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Child's Play

Playing dress-up in Vienna

August 8th, 2007 issue

Prices and times

Palace: One-day Classic Family Pass (two adults, three kids) includes palace, bakery, maze and gardens for 35 euros ($48/983 Kč). Open 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. during August
Schönbrunn experience: Family pass (two adults, three kids) for 17 euros. Open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily until Sept. 9, Saturdays and Sundays only Sept. 10–June 29
Zoo: Adults 12 euros, children 4–5 euros, open 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Helpful web sites:
www.schoenbrunn.at, www.zoovienna.at, www.marionettentheater.at

By Lesley Simmons

For the Post 

Thinking about a weekend trip with the kids? Think Vienna. It’s home to one of the most child-friendly palaces in Europe — the Schönbrunn, where ordinary kids become imperials, if only for a day or two.

Not only does the Schönbrunn ooze opulence, thanks to Empress Maria Theresa’s extreme renovation in the mid-1700s, but one whole wing is a children’s museum. The “Schönbrunn Experience” enables kids to learn about the life of young imperials through hands-on activities.
First stop is the dress-up room, where the young (and not-so-young) can outfit themselves in royal finery and pose for family photos. Bob McCutcheon, an American living in Prague, visited the palace with his sons, Brett and Ryan, ages 4 and 8. “My sons liked this room so much, we stopped there both on the way in and the way out,” he says.
From there you can move on to 12 themed rooms focusing on different aspects of royal life: hairstyles, fashion, toys, education and more. Kids can play with toys similar to those owned by Empress Maria Theresa’s 16 children, brush and style wigs, set a table fit for an emperor and learn about life as a young imperial.
Most kids are astounded to find out that young royals bathed just once a week, and shudder to think that the boys studied such long hours that they were only allowed to play on Sunday afternoons.
Eventually, adult family members will want to move beyond the museum to tour the rest of the palace. Its glittering grandeur and massive rooms will fascinate most kids, at least for a little while, but to prevent complaints of boredom halfway through your tour, you can turn this adult portion of the visit into a treasure hunt. Just print out the children’s section of the Schönbrunn Web site and highlight items to hunt for, such as the table that drops to the room below, portraits of Maria Theresa’s children (including Marie Antoinette) and combs for the floor-length hair of Empress Sisi, who was said to be one of the world’s great beauties.
Brett and Ryan suggest looking for the palace’s tiny toilets. “Amazing!” they both agree.  
After touring the palace, head outside to the manicured gardens, where the kids can burn off their pent-up energy. A favorite spot is the maze of tall hedges that leads to a center podium, where you can shout directions to family members still trying to find their way. Nearby are a children’s playground and a labyrinth filled with games.
Also on the palace grounds are a bakehouse, a marionette theater and the world’s oldest zoo. In the bakehouse, you can watch a baker prepare apple strudel by tossing 2-meter-wide circles of dough into the air.  Stay around to sample the finished product.  
Don’t miss at least a peek inside the marionette theater. Although performances are in German, some of the stories are well known, such as Aladdin. Even if you don’t attend a performance, you’ll want to  see the display of intricate marionettes, some as large as a 5-year old.
The zoo, which dates back to 1752, has 750 species of animals, including koalas and two giant pandas. Another highlight is the Rainforest House, which re-creates an Amazon jungle. You can rest and have lunch at the central pavilion where Maria Theresa’s family once sat to view their personal menagerie.  
To see everything, you may want to break your visit into two days. But be forewarned: After returning to their now very ordinary-looking homes, imaginary emperors and empresses have been known to correct their parents for improper table settings or demand to be waited on by servants.
Lesley Simmons can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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