The Allies in the Neue Burg

On 6 April 1945 the Hofburg started taking artillery fire, but was spared full-scale destruction. It was only the corner of the terrace and the grand entrance of the Neue Burg that received direct hits. The bombardment also caused roof and glass damage on the Hofburg complex. Minor shrapnel damage to the façade can still be seen today, testimony to the last days of the war and the battle for the city. After Vienna’s liberation by Soviet troops in 1945, the Inter-Allied Commission for the first District of Vienna moved into the second floor and the Officers’ House was set up in the area of today’s Congress Centre. The Red Army’s recreational facility for senior officers and their families put on a busy cultural programme. There were also evenings of theatre, music and dance in the pleasure park opened in the Burggarten in 1946. Originally planned only for the use of Red Army soldiers, activities in the park were soon made accessible for the general public. Like the other Allies, the Soviet Union used its cultural activities to try to communicate with the Austrian people. Some events, such as open-air film evenings showing Soviet films, were also open to the local population. In 1953 the Allies started using the architecture of the Neue Burg as a backdrop for a ceremonial changing of the guard, which was intended to demonstrate the jointly administered command of the central Vienna zone.