Schloss Hof (source: Courtesy of Schloss Hof)
LAST YEAR’S completion of the Freedom Bridge, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge that crosses the Morava River and connects Devínska Nová Ves in Slovakia with Schloss Hof in Austria, has made the latter’s baroque palace complex more accessible to visitors from Slovakia.
This year Schloss Hof is celebrating the 350th anniversary of the birth of its former owner, Prince Eugene of Savoy. He purchased Schloss Hof in 1725 and turned it into a prestigious palace complex. To mark the occasion, Schloss Hof is hosting the ‘Triumph & Passion’ exhibition, and has prepared a wide range of festive events.
As Schloss Hof writes on its website, Prince Eugene was hailed as a conqueror of the Ottomans, a commander, a collector and patron of the arts and a garden lover. While considered to have been a solitary person, he became one of the most popular figures in Austrian history. The exhibition explores valuable items from his time in the Ottoman wars, as well as his impressive art collection and colourful menagerie. Its aim is to explore Prince Eugene’s complex profile by drawing a link between his passions and unparalleled successes, and the factors that determine success, renown and social acceptance today.
