Vienna is home to art in all its diversity, from classics at the Museum of Fine Arts and the golden Klimts to young, trend-setting innovations. The MuseumsQuartier, a new landmark on Vienna's museum map, was opened in the summer and adds to the attractions.
Vienna's Museum Quarter
www.mqw.at
Vienna's Museum Quarter is a spectacular cultural complex located on the fringe of Vienna's old city and one of the world's eight largest museum districts. It is a sensational blend of revitalized baroque architecture (the former court stables) and impressive modern edifices designed by architects Laurids & Manfred Ortner and Manfred Wehdorn.
The new cultural district comprises the chalk-white Leopold Museum in the new section, the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna shrouded in dark-grey basalt, the Kunsthalle, Halls E und G (Vienna Festival, Dance Centre), the Architektur Zentrum Wien (Vienna Architecture Centre), the Zoom Children's Museum, a children's theatre, the Tobacco Museum Art Cult Center and experimental areas for cultural initiatives.
7., Museumsplatz 1
Tel.: 523 58 81
Fax: 523 58 86
E-Mail: office@mqw.at
Architekturzentrum Wien (Architectur Center Vienna)
Dedicated to the presentation, discussion, publication and documentation of architecture, the Architekturzentrum Wien, in Vienna's new Museum Quarter, provides a forum for architectural dialogue among a broad architectural and arts public. The Centre features changing exhibitions, a library and a broad range of events.
Daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Austrian Tobacco Museum
www.austriatabak.com
Discover the history of tobacco and its use. Beginning in the 15th century, the exhibition traces the development of tobacco from its role as a luxury and medication through to today's global economic importance.
Tue, Wed, Fri: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thu 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat, Sun, pub.hol.10 a.m.-2 p.m. Closed Mon.
Austrian modernist masterpieces: Leopold Museum
www.leopoldmuseum.org
Hundreds of Austrian modernist masterpieces collected by the ardent art-lover Dr. Rudolf Leopold: the world's largest collection of Egon Schiele paintings; works by Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Richard Gerstl, Herbert Boeckl, Alfred Kubin, Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller and Friedrich Gauermann; and Viennese furniture and tableware by Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann and Kolo Moser dating from around 1900.
11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sat, Sun, pub. hol. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Closed Tue.
MUMOK (Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien - Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna)
Tue. to Sun. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Thu. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Closed Mon.
Kunsthalle Wien
In accordance with a broader conception of art http://kunsthallewien.t0.or.at
The Kunsthalle Wien dedicates itself mainly to presentations of contemporary and classical modern art. Exhibitions focusing on specific subjects aim at conveying interrelations between modern art and current trends.
Daily 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Thu. 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
ZOOM Children's Museum
www.kindermuseum.at
ZOOM museum is a place of playful inquiry, learning and discovery for children. It gives young museumgoers the chance to ZOOM in on new situations and use all their senses to grasp the world around them.
Tel: +43 1 524 79 08
Fax: +43 1 524 79 08-1818
E-mail: info@kindermuseum.at
In addition to the arts and culture, the MuseumsQuartier Wien offers a wide variety of eating and drinking establishments. The passages and walkways of the MuseumsQuartier are open 24 hours a day.
Clock Museum
Three thousand timepieces are ticking for your pleasure in a former palace.
1., Schulhof 2
U1, U3: Stephansplatz, U3: Herrengasse
phone 533 22 65
Daily 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Closed Mon.
Free admission on Fridays (holidays excluded) until 12 noon
Butterfly House
http://www.schmetterlinghaus.at/
The butterfly house is 280 sq.m. in area and it contains to hundreds of live free-flying tropical butterflies enjoying a full and natural life in a real tropical environment. The temperature is about 26c and the humidity is about 80%. We have no rare or unusual butterflies, only beutiful common tropical butterflies flying freely. There is a pupae cage where you can see butterflies emerging from their pupae.
Address: Burggarten, right in the centre of Vienna, just 200m from the opera.
Public transport: Underground: U1, U2, U4 to Karlsplatz / Oper
Tram: 1, 2, D, J to Opernring, bus: 57A to Opernring
April - Oct.: daily 10 a.m. - 4.45 p.m., Sat, Sun, pub. hol.: 10 a.m. - 6.15 p.m.
Nov. - March: daily 10 a.m. - 3.45 p.m.
Austrian Folklore Museum
www.nhm-wien.ac.at
Here, you can learn about folk culture of Austria and neighboring countries
Museum fur Volkskunde
8, Laudongasse 15 - 19
tram 5, 33, bus 13A: Laudongasse
phone 406 89 05
Tue-Sun: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sigmund-Freud-Museum
http://freud.t0.or.at/freud/index-e.htm
For almost half a century, from 1891 to 1938, Dr. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, lived and worked in this house. In 1938, following the Anschluss, Dr. Freud was forced to emigrate. His office and private apartment are now a museum. Thanks to Freud's daughter Anna, the museum owns the original furniture from his waiting room, nearly eighty pieces of Freud's collection of antiques, and some of his personal belongings.
