About Vienna: Museums
Museums
Museumsquartier (The Museum District) is the new cultural district of Vienna since 2001. Though a lot
of museums and cultural institutions are situated there, it is not only
a place for art. It is also an urban living space and people go there to
spend some time, sitting in one of the cafés or perhaps playing boccia.
The Leopold Museum and the MUMOK are situated there. If you are interested in visiting a couple
of these museums, combination tickets available at the MQ entrance will
be cheaper than buying them individually at museum entrances. Note that
MUMOK and Leopold has a strict policy of not allowing big bags inside
the museum. Within MQ you can
use the free wireless LAN
- Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) €10 (students €7.50 / map €0.50) – Picture Gallery daily
except Monday 10AM–6PM, Thursday 10AM–9PM, U2, U3: Volkstheater;
tram D, 1, 2, 46, 49 bus 2A, 57A: Burgring Maria-Theresien-Platz
(entrance), phone 525 24 0. One of the world's greatest art museums
and in a palace that's a work of art itself. Like the Louvre,
serious art fans may wish to devote more than a day to its
treasures. The mother of all Austrian museums – there is no other
word to describe the "Kunst" other than mind boggling. It
contains a world-class exhibit of the Habsburgs' art collection,
including Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Bosch, and Brueghel. Its, at
the very least, a full day’s worth of sightseeing, if you intend to
go through it thoroughly and attempt to ponder the importance of
each major work. The better approach here is to break up sections of
the museum and visit them over a series of days, or if that’s not an
option, pick one section and concentrate on it alone. Beginning with
another section of the museum, it’s possible to have a lunch or
light dinner in the café and then continue through the Picture
Gallery until closing time (especially on Thursdays, because the
Picture Gallery is open until 9PM). The Museum has an excellent
collection of ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art. The coin &
medals collection is also exhaustive in its scope. The Museum cafe
is a bit pricey, but good, and in a beautiful setting. Like the
Louvre, hand-held photography is permitted to help store and recall
the numerous mind-boggling beautiful works of art at the Kunst.
- Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury) €7 (as a combined ticket with the Museum of Fine Arts) –
Located in the Neue Hofburg, the Schatzkammer (also known as the
Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasures) is the best part of the
Hofburg and an absolute must on any tour of Vienna. It contains the
Habsburgs' collection of jewels, crowns, and other valuables —
perhaps the best on the Continent. Second only to a tour of the
Kunsthistorisches Museum itself, of which the Schatzkammer is
officially a part, there are 20 rooms of priceless treasures that
give a fairly accurate feel for Habsburg court life over the
centuries.
- The New Palace (Neue Hofburg) – The New Palace is the
newest and largest section of the Imperial Palace. It contains the
Ethnological Museum and three branches of the Museum of Fine Arts.
The Ephesus Museum contains classical art from Asia Minor. The
Collection of Historical Musical Instruments is self-explanatory,
but the jewel of the New Palace is the Collection of Arms. This
collection, second largest in the world, houses an immense and
exhaustive representation of weaponry from past centuries.
- Albertina (State Apartments) €9.50 – Once a palace, it is now the most popular
exhibition space in Vienna, mainly for traditional modern art. The
building itself is an experience as well. It is home to a valuable
drawing collection, including many works of the German Renaissance
painter, Dürer.
- The
Belvedere, Prinz Eugen-Straße 27 (Take
tram D, stop Belvedere), ☎ +43/ (0)1/ 79 557 0 (info@belvedere.at),
. Open daily 10AM–6PM. €13.50 (Upper and Lower) - Intended as a
summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, the Belvedere was
located outside the city walls. Its two palace segments, the Upper
and Lower Belvedere, later became the permanent home of the Austrian
Gallery. The Oberes Belvedere (Upper) contains recent Austrian and
international art from the past two centuries. Viennese art from the
early twentieth century is well-represented in the permanent
collection "Vienna around 1900 and the Art of the Classical Modern."
