HOFBURG, Josefsplatz And Augustinian Church

Josefsplatz, the square dedicated to the Emperor Joseph, is one of the most beautiful in Vienna, because of the noble 18th-century architecture and refined elegance of all the buildings around it. The imposing buildings of the Hofburg compare here with some historic palaces of the aristocracy, forming an architecturally harmonious whole.

The most important building here is the National Library, with priceless illuminated and printed volumes displayed in rotation in the showcases of the Hall of Honor, one of the most thrilling rooms in the city. Conceived by the architects Fischer von Erlach, a father and son, it is a spectacular masterpiece of Viennese Baroque. Nearly 80 meters long, its shelves contain some 200,000 books, while Daniel Gran's scenic fresco depicting the glory of Emperor Charles VI, the library's patron, stretches across the ceiling.

The left side of Josefsplatz incorporates the former Augustinian Church, built in the 14th century and integrated into the Hofburg, which made it a favorite church for imperial ceremonies and weddings. Inside the church, in the chapel of St. Loreto, there is a crypt containing urns with the hearts of 54 members of the Habsburg family. This is why it is called the Crypt of Hearts. The bodies of the Habsburgs are buried in the Imperial Crypt under the Capuchin Church....