decorative schemes of the High Baroque in Vienna to have been preserved without any late 19th-century Historicist additions. The adaptation of the building and revitalisation of the gardens totalled around 25 million euro.
The Liechtenstein City Palace
During the 18th century, most of the paintings of the Liechtenstein family were hung in the galleries on the second floor of the City Palace on Bankgasse. The City Palace was rented out in the 1950s, and was used as ministerial offices. Dr Kraftner recalls how, during the renovation, they didn't know what could be recovered and re-used.
There are still boxes of stuff they have to assemble together, of broken chandeliers, sculpture and china, like a jigsaw puzzle. The highlight of the art here is the Beidermeier collection.
BT, Reuters