The Orangerie houses temporary exhibits and a collection of medieval
tapestries is in the former stables. The tapestry collection in on
view from 10:00AM until 12:00 noon, so plan your visit accordingly. edit
- The Imperial Furniture Collection – Vienna Furniture Museum, Andreasgasse 7, 1070 Wien, phone: +43-1-524 33 57-0. Opening Hours:
Tu–Su 10AM–6PM. Wheelchair-accessible. The museum houses the largest
furniture collection in the world. It's located just off bustling
Mariahilfer Strasse. Take the orange underground line U3 (alight at
Zieglergasse, take the Andreasgasse exit). The exhibit displays
furniture for all the Austrian emperors since Charles VI (the father
of Maria Theresa), furniture by the Thonet Brothers, Jugendstil, and
the Viennese Modernist movement. In addition, they show other
contemporary Austrian architects and designers, such as E.A.
Plischke, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Luigi Blau, and Franz West.
Besides the permanent furniture collection, the museum also hosts
two to three temporary special exhibitions on furniture design and
photography each year. You can purchase a single ticket or a "Sisi
Ticket," which allows you entrance to the Schönbrunn Palace, the
Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum, and the Imperial Silver Collection
in the Hofburg.
- MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art
, Stubenring 5, 1st District, phone: +43-1-711 36-0,
open: Tu 10AM-midnight (MAK - NITE(c)), W-SU 10AM-6PM. Closed on
Monday. Free admission on Saturday. The museum has the MAK Design
Shop and a study collection. The museum exhibits contemporary art,
design, and architecture. To get there take the Subway U3, Tram 1,
2, bus 1A, 74A to Stubentor, and U4 to Landstrasser Hauptstrasse,
City Airport Train from the airport to Bahnhof Wien Mitte. Also part
of the MAK is the Depot of Contemporary Art (Gefechtsturm Arenbergpark) in the 3rd district
Dannebergplatz/Barmherzigengasse. To get there take bus 74A to
Hintzerstrasse or U3 to Rochusgasse. Open every Sunday from May 4 –
November 30, 2PM-6PM. Exhibited works include spatial interventions
and objects by international artists specifically developed for the
MAK. A lovely addition to a visit to MAK is popping over the road
for a coffee at the 100-year old Cafe Pruekel.
- KunstHausWien (Vienna House of the Arts) , Untere Weißgerberstrasse 13, open daily 10AM–7PM (Every
Monday regular admission is half off), Tel: +43-1-712 04 91. To
get there, take the street Tram O/N and get off at Radetzkyplatz. €6
- Even an avowed hater of modern art can appreciate the
KunstHausWien, Hundertwasser's (born Friedrich Stowasser in 1928)
major contribution to the Viennese art world. In a time when artists
often try to shock the public or merely impress other members of the
rarefied gallery subculture, Hundertwasser's manifesto rings out as
an utterly reasonable plea: The architecture of KunstHausWien would
be a bastion against the dictatorship of the straight line, the
ruler and T-square, a bridgehead against the grid system and the
chaos of the absurd. Starting with the façade of the building,
adapted from its prior life as a furniture factory, there is a
Gaudi-in-Barcelona feel to the place. Windows peek out like eyes
from curvy, rounded plaster and colorful paint. It's a Disneyland
for grownups! Do not miss the Hundertwasserhaus and the shopping
village situated about 300m from KunstHausWien. Very similar to
Gaudi.
- Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum Wien (Pathological and
Anatomical State Museum) Open Wednesday 3PM–6PM and Thursday 8AM-11AM. On top of
restricted hours, the Narrenturm can be hard to find. Housed in a
squat tower, which once was an insane asylum (the "Narrenturm"
("Fool's Tower"), this museum contains some of the dustier corners
of the annals of medicine. You'll find preserved hydrocephalic
infants, wax castings of tertiary syphilis, antique medical devices,
and even a laryngeal tuberculous ulcer. The gift shop sells
postcards depicting the best of these. Of similar character is the
Josephinum , take trams 37-38, 40-42.
- Technical Museum – This newly renovated museum near the Schoenbrunn Palace
exhibits machines, transportations, electronic equipment, and the
like from their first design up to their current form. It also
depicts the development of Vienna as a city, on all its technical
aspects (recycling, power, sewage, etc). The museum is huge (22,000
square meters) and requires at least two hours to go through. Take
trams 10, 52, 58, stop Penzinger Strasse.
- Natural History Museum – This museum was erected as a mirror to its twin museum,
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts). It exhibits various
minerals (e.g. a collection of meteorites), fossils, stuffed
animals, and skeleton reconstructions (among others, dinosaurs'
skeletons). It also includes an anthropological section, where you
can see the beautiful Venus of Willendorf which is 25,000 years old!