9., Berggasse 19
tram D: Schlickgasse, tram 37, 38, 40, 41, 42: Schwarzspanierstrasse
bus 40A: Berggasse
phone 319 15 96
Daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., July to September: daily 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Vienna Glass Museum (Lobmeyr)
Both museum and shop: here, exquisite glass art has been sold for 175 years. Today, the former imperial-royal purveyor supplies palaces and villas of internationally prominent persons. Also with crystal chandeliers ...
1., Karntner Strasse 26
U, tram, bus: Karlsplatz / Oper
phone 512 05 08
Mon - Fri 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Historical Museum of the City of Vienna
www.museum.vienna.at/museum
Learn about the history of the city of Vienna from its beginnings to the present day, admire selected works of art from Art Nouveau and Biedermeier
4., Karlsplatz
U, tram, bus: Karlsplatz / Oper
phone 505 87 47- 84 021
daily, except Mon.,
9 a.m.- 6 p.m.
free admission on Fridays (holidays excluded) until 12 noon
House of Music
www.haus-der-musik-wien.at
The House of Music- the first of its kind worldwide, located in the heart of the old city - offers entertainment and history, musical and visual delights. The motto: " Your ears will open your eyes!"
1., Seilerstatte 30
U, tram, bus: Karlsplatz/Oper, U1, U3: Stephansplatz
phone 51 648 51
daily 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Collection of Imperial Court Furniture
The k.k. Hofmobiliendepot (literally: imperial-royal Court Furniture Depot) is a unique museum that shows how the imperial families used to live. The depot stored the furniture of the Habsburgs, kept it in good repair and distributed it to the imperial households when required.
Among the many thousands of exhibits amassed over five centuries, with special emphasis on Biedermeier and Historicism, one also finds massive Baroque easy-chairs on wheels, an imperial travel throne and praying-stools with velvet pillow-covers.
7., Mariahilfer
Stra?e 88
U3: Zieglergasse, U3, bus 13A und 14A: Neubaugasse
phone 524 33 57 - 0
Tue - Sun 9 a.m. 5 p.m.
guided tours for children: Sun. and pub.hol. 2.30 p.m.
Imperial Palace - Hofburg
The Imperial Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperors until 1918. Originally a medieval castle, of which only the chapel has survived to this day, the residence of the court was expanded and made ever more lavish as the power of the Habsburgs grew and the territory of their dominions increased.
Today, the Imperial Palace houses the offices of the Austrian president, an international convention center, the chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings mass on Sundays and religious holidays, the hall in which the Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School perform, various official and private apartments and several museums and state rooms which are open to the public.
Imperial Apartments, Silver Depot
U1, U3: Stephansplatz, U3: Herrengasse
phone 533 75 70
Daily 9 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
Chapel of the Imperial Palace
The chapel was built, in the Gothic style, from 1447 to 1449, and altered during the Baroque era.
Mass with the Court Musicians (Hofmusikkapelle) - consisting of a group from the Vienna Boys' Choir (www.wsk.at) and members of the orchestra and choir of the Vienna State Opera from 2 January until 25 June and from 10 September - 31 December on Sundays as well as on 25 December at 9.15 a.m.
Burgkapelle 1., Hofburg, Schweizerhof
tram D, J, 1, 2, bus 57A: Burgring
phone 533 99 27
Visits: January to end-June and mid-September to end-December Mon - Thu: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and by prior arrangement
Mass with the Court Musicians: Booking necessary: fax 533 99 27-75, Hofmusikkapelle@asn-wien.ac.at
Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna
www.jmw.at
Permanent collection on jewish history and religion as well as temporary exhibitions on various subjects, such as jewish literature, architecture, photography, and art.
1, Dorotheergasse 11
U1, U3: Stephansplatz
phone 535 04 31
Daily, except Sat., 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Thu. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Kuffner Observatory
Take in a lecture and a tour of the historic observatory and, weather permitting, an astronomical survey of the skies with the big telescope dating from 1886.
16., Johann-Staud-Strasse 10
bus 46B, 51A, 146B: Ottakringer Bad
phone 914 81 30
Sat 5 p.m.
Tue, Fri, Sat:
April - September 9 p.m.
Oct. - March 8 p.m.
The Museum of Natural History in Vienna
http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/bundesmuseen/NATUR/MAIN.HTM
Museum experts chose the ten best museums in the world for the British "Sunday Times". The Museum of Natural History in Vienna was the only scientific museum included in this prestigious group. It was not only the building - erected at the end of the nineteenth century together with its "architectural twin," the Museum of Fine Arts located nearby - that decided the jurors, but also the atmosphere of the museum. On the one hand, it continues the tradition of collecting and exhibiting of past centuries, but at the same time it meets the challenges of today.
1., Maria-Theresien-Platz
U2, U3: Volkstheater
tram D, J, 1, 2, 46, 49, bus 48A:
Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring
Phone 521 77-0
Daily except Tuesday: 9 a.m. - 6.30 p.m., Wed 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Planetarium
www.planetarium-wien.at
Starting in 2002, you can experience travels through the starry skies with a special cupola projection show. Until this spectacle begins, one can be fascinated by outer space at the exhibition "ESA 2000 Plus".
