Originally a hunting lodge, Schönbrunn became Maria Theresa's sumptuous summer residence with aspirations to rival Versailles. The Empress commissioned Nikolaus Pacassi to finish it in a near- Classical Baroque style, inspired by French taste. The tour includes several dozen rooms including the Great Gallery, still used for balls and concerts. The reception rooms and apartments still retain their original decoration, and contain many mementoes of their former occupants.