The Mount Holly news., 1917-01-02
THE HISTORIC ScHoENBRUNN
Austris's Royal Palace the Scene of
Many Dramatic Events.

Austris's Royal Palace the Scene o,
Many Dramatic Events.
Less than three miles southwest of
the Ringstrasse, which surrounds the
inner city Of Vienna, is the impressive
pile of masonry known as SchOenbrunn,
where some of the most dramatic epi-
sodes In the history of Austria have
been staged and where Emperor Fran
els Joseph's death brought to a close a
phenomenal reign of sixty-elght years.
A National Geographic society bulletin
gives the following description of the
royal summer residence and some of
the episodes which have had a regal
setting there:
with its more than 1,4OO rooms
Schoenbrunn is a splendid example of
imperial residence modelled on the
standard Of the great palace at Yer
sa1lles. One of the striking peculiari-
ties Of this home of Austria's royal
FAMILY, however, is that instead of
crowning an emlnence it is built ON low
ground, while the magnificent park of
nearly 500 acres occupies the high
ground, rising gradually from the pal
ace doors until it terminates on a hill
adorned with a beautiful colonnade
called the Gloriette.
Three important events Of the Ma
poleonic era were staged in the i'm
perial apartments of Schoenbrunn. The
hrst was the treaty of 1905, signed here
Dy Napoleon and Haugwitz, the latter
acting for the king Of Prussia. Bv this
document Napoleon inflicted humiliat-
Ing diplomatic defeat on the Prussian
statesman, who agreed to surrender
Cleves, Ansbach and Neuchatel to
France in exchange for Hanover.
whereas he had come to see the en-
peror for the express purpose Of deliv-
ering an ultimatum demanding the
return of Hanover. In the same year
Dec. 20 Napoleon issued the procIa-
nation of Schoenbrunn, In which the
Bourbon dynasty In Naples was declar-
ed at an end.
-Four years after Haugwitz's humiu-
a1on a second treaty of Schoenbrunn
was signed. the principals this time
Delng Napoleon and Francis l.. the
austrian emperor, who less than a year
later was to become the father-in-law
OF the 'upstart Corsican.'
ION this occasion the emneror oF tho
French again drove a hard bargain.
but this time his antagonist had no
alternative, for the Austrian army had
just sustained the crushing defeat at
Wagram. The vanquished nation was
forced to give up Salzburg, a portion
of upper Austria and extensive terri
tory In Carinthia, Carniola, Croatia and
along the Adriatic seaboard. In addi- |
ton, Francis was compelled to relin- |
quish that share of the booty which |
had fallen to Austria in the third dis |
of Poland Q795).
"One Of the most pathetic scenes ever
Witnessed within the walls of this |
palace erected by Maria Theresa was
the hnal hour in the life Of the un- i
uappy Due de Reichstadt, son of Ma
poieon and the Austrian archduchess
aaarle Louise. The 'Eaglet,' as he was
:aileu' was just twenty-one when he
ned OF tuberculosis in room once
occupied by his illustrious father on
one OF the occasions when he held
schoenbrunn as his military headquar-
.ers. perhaps too highly colored snd
warped but superbly an
)ealmg picture of this deathbed has
been given to the world by the distin.
pushed poet-playwright of France.