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"In addition to a project by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt from 1725 are for the St. Michael's Wing of the Hofburg to three plans that Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach can be assigned. The best way to the Project II dated towards the end of 1725 it was made ??and with this, Fischer was able to prevail against the draft Hildebrandt. The project III is from 1726, but came (with slight modifications) until 1890 for execution.
However, there is still a project I which, although of the following two substantially different, but Equivalencies secured by Signature Joseph Emanuel's plans at Palais Dietrichsteinplatz and in the planning of Klosterneuburg has (1730). To provide his father Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach , it may well in time and architecturally not be expected and also Hildebrandt does not come from similar considerations in question. It is a pure ideal design, an imposing taste of the young fisherman, with whom he wanted to draw attention to itself and therefore does not address the local situation: two wings around a deeply penetrating place that is rear end with a grand corps de logis. This design can be dated approximately to 1722.
The Project II , the dimensions are already significantly reduced to a semi-circular space merge the wings and the semicircular tract or can be discerned five buildings were highlighted so clearly the edges of the half circle to the wings. It was written towards the end of 1725.
In Project III , which ultimately comes to be executed, passes through a basic idea of the facade: Harmonious and yet moved, but not chopped follows the building line the square and no part of the facade appears devalued. The original plan is no longer maintained. The plans must be carried out in 1726, resulting from details contained in the then construction and subscription in the plan Reich Chancellery. However, this design is only in the years 1889 to 1893 as part of the ring road obstruction of Ferdinand Kirschner realized easily modified.
The Michaelertrakt had up to 16 m depth sound be. The old houses, as well as the former Imperial Palace Theater - which had to be removed - were on old cultivated soil and had up to three basement floors. While the figures mainly from Zogelsdorfer stone exist, is the building stone of Kaisersteinbruch . Kaiserstein was for the entire base (from 20 cm thick plates) and balcony slabs used in the imperial passage to St. Michael's Place, because no other quarry was able to produce large workpieces. Also the pillars of the new grand staircase and the stages of the treasury stairs (Gottfried von Einem stairs) were all made ??of hard, white imperial stone.
The four Hercules groups , each of them carved from a 25 ton block, are from John's break in Zogelsdorf at Eggen castle in Lower Austria . The figures of the two wells "Austria's power at sea" and "Austria's forces on land" are from Laas marble (Italy), the rocks of Linda Brunner conglomerate . The fountain bowls are made ??of red granite from Uddevalla in Sweden .
In the rotunda under the dome are symbolic figures, which - protected under umbrella - mainly of less resistant limestone of Loretto . consist
The Royal Library in Berlin is based on the plans of the St. Michael's tract. It was built as a copy of the draft Hofburg 1775-1780, ie 100 years before the original. Baumeister was the Prussian architect Georg Christian Unger , was commissioned by Frederick the Great."