Architect
14 November 1668, Genoa, Italy - 16 November 1745, Vienna
The architect who gave Mirabell Palace the form visitors see today. After a fire destroyed the earlier structure, Hildebrandt redesigned it in 1721 in the full baroque manner. A contemporary rival of Fischer von Erlach, Hildebrandt brought an Italian elegance to his work (he was born in Genoa, son of an army officer) that complemented the more monumental approach of his competitor.
He is best known in Vienna for the Belvedere Palace, but in Salzburg his legacy is Mirabell: the palace, the gardens, the grand staircase. Every visitor who photographs the view from the Mirabell Gardens toward Hohensalzburg Fortress is looking through the architectural frame Hildebrandt created.
Locations
Built 1606
Built in 1606 by Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau as "Altenau," a palace for his mistress Salome Alt. Renamed "Mirabell" by Markus Sittikus. The current baroque building is largely the work of Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (1721). Today it serves as Salzburg's city hall. The Marble Hall is one of the finest baroque rooms in Austria.