2., Prater
Oswald Thomas Platz 1
U1, tram O, 5, 21.
Phone 729 54 94
729 53 91
November 8, 2001 until February 3, 2002
Thu - Sat 2:00 - 7:00 p.m., Sun 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
guided tours:
Thu - Sat at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m., Sun 11:00 a.m., 2:00 and 5:00 p.m. as well as by special appointment
Vienna Streetcar Museum
In the former Erdberg streetcar depot of the Vienna Transit System, more than 80 historical Vienna streetcars - from an 1871 horse-drawn trolley to the first of the semi-automatic trains of the 1950s - are on display on more than a mile of track. The collection also features vehicles from the former Stadtbahn by Otto Wagner.
3., Ludwig-Koe?ler-Platz
U3, tram 18, 72: Schlachthausgasse
phone 7909-44 900
Fiaker Museum
The square in front of the Church of St. Fiacre in Paris was the place where all the hackney coaches lined up waiting for costumers. When such coaches-for-hire were introduced in Vienna, that name was adopted , and both the coaches and their coachmen were called Fiaker. Until the advent of taxis around 1900, they were an important part of public transportation in Vienna.
17, Veronikagasse 12
U6: Josefstadter Strasse,
tram 44: Hernalser Gurtel
Phone 40 106-0
Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasuries
In this, the most important treasury in the world, the most magnificent individual treasures are the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire (crafted around 962), the crown of the Austrian Empire (1602, before 1804 merely the family crown of the Habsburgs), the Burgundian treasure (15th century) and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
Schatzkammer
1., Hofburg,
Schweizerhof
tram D, J, 1, 2, bus 57A: Burgring
phone 533 79 31
Daily except Tuesday
10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The History of Torture: "Torture Museum"
The so-called "Torture Museum", with vivid and powerful exhibits, offers knowledge and information about the darker sides in the history of mankind.
6., EsterhÀzypark
U3: Neubaugasse, busses 13A, 14A, 57A: Haus des Meeres
phone 585 71 85
Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Museum of Medical History (Josephinum)
The academy was built from 1783 to 1785 after a design by Isidor Canevale. The Hygieia Fountain in the court of honor is a work by J. M. Fischer, dating from 1787.
The Museum of Medical History displays beautifully crafted, life-sized anatomical wax models, purchased in 1785 by order of Emperor Joseph II as a training aid for his army surgeons. The purpose was to familiarize the young surgeons with the human internal organs, as anatomical studies by dissecting corpses were not customary then. There is also a collection reflecting the development of the Vienna School of Medicine from Gerard van Swieten, Maria Theresa's personal physician, to medical pioneers such as Semmelweis and Billroth all the way to Freud.
9., Wahringer Str. 25/1
tram 37, 38, 40, 41, 42: Sensengasse
phone 4277 - 63 401
Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
(except public holidays)
Klosterneuburg Abbey
The Klosterneuburg Abbey is a cultural attraction on the outskirts of Vienna. It was founded around 1100; during the eighteenth century plans were made to rebuild and expand it as an ensemble of abbey and imperial residence like the Spanish Escorial. Although these ambitious plans were never completely realized, they did produce this magnificent baroque abbey.
The abbey houses one of the major masterpieces of medieval art: the altar by Nikolaus of Verdun consisting of 51 gold and enamel panels dating from the year 1181; it is known as the Verdun Altar. The panels originally covered a pulpit, or the foundation of an altar. During a large fire in the year 1330, the panels were saved from the flames by being "extinguished" with wine. After that, the enamel panels were supplemented by 6 additional pieces and combined to form this altar.
The St. Leopold Chapel can be viewed daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the course of a guided tour, every half hour. Also worth viewing: the museum of the Abbey, open from May 1 through November 18.
Old Vienna Schnapsmuseum
An attractive and rewarding stop during your sight-seeing tour through Vienna is our Old Vienna Schnapsmuseum. The visit to this museum does not only give insight in the tradition of distilling, but also the atmosphere of an old Viennese bourgeoise family, running the destillery since gernerations. The whole interior, from the office to the stillheads is original from 1870's to the 1920's and still in use.
12., Wilhelmstra?e 19
Tel. 815 73 00 15
Fax 815 73 00-10
Daily 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
groups up from 10 people: reservation necessary
Treasury of the Order of Teutonic Knights
The Order of Teutonic Knights subdued the territory later known as East Prussia and opened the area for German colonization and, as an association of nobles, performed certain charitable functions. Since that time, the treasure of the order has been kept in Vienna. As a result of knowledgeable collecting done by a succession of art-loving grand masters, its treasury now contains such items as the 15th-century insignia of the order with the Chain of Swords, magnificent chalices, oriental weapons, a Viper Tongue Credenza to render poisoned food harmless, and precious 17th -and 18th-century tableware, china and crystal.
1., Singerstrasse 7,
Stiege I
U1, U3: Stephansplatz
phone 512 10 65
Mon, Thu, Sat: 10 a.m.-12 noon. Wed, Fri, Sat 3-5 p.m.
