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The Belvedere is a famous attraction in Vienna, known not only for its
superb art collection, but also for its luxurious palace. Built from
1721 through 1723, the
Belvedere Palace
was designed to serve as a luxury summer palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy
(1663-1736), who had played a critical role in defeating the 17th
century siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Turks. The property includes both an ornate Upper Palace
(mainly used by the Prince for entertaining) and a spectacular Lower Palace (used as the Prince’s residence).
In addition, there is an Orangery (formerly an ornate greenhouse) and
stables. The Upper and Lower Palaces are connected by symmetrical, formal gardens that are
quite pleasant to view from spring through summer.
The Belvedere houses an excellent collection of art (focused mainly
on Austrian artists) dating from the Middle Ages to the present and is known for
its Gustav Klimt collection, which is the largest in the world. Among
the treasures here are Klimt’s golden pictures the Kiss and Judith.
Other masterpieces of note include several paintings by Schiele and
Kokschka in addition to works by the French Impressionists. Temporary
collections are hosted in the Lower Belvedere and the Orangery. In
addition, the Lower Belvedere includes several of Prince Eugene’
staterooms including Hall of the Grotesques, the State Bedroom, the
Marble Gallery and the appropriately named “Golden Room”. The former
stables now house an interesting collection of medieval, religious
art.
The Belvedere is open daily from 10 - 6. The
Upper Belvedere
Collection can be found at Prinz Eugen Strasse, 27. The Lower Palace and grounds can be accessed
from the Upper Palace, although you can also enter through the Lower Palace
gates.
Getting into the Belvedere is straightforward, once you known the secret
code. The Upper Belvedere can best be reached by riding Tram D to the
stop at Schloss Belvedere, where there is a small gate with access to
Upper Belvedere. You can also take the train to the Sud Banhoff and then
cross to the Belvedere's entrance at the corner of Prinz Eugen Strasse and Lanstraßer Gürtel. Another alternative is to take the U1
(subway/underground) to the Sudtiroler Platz and walk to the corner
mentioned above. The Lower Belvedere can be reached by taking the bus or tram (71) to Unteres Belvedere or the tram to Am Heumarkt and follow Renweg to the
entrance.
The
Albertina is one of the most popular
museums in Vienna. We describe it in our section on the Habsburg, but
have reproduced that description here for your convenience.
Formerly the Albertina Palace of the Habsburgs and named for the son-in-law
of Empress Maria Theresa, the new Albertina offers a phenomenal
collection of graphic arts and hosts some of the finest art shows in
Europe. The Albertina was
damaged by bombing near the end of 1945, which destroyed the State Rooms
and the facades of the Palace. Now completely renovated and restored, the new Albertina has been capped with an
unusual, ornate titanium wing over the entrance to the museum.
The Albertina's permanent collection is on display at the “Masterworks of
Modern Art” featuring works by Braque, Chagall, Kirchner, Miró, Munch, Picasso
and spans more than 100 years of art from Classical Modernism to the
present.
Located in the Hofburg at the Albertinaplatz (near the Opera), the
Albertina is open daily from 10 to 6 and later on Wednesdays.
In addition to its art collections, the Albertina is known for its 21
Habsburg Staterooms, a series of royal apartments that were completely
restored between 2000 and 2007. If you are a fan of royal apartments and their
decorations, this may be a stop of interest for you. If so, we suspect
you will enjoy the statues in the Hall of Muses, as well as the colorful
Rococo Room. (On the other hand, if you have seen the Imperial
Apartments and plan to tour the Schönbrunn Palace, seeing these rooms
may overload your interest.)
See this official website for more
information on the Albertina’s art
collection, exhibitions and the Palace Staterooms.
The MUMOK Museum of Modern Art
(Moderner Kunst) is
located in the Museum Quarter. The collection is from the 20th and 21st
centuries and the MUMOK is the largest of Austrian museums for
international modern and contemporary art. Open daily from 10 to 6 and until
9 on Thursdays.
The
Leopold Museum , also located in the
Museum Quarter, is focused on the modern art of Austrians and boasts the
largest Egon Schiele collection in the world. In addition, works by
Klimt, Kokoschka and other renowned Austrian artists are featured. Closed Tuesday but
open the rest of the week from 10 to 6.
The
Kunsthistorisches Museum
(the Fine Arts Museum)
has several wonderful collections, including a broad range of objects
from a variety of cultures including: Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection, Greek and Roman Antiquities,
sculptures, decorative arts, major art works from European art history
(including works by Raphael, Velázquez, Rubens, Titian and others not to
mention the world’s largest collection of art by Brueghel).