- Haus der Musik (The Music House) This relatively new museum is a special museum, in that it
attributes great value to interactive learning experience. It covers
the history of the Vienne Philharmonic Orchestra, the history of
Vienna as a centre of music making (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven,
Mahler, Schubert and others are documented). In addition there are
the more experimental sections of futuristic composition (The Brain
Opera) and sound experiences. Highly recommended! Look for the happy
hour. Take U1, U2, U4, trams 1,2, 62,65, J and D, stop Karlsplatz/Opernring.
- Museum am Schottenstift (Museum at the Scottish Monastery) ; only in German). A nice, small picture gallery mainly of
Baroque Austrian painting. Take U2, trams 1,2,37-38,40-44, D, stop
Schottentor.
- Liechtenstein Museum – A private collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, it is
exhibited in his once Viennese Residence. The richly decorated
picture gallery mainly exhibits Baroque paintings, with a nice
portion of Rubens. You can get there either with tram line D, stop
at Seegasse or about 10 minutes by foot from U2 subway stop
Schottentor.
- Gemäldegalerie (Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts) ; only in German) – A gallery owned by the Academy of Fine
Arts, to which Hitler applied to before he decided to change to
politics. It offers some paintings of Rubens and Bosch. Most
interesting are the Renaissance and medieval exponents.
- Freud
Museum, Berggasse 19 (Near the
Schottentor subway stop (U2) – 10 minute walk, or take tram D, stop
Schlickgasse), ☎ +43 1 319 15 96 (office@freud-museum.at, fax: +43 1 317 02 79),
. Daily from 9AM–5PM. This small museum is situated in Freud's
historic flat where he practiced psychoanalysis for almost his whole
life. However, the collection is limited mostly to documents of
various kinds relating to Freud's life. Almost all of the flat's
contents, including the famous original couch, went along with Freud
to London when he fled the Nazis in 1939 and are now in the Freud
Museum there.
- Vienna Museum – A museum documenting Vienna's history. It is split into
several branches with its main branch at Karlsplatz.
- Otto Wagner is the most prominent Viennese architect at the turn
of the 20th Century. Two museums are dedicated to his work. At the Wagner Villa, ; only in German) you can see his private lodging in a very
eccentric design. The villa is also beautifully located in the
woods. In the rooms some paintings of Fuchs are exhibited, a painter
who bought the house from the Wagner family. His painting were
surprisingly influenced by the style of the villa... You can get
there with tram number 49 (last stop). Another museum is the Otto
Wagner Museum is located at the post office of his original design. At
this museum you can see the more serious aspect of his artistic
enterprise, that of public life. At the museum you can see some of
the original furniture as well as his plans. Near the Schwedenplatz
U1 stop (trams 1,2, 21, N).
- Museum of Military History – A huge museum near the southern railway station featuring
weapons and military maps from different periods. You can also see
the open-top car in which Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the last
Austrian prince, was shot in Sarajevo. His death triggered World War
I and the eventual downfall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the
same room as this is the visibly blood-stained jacket he was wearing
at the time of his assassination. Near the Southern Railway (Südbahnhof),
trams 18, D, O.
- Jewish Museum – A museum documenting Vienna's rich Jewish residents
including Zweig, Freud, Herzl, Mahler, and Schoenberg. Three sites
are available for one combined ticket: two museum sites and the main
synagogue. Attached to the museum at Judenplatz are the
archaeological remains of a medieval synagogue. The Stadttempel,
the only historical synagogue in Vienna to have survived World War
II, is accessible on through the guided tour. Call ahead for times.
- If you are looking for exhibitions of modern art apart from the
MUMOK and MAK there are several other places you could visit: MOYA – The Artists' House – The House of the Arts (see Hundertwasser above) – Atelier Augarten (a branch of the Belvedere) – Kunsthalle (Exhibition Hall) - there are two of them, both
branches of the Museum District (MQ) and the Generali
Foundation – Essl Collectionin Klosterneuburg (see below).
- Film Museum €10 – Also used as a cinema for showing special films. This
is a private museum dedicated to the cult film "The Third Man" which
was shot in Vienna and released in 1949. This film is often played
at the Burgkino located at the museum .
