The document highlights some of Europe's most stunning palaces suitable for hosting events, including Belvedere Palace in Vienna and the Royal Palace in Madrid. It details the history and architectural significance of each location, such as the neoclassical Alhambra and the elaborate Château de Versailles. The text serves as an invitation for readers to consider these magnificent venues for future events.

1. EUROPE’S BEST PALACES:
WHY NOT HOST YOUR NEXT EVENT IN
ONE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL VENUES?

2. The Belvedere Palace
Vienna
The Belvedere palace was built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas
von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). One of Europe’s
most stunning Baroque landmarks, this ensemble – comprising the Upper and Lower Belvedere and an
extensive garden – is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

3. The Royal Palace
Madrid
The Royal Palace (Palacio Real in Spanish) is not the official residence of his Majesty the King of Spain, but
rather where state ceremonies, official banquets and other state functions take place. The King lives in
Zarzuela Palace, which is just outside of Madrid.

4. STHE ROYAL PALACE (PALACIO REAL IN SPANISH) IS NOTTHE
OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF HIS MAJESTYTHE KING OF SPAIN, BUT
National Palace of Pena
Sintra
Located in the Sintra hills, the Park and Palace of Pena are the fruit of King Ferdinand II’s creative genius and
the greatest expression of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal, denoting clear influences from the Manueline
and Moorish styles of architecture.

5. The Nymphenburg Palace
Munich
Nymphenburg Palace owes its foundation as a summer residence to the birth of the long-awaited heir to the
throne, Max Emanuel, who was born in 1662 to the Bavarian Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette
Adelaide of Savoy, after some ten years of marriage. A site on the edge of the court lands, to the west of the
city and the Residenz, was chosen for the new building – a location which, at that time, was still some way out
of Munich surrounded by open countryside.

6. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez
Madrid
The palace is in the style of Herrera. Special mention should be made of the façade, adorned by statues of the
three kings who played a part in its construction. Particularly worth noting for their beauty and master
craftsmanship are the Rococo staircase and balustrade by Bonavía; and the Porcelain Room, whose walls are
lined with porcelain.

7. Buda Castle
Budapest
If you expected to see a royal palace luxury room exhibition in the Buda Castle, you may be disappointed to
learn that due to the lootings at the end of the WW2 (plundered by the Nazi troops, then by the Russian
troops), the building and its beautiful interior has been ripped and stripped to the naked walls, however it is
this rich history that makes Buda Castle such an interesting site to visit.

8. Neuschwanstein Castle
Schwangau
Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy
king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public life. Today Neuschwanstein is one of the most
popular of all the palaces and castles in Europe. Every year 1.4 million people visit "the castle of the fairy-tale
king". In the summer around 6,000 visitors a day stream through rooms that were intended for a single
inhabitant.

9. The Papal Palace
Avignon
The Palace of the Popes stands as the mighty symbol of the church’s influence throughout the western
Christian world in the 14th century. Construction was started in 1335 and completed in less than twenty years
under the leadership of two popes, Benedict XII and his successor Clement VI. The Popes’ Palace is the
biggest Gothic palace in all of Europe and a must see.

10. The Alhambra Palace
Granada
The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, (al-Hamra means Red Castle). It is located
on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front
of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba. The Alhambra boasts stunning views over the
whole city and surrounding meadows making it perfect for site seeing.

11. The Château de Chenonceau
Chenonceau
`
Property of the Crown, then a royal residence, the Château de Chenonceau is an exceptional site with an
intriguing history. The Château de Chenonceau possesses an exceptional museum collection of paintings by
great masters: Murillo, Tintoretto, Nicolas Poussin, Correggio, Rubens, Primaticcio, Van Loo and a rare
selection of Flanders Tapestries of the XVI century.
a

12. Sanssouci Palace
Potsdam
`
The most visited attraction in Potsdam is the Palace Sanssouci. The architect Georg W. von Knobelsdorff
planned the building which was erected between 1745 and 1747.The Rococo-style Hohenzollern palace is
located within the Park Sanssouci. Frederick’s desire to be buried in the Palace Sanssouci was finally honored
in 1991, on the 205th anniversary of his death.

13. Versailles Palace
Paris
`
The Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most
beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son
Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682.
Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it
more beautiful.

14. Royal Palace of Caserta
Caserta
`
The Royal Palace of Caserta and its park, inserted as one of the 50 Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997, are
treasures of truly incomparable splendour. Commissioned by Charles III of Bourbon in the 1700s, Luigi Vanvitelli
planned this palace, a triumph of the Italian Baroque and one of the most famous and important works by the
Neapolitan architect. Everyday visitors are left enchanted by the beauty of its interiors and by the magnificence of its
exterior.

15. The Royal Palace
Amsterdam
`
The Royal Palace Amsterdam is one of three Palaces used by the Dutch Monarch, notably for State Visits, Award
Ceremonies, New Years Receptions and other official functions. The building plays a role in royal marriages and in
the abdication and investiture of the Monarch. When the Palace is not in use by the Royal House, the Amsterdam
Royal Palace Foundation opens the building to the public.

16. Schönbrunn Palace
Vienna
`
At the end of the 17th century Emperor Leopold I commissioned the gifted Baroque architect Bernhard Fischer von
Erlach to build a palatial hunting lodge for the heir to the throne. On the site of the old imperial château de plaisance
a splendid edifice was to arise. Half a century later under Maria Theresa Schönbrunn Palace was to become the
magnificent focus of court life. From that time onwards it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe. Although
Austria is now a republic, Schönbrunn has remained a place of political encounter at the highest level.

17. Interested in visiting one of
these palaces for an upcoming
incentive trip or event?
Contact: enquiries@emc3.eu