Eleonora Gonzaga was the second wife of Emperor Ferdinand II. After his death, she became the owner of the estate. Eleonora spent a lot of time there recreationally, but she also loved hunting.
She built a palace at the estate, which was already officially called Schönbrunn (the name Schönbrunn first appeared on an invoice dated 24th January 1642, for the delivery of wood). The palace building suffered severely during the second Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683. The entire complex was destroyed-the castle, along with its annexes and gardens, was unusable.
