Palais Porcia

Built in 1546 on Herrengasse in the 1st district, the Palais Porcia is considered one of the oldest and most significant examples of Viennese Renaissance architecture. Of particular note is the six-axis street façade, spanning three storeys and designed in the style of late Italian Renaissance palace architecture. The façade is crowned by a fully sculpted, gilded double-headed eagle bearing a crown and the coat of arms of the Austrian lands.

The first version was commissioned by the confidant of the Spanish nobleman Gabriel Count von Salamanca-Ortenburg, who served as General Treasurer under Emperor Ferdinand I. It was regularly expanded and renovated over the course of various ownership changes until the 17th century. This was particularly the case under Prince Johann Karl Porcia, the palace’s namesake and head of a noble family from Friuli.

Since the mid-18th century, the palace has served as an administrative and court building, and it is currently used by the Federal Chancellery. For around 100 years, it has also housed the federal government’s ‚Administrative Library‘.