1. The Palaces of Absolute Rulers

2. El Escorial: The Palace of Philip II of Spain

7. Palace and monastery El Escorial:Cenotaph for Philipp (Felipe) II in the Royal Pantheon.Behind the kneeling King his three queens, Maria of Portugal, Mary the Catholic and Isabella Valois.

9. Courtois, Jaques, A battle between Christians and Muslims. Oil on canvas

10. The Monastery

11. The Royal Pantheon of Kings is the burial place of the Spanish Kings from Charles the V (Or Charles I of Spain) until today. In the original plan Felipe had meant to build El Escorial partly as a mausoleum for his father but it ended up as the burial site of all the monarchs, and their fathers and mothers, who didn't become King or Queen.

12. Library- The Library in el Escorial is one of the most important ones in the world. Consisting of around 45,000 volumes from the 15 th and 16 th century in which many were the private collection of the King, and over 5,000 manuscripts in Spanish, Latin and Arabic. The walls and ceilings are decorated with frescos by Tibaldi, and are related to the sciences and learning.

13. Schönbrunn : The Palace of Maria Theresa and the Austrian Hapsburgs

14. Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn From the 18th century to 1918, Schönbrunn was the residence of the Habsburg emperors. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and it is full of outstanding examples of decorative art. Together with its gardens, the site of the world’s first zoo in 1752, it is a remarkable Baroque ensemble and a perfect example of Gesamtkunstwerk

15. Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn The palace is located in the middle of Vienna. It is well known for its beautiful gardens, which are used as a place of relaxation by Viennese people. Even the former emperor went for walks in the gardens.

16. Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn The “Gloriette” once was used for dinners and for feasts as well as for breakfasts. It was Emperor Franz Joseph I. who had his breakfasts there. The usage as a dining hall ended with the fall of the monarchy. Today there is a café and on the roof there is a observation platform.

17. The zoo, as we know it today, celebrates its 250th birthday this year. The construction of the zoo started in 1452. Statistics show that there are about 1.7 million people coming to the zoo per year. It is well-known for its protection of endangered animals and the creation of new living environments for them. Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

18. Schönbrunn Palace

21. Sans Souci: Palace of Frederick the Great of Prussia

22. Background Information Was the summer palace of Frederick the Great Name translates to “Without Worry,” meaning it was a place of relaxation Contains terraced gardens as well as many smaller buildings used for servants and parties Is now a park for tourists

23. Historical Windmill with the balcony open to tourists

24. Gilded figure on the outside of the House

25. Outside of the Chinese House

26. View from the top of the Gardens

27. The Orangerie lit up at night

28. The main palace building

29. “Without Worry”

30. View with the first terrace of the Gardens

31. Gilded sun porches—only the best for Frederick the Great

32. St. Petersburg & Peterhof: The capital and palace of Peter the Great of Russia

33. History and features of St.Petersburg  Established on May 27, 1703 by Peter I (Peter the Great) as a “Window to Europe”  “Northern Venice” – about 100 islands and 200 bridges  1712 – 1918 – the Capital of Russia  1917 - October Revolution  1924 – 1991 – Leningrad  1941 – 1943 – Blockade of Leningrad  “Cultural capital of Russia”  About 5 million people  More than 50 universities

34. ST. PETERSBURG!

35. St. Petersburg: The “Venice of the North”

36. Canals of St.Petersburg

37. The Winter Canal

38. Peter and Paul Fortress (1703-1704)

39. Tomb of Peter the Great

40. Hermitage / Winter Palace … home of the tsars from Catherine the Great (1762) onward

41. Peterhof … Peter the Great’s summer palace

42. Fountains at Peterhof

43. Crowds at Peterhof to watch the fountain show

44. The Throne Room inside Peterhof

45. Peterhof

46. Peterhof – Upper Garden

47. Peterhof - Interior

48. Peterhof--Interior