In 2013 the
Kunstkammer Wien (The Cradle of the Museum) reopened after a
multi-year renovation. It features over 2200 items from the
Renaissance and the Baroque periods, reflecting a cabinet of curiosities
orientation. The meaning of some of the goldsmith work and statuary is
as interesting as the works are artistically impressive.
Housed is a gracious palace-like building constructed at the request of
Emperor Franz Joseph as part of his grand plan for the Ringstrasse, the
building was purpose-built to hold the artistic treasure that had been
collected by the Habsburgs during their reign.
The Kunsthistorishces Museum is located on the Ringstrasse at the Marie
Theresien-Platz, across from the Hofburg. Open Tuesday through Sunday from
10 to 6.
The
Naturhistorisches
Museum is directly
opposite the Kunthistoriches Museum and is noted as Vienna’s
quintessential natural history museum. Displays feature precious stones,
fossils, dinosaur skeletons and world-famous prehistoric works of art. Closed
Tuesdays, open other days from 9 to 6:30 and later on Wednesday.
For those of you interested in the History of Vienna, the
Wien Museum is located on the Karlsplatz near the
intersection of Wiener-Bundesstraße and Maderstrasse or to the left of
the Karlskirche, if you are viewing it from the pond in front. The Museum
provides an interesting look into the history of Vienna from the
Neolithic Age to the mid-twentieth century. Especially interesting are
the archaeological finds from the Roman settlement of Vindobona, the
original stained glass from St. Stephan's and the displays surrounding
the two sieges of Vienna by the Turks.
The museum also operates a number of satellite facilities throughout the
city and many of these are focused on the musical greats that called
Vienna “home”. For information on visiting the “apartments” associated
with Haydn, Johann Strauß, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven, see this
section of the Wien Museum’s
official website.
The main museum at the Karslplatz is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.,
as well as on public holidays.
If you are interested in the archaeology of Ephesus, Turkey we recommend visiting the Ephesus Museum In the
National Library Building (the Neue Hofburg on the Heldenplatz) as it,
perhaps regrettably, has better examples of the ancient city that you can
find at the actual site in Turkey. The Ephesus collection is stunning and you can get
close enough to the displays to appreciate the amazing quality of the
architecture of Ephesus.
As many of you know, Ephesus was an ancient community in what is now
Anatolia, Turkey. It was conquered by the Persians and then Alexander
the Great. Augustus Caesar made Ephesus
the capital of the Roman province of Asia and by the 2nd Century it had a
population of 300,000 . Noted as the home of the Temple of Artemis
(one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), Ephesus is one of the
archaeological wonders of Turkey. The Austrian Archeological Institute began
excavations of Ephesus with the agreement of the government of Turkey and
was allowed to remove numerous artifacts for display in Vienna. Opened in
1978, the museum’s collection of Ephesus artifacts is outstanding and well
worth a visit. Open daily, except Tuesday from 10am to 6 pm
If you have taken the time to see the Ephesus Museum, the Neue Hofburg also
includes an excellent collection of medieval arms and armor that is
extremely well done. The armored helmet collection is extraordinary and will
take only a few minutes to tour.
The Mozarthaus, one of Mozart’s numerous residences in Vienna, has been
preserved and converted into a museum. You can find it at Domgasse 5.
For more details about visiting see the
official
website
Open daily from 10 to 7.
If you are interested in the life and work of Sigmund Freud, the founder
of modern psychology, you should visit the museum dedicated to him located
in the building that was both his home and office. The museum was
developed with the help of Freud’s daughter Anna and includes many of his
personal items, publications and informative facts about the life and times
of Sigmund Freud.
See the website of the
Sigmund Freud
House/Museum for more details. The museum is located at
Berggasse 19 and is open daily from 9 am – 5 pm and until 6 from July through September.
Finally, if you are like world globes, you might want to spend a few minutes at
the Palais Mollard Esperanto & Globe Museum, just down Herrengasse at
number 9 (the Palais Mollard) about a
block north of the Hofburg. See this site from the Austrian National Library
for more
information. Open Tuesdays through Saturday from 10 to 6.
Shorter hours on Christmas Eve and some other holidays. Limited opening
hours possible, so check ahead.
Next - explore our menu on the right hand edge of this page to find other
types of sightseeing in Vienna
Alternatively, if you want to find out about a specific attraction and know
its name, look
for it in our
index to the best places to visit in
Vienna.
If you need information about another travel destination, try
our
Destination Guide Index
or Googling ThereArePlaces.
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