A beautiful building which positively influenced me is das Schloss Schönnbrunn, or the Schönbrunn Palace, which is located in Vienna, Austria. I had the pleasure of touring the palace a couple years ago. The massive palace and surrounding complex served as a summer home for the Habsburgs from the 17th century and on until the early 20th century. Despite not knowing too much about the Habsburgs, touring the complex gave me a feel for the level of power and wealth they possessed. I suppose it’s a little tricky to say what the building meant to me, other than it demonstrated to me the level of luxury and opulence enjoyed by the royal class in Europe in centuries past. The grand display of wealth that is the palace, I believe, likely served as a reminder to everyone living under Habsburg rule who ruled the empire. The palace itself is massive, containing upwards of 1400 rooms, many constructed of the finest building materials, many aspects likely gilded in gold. I can only imagine the level of wealth needed to construct and maintain such a building. My favorite part of Schönbrunn was actually the massive ornamental gardens surrounding the palace, which are separated into gardens of differing color schemes. The palace, gardens, hedge maze and parks surrounding the complex make for a great day of exploring. I certainly enjoyed my time touring the palace, and would definitely recommend visiting here to anyone looking for something to do in Vienna.