Laxenburg Palace

(Local Name: Blauer Hof) Opposite the Laxenburg Parish Church lies Schloss Laxenburg (also known as Blauer Hof after its first owner, the riding master Sebastian Bloe) The Imperial summer palace was built in 1752, with extensive outbuildings, including the "Grünes Haus" (Green House), a richly decorated pavilion. At the time of the Empress Maria Theresa and the Congress of Vienna the palace was a busy focus of court life. This was where the Empress, affectionately called Sissi, gave birth to her son, Crown Prince Rudolph, and in 1917 the last Austrian Emperor, Charles, received his brother-in-law Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma here to discuss possible peace terms. Today the palace is the headquarters of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analyses (IIASA). Every year concerts and theatrical productions are held in the old theater.