What to do and see in Austria, Austria: The Best Art Museums

Discover the fascinating era of “VIENNA 1900” in the grand museum building on Vienna’s Ringstraße with art nouveau masterpieces of the Wiener Werkstätte by Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann, or Koloman Moser. Inaugurated in 1871, the building by Heinrich von Ferstel is one of the grandest works of architecture on Vienna’s Ringstraße. Today the MAK, originally founded as the “Imperial Royal Austrian Museum of Art and Industry”, accommodates a unique collection of precious art and craftwork from the fields of furniture, glass, porcelain, silver, and textiles from the middle ages to today. With more than 1 million objects and printed works it is one of the most important museums of its kind in the world. The spacious exhibition rooms were designed by contemporary artists and show selected highlights of the MAK Collection as well as temporary exhibitions in the field of design, art and architecture.

EXPERIENCE HUNDERTWASSER UP CLOSE: Art - Achitecture - Nature - Vision Two intriguing museums experiences await the visitors at the KUNST HAUS WIEN. The Museum Hundertwasser presents the world's biggest collection of Austrian exceptional artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 -2000): his world famous paintings, fine art prints, tapestries and architectural designs. Here you can immerse yourself in his imaginative world of art inside and out - colorful walls and uneven floors in the interior, the artistic façade with tiles and color fields on the outside. "Tree tenants" grow from the windows, plants and flowers inhabit the rooftop and inner courtyard. In Vienna's first "green museum" one can sense Hundertwasser's visionary mind and experience his ecological engagement on site. Beyond that the KUNST HAUS WIEN is Vienna's premier house for photography exhibitions: changing exhibitions introduce the biggest names of photography to a wide audience.

Experience one of the world's foremost museums! Let yourself be enchanted by works spanning five millennia, from Ancient