belvedere palace of the habsburg monarchs in vienna opened with a collection of art in
Belvedere, Vienna
In 1776 Maria Theresa and her son , Emperor Joseph II decided to transfer the k.u.k. Gemäldegalerie ( `` Imperial Picture Gallery '' ) from the Imperial Stables -- a part of the city 's Hofburg Imperial Palace -- to the Upper Belvedere . Inspired by the idea of enlightened absolutism , the intention was to make the imperial collection accessible to the general public . The gallery opened five years later , making it one of the first public museums in the world . A series of eminent painters served as directors in charge of the imperial collection in the Upper Belvedere up to 1891 when it was transferred to the newly built Kunsthistorisches Museum ( Museum of Fine Arts ) on Vienna 's splendid Ringstrasse . 
In 1776 Maria Theresa and her son , Emperor Joseph II decided to transfer the k.u.k. Gemäldegalerie ( `` Imperial Picture Gallery '' ) from the Imperial Stables -- a part of the city 's Hofburg Imperial Palace -- to the Upper Belvedere . Inspired by the idea of enlightened absolutism , the intention was to make the imperial collection accessible to the general public . The gallery opened five years later , making it one of the first public museums in the world . A series of eminent painters served as directors in charge of the imperial collection in the Upper Belvedere up to 1891 when it was transferred to the newly built Kunsthistorisches Museum ( Museum of Fine Arts ) on Vienna 's splendid Ringstrasse .
In 1776 Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II decided to transfer the k.u.k. Imperial Picture Gallery from the Imperial Stables to the Upper Belvedere. The gallery opened five years later, making it one of the first public museums in the world.
In 1776 Maria Theresa and her son , Emperor Joseph II decided to transfer the k.u.k. Gemäldegalerie ( `` Imperial Picture Gallery '' ) from the Imperial Stables -- a part of the city 's Hofburg Imperial Palace -- to the Upper Belvedere . The gallery opened five years later , making it one of the first public museums in the world .