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 The Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria. For more than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs was ruled from the Imperial Palace, inhabited by the imperial family until 1918. It was originally a castle built in the thirteenth century, then extended to a splendid residence to reflect the increasing power of the Habsburgs and the expansion of their realm. Today, the Imperial Palace houses the office of the President of Austria, an important congress center, the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (National Library), the Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury), a collection of musical instruments, a collection of weapons, a Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnography) and the well-known Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School), plus the Art-deco glass Butterfly House (Schmetterlinghaus). |
