10 History Museums in Vienna Region That You Shouldn't Miss

The Museum of Military History, one of the most important history museums in the world, is situated right in the centre of the Arsenal. About five-hundred years of Austrian and European History are depicted in the collections exhibited in the main building, which has kept its character of an artistic synthesis, making visible, by means of thousands of original exhibits, a part of world cultural heritage. In five major sections the museum shows the history of the Habsburg empire from the end of the 16th century until 1918 and Austria's fate after the dissolution of the monarchy up to the year 1945.

The Neue Burg is the most recent part of the Hofburg Palace on Vienna’s Ringstrasse, and it is home to three collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. The Collection of Historic Musical Instruments comprises the original instruments of some of the world’s greatest composers such as Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. The Collection of Arms and Armour is packed full of magnificent suits of armour and decora-tive weapons that attest to chivalric values and impor-tant occasions at court. And at the Ephesus Museum the »Parthian Monument« reflects the glory and splendour of one of Antiquity’s greatest cities.

In view of the current situation, restricted opening hours will apply at the Imperial Treasury Vienna from Monday 2 November 2020 until Sunday 28 March 2021. Awaiting you at the Imperial Treasury Vienna in the Hofburg Palace is the Austrian Imperial Crown and the insignia of the Holy Roman Empire with the Imperial Crown and the Holy Lance. Other highlights include the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece and parts of the immensely opulent treasure of the Dukes of Burgundy from the 15th century. Also on show is the original jewellery of Empress Elisabeth and legendary treasures such as the agate bowl associated with the Holy Grail, the world’s largest cut emerald, and the »horn« of the mythical unicorn.

Coaches and carriages of emperors and gowns and dresses of empresses The Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna in Schonbrunn Palace invites you to take a walk through the history of Austria. See the carriages of famous rulers such as Maria Theresia, Napoleon or Franz Joseph and accompany them through their eventful lives. The highlight is the baroque Imperial Coach, but there are also exquisite state carriages, comfortable travelling coaches and the charming children’s carriages of Habsburg princes and princesses. Another highlight is the »Sisi Trail« that showcases not only the Empress’ carriages but also personal mementos such as her only extant saddle, her »riding chapel«, and sumptuous original dresses.

The neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, founder of the Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, resided at Mariannengasse 1 since his return to Vienna in 1945 until his death in 1997. It was there that he completed his thesis on the human person as a spiritual being, capable of defeating the worst conditions as soon as and as long as he finds meaning in life. Today Frankl's workplace is an inspirational museum, in which visitors are gradually introduced to Viktor Frankl's life, his philosophy and psychotherapy. In the course of learning about the development of a genius, visitors also gain insight into their own opportunities and personal potential. The VIKTOR FRANKL MUSEUM, an initiative of the VIKTOR FRANKL CENTER VIENNA, which is a place for education, where professionals, curious amateurs, students and pupils get acquainted with Frankl's original body of thought. Courses, seminars, workshops, lectures, literature and documentaries convey his image of man and his unique methods of healing, which help us to face the problems of today's crises- ridden world in a constructive and groundbreaking way.

Trickymind is a 3Dimensional and augmented reality museum which presents unique giant hand painted exhibitions. The museum features masterpieces of artists like, Gustav Klimt and Claude Monet shown through special light features. Get a little touch of fairytales and dragons with supernatural experiences with flying whales and dancing fish among other unique surprises on 3 magical floors.

The Wien Museum has an exceptional position in the rich landscape of the Viennese museums: Its collections are a blend of art and history that leads the visitor down Vienna's path through the centuries. What you see are inestimable art treasures. What you feel is a city and its mythThe main building on Karlsplatz is part of a great complex of outside branches, first and foremost the Hermesvilla in Lainzer Tiergarten and the memorial houses of the composers. Special exhibitions regularly present news from Vienna's past and the past of other great cities. Get on the discovery trail of a city. Welcome to Vienna and its museum!Only to be experienced at the Wien Museum: a fascinating mixture of art and history on three floors, from the Neolithic Age to the mid-twentieth century. Early historical highlights of the collection are the sensational archaeological finds from the Roman legionary camp of Vindobona, original stained-glass windows and outstanding sculptures from St. Stephen's Cathedral, among them the famous ”Fürstenfiguren”, the figures of royalty. Weapons and armour from Vienna’s Bürgerliches Zeughaus (Civilian Arsenal) and the so-called "Turkish Plunder" tell of many warlike encounters in the city's history. The earliest Viennese city maps and many urban views illustrate the structural development from a medieval town to a capital city and royal residence. Among the works of art to admire are outstanding examples of baroque painting in Vienna – including works by Franz Anton Maulbertsch, Johann Michael Rottmayr and Paul Troger.Another of the Wien Museum's strong points is its collection from the nineteenth century. Selected furniture, clothing and splendid works of applied arts, the reconstructed apartment of the notable Austrian poet Franz Grillparzer with original furnishings, and above all major paintings by Waldmüller, Amerling, Danhauser and Fendi all combine to present a compact and multifaceted impression of Viennese Biedermeier.Two large-scale models of the city are among the main attractions of the Wien Museum, illustrating a scarcely imaginable caesura in urban development: Vienna before and after dismantlement of the glacis and construction of the monumental Ringstrasse buildings. The permanent exhibition "Vienna around 1900" shows paintings by Klimt, Schiele, Gerstl and Arnold Schönberg, and also works by the famous Wiener Werkstätte. A sensation for those interested in architecture is the living room with adjoining inglenook from the apartment of the legendary architect Adolf Loos. Selected paintings created in Vienna from the time between the wars to the second half of the twentieth century then bring us to the present day.The Karlsplatz buildingThe Wien Museum – from 1887 to 2003 called the "Historical Museum of the City of Vienna" – was once housed in the Vienna town hall. There were already plans for a new building on Karlsplatz before 1914, in fact by Otto Wagner. The museum's first new building opened in 1959, the work of Oswald Haerdtl, a former associate of Josef Hoffmann and architect of the Austrian pavilion at world exhibitions of the 1930s. Since the interior courtyard was roofed over in 2000, the museum has gained a multi-functional event facility and a café. Alongside the permanent collection, special exhibitions are held at regular intervals in the Haerdtl building.