- Mozart House (Mozarthaus Vienna), Domgasse 5 (Take the U1 or U3 to Stephansplatz.
The Mozarthaus is located east of the cathedral), ☎ +43/ (0)1/ 512 17 91 (tickets@mozarthausvienna.at, fax: +43/ (0)1/ 512 17 91-91),
. Open daily from 10AM–7PM. This is the Viennese residence of
Austria's most famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and a
branch of the Vienna Museum.
- Small Museums – There are plenty of small museums that
follow special interests and are operated privately by the districts
or societies. They range from a museum on abortion to the world's
only museum on heating systems.
[edit] Castles and Palaces
Gloriette at Schönbrunn, Wien
- Schloss Schönbrunn – Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996, it is not far from the city
centre and easy to get to by public transportation: You can take the
underground U4 (green line) and get off at Schönbrunn; If you plan
on catching a tram, take 10, 58, and detrain at Schönbrunn.
Otherwise, take the 10A bus and alight at Schönbrunn. Schönbrunn is
the ultimate palace experience in Vienna, because the Habsburg
summer palace can be found here. It is comparable in grandeur to
Versailles and is definitely a must-see in Vienna. Its gardens and
zoo (the oldest in the world, built for Maria Theresa’s husband in
1752) alone are worth a lengthy visit. The palace has also seen its
fair share of excitement over the years, including a meeting between
John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khruschchev at the height of the Cold
War. The Palace Park offers a lot of attractions, such as the Privy
Garden, a Maze and Labyrinth, and the top-of-the-hill Gloriette with
its Panorama Terrace. There are two possible tours available without
a guide (though guides are available): the Imperial Tour showing 22
rooms and the Grand Tour showing 40 rooms. The price of admission
includes an audio or written guide. The shorter tour of Schönbrunn
Palace takes you into the west wing of the palace including the
apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), as
well as the imposing state rooms in the central wing. With the Grand
Tour you can visit, in addition to those rooms included on the
Imperial Tour, the 18th-century rooms from the time of Maria
Theresa. No photos, video taping, or backpacks allowed inside. The
palace is wheelchair-accessible and is open all year round:
- - Apr 1—Jun 30: 8:30AM–5PM
- - Jul 1—Aug 31: 8:30AM–6PM
- - Sep 31—Oct 31: 8:30AM–5PM
- - Nov 1—Mar 31: 8:30AM–4:30PM
- Hofburg Palace, (To get there,
take the underground: the nearest underground station is U3
Herrengasse; tram: Lines 1, 2, D, J, alight at Burgring; bus: Lines
2A or 3A, alight at Hofburg),
. This immense palace complex grew
into a large, unwieldy series of buildings over the years and was
the imperial residence of the Habsburg emperors until 1918. What
began as a medieval castle (whose chapel is the only original
element of that building to survive) was expanded and redecorated as
the Habsburgs’ power increased correspondingly. The Palace Stables
and Amalia’s Wing were added in the sixteenth century. The Imperial
Chancery Wing, Court Library, and Spanish Riding School was added in
the eighteenth. In the last century, St Michael’s Wing was tacked on
and around 1900 the New Palace was completed. The contents of each
separate building contain so many treasures that the time spent
moving from one to another is like opening box after box of fabulous
jewels – it's difficult to know when to stop. The Imperial Palace
itself now houses the offices of the Austrian President, a
convention center, and the Spanish Riding School with its Lipizzaner
stallions. The Palace also houses several museums which are open to
the public, including the "Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum and
Imperial Silver Collection" (Kaiserappartements, Sisi Museum,
Silberkammer) where you can visit 22 state rooms (open daily from
9AM-5PM; July-Aug: 9AM-5:30PM. The museums are
wheelchair-accessible). These are the residential and state
apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph I. and Empress Elisabeth
(popularly known as Sisi) and show 19th-century imperial life. The
Imperial Silver Collection displays unique items of the glittering
world of imperial dining. You can purchase a single ticket for all
three museums or purchase the "Sisi Ticket", which entitles you to
visit the Schönbrunn Palace, Hofburg with Audio Guide (Imp.
Apartments, Sisi Museum, Imp. Silver Collection), and Imperial
Furniture Museum.
