In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased the land now occupied by Schönbrunn Palace and stocked it with large game, exotic birds and fish. The property remained a private hunting preserve for over a century. In 1695, Jean Trehet was hired to design a magnificent garden. He was inspired by two 17th century landscape designers for French monarchs: Claude Mollet (the originator of parterre gardens) and André Le Nôtre (created Palace of Versailles gardens). In 1740, Maria Theresa commissioned architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg to significantly expand the gardens. Although other features have been added since then, the central garden has not changed much since 1780. In fact, many of the 18th century techniques for maintaining the garden are still used today.
