Kronprinzengarten

Look at these perfectly ordered flower beds and the citrus trees in their tubs. This is the Kronprinzengarten, one of the oldest parts of Schönbrunn's gardens, directly behind the palace's east facade. It was laid out around 1750 by Louis Gervais, a designer from Lorraine.

For a century it was simply part of the palace gardens. Then around 1870, everything changed. Emperor Franz Joseph set up apartments on the ground floor for his only son, Crown Prince Rudolf. The garden became Rudolf's private retreat, sheltered from the wind by the palace walls. Perfect for the imperial family's prized citrus collection.

Here is something odd. The garden sits on top of cellars that date from 1700, half a century older than the garden itself. Nobody quite knows what those cellars were originally for.

Rudolf lived just 30 years. In 1889, he and his 17 year old mistress Mary Vetsera died together at his hunting lodge in Mayerling. The scandal shook Europe. Franz Joseph turned the lodge into a convent and tried to bury the story. The garden stayed private until 1918, when the empire collapsed. Now anyone can stand where Rudolf once walked.