Hofburg, Vienna, Austria

The huge Hofburg (Court Palace) is the most important secular building in Vienna, once the center of the powerful Habsburg Empire. The old Hofburg, with its many different sections and courtyards, was built (and renovated many times) between the 13th and the early 19th Centuries. The Neue Burg (New Palace) was developed in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, despite the dwindling power of the Habsburg Empire. Today, the Hofburg is home to various museums (Völkerkundemuseum, Schatzkammer, Nationalbibliothek, Albertina, Theater museum, Prunksaal, Lippizanermuseum, Spanische Hofreitschule and Kaiserappartments) and the library, as well as the offices of the Austrian President. At the Chapel, choir of the Vienna State Opera performs mass. The Imperial Treasury houses the Emperor's Crown of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Emperor's Crown. The furniture and the other collections truly spell class and luxury. In January, the glamorous Wiener Ärzteball takes place here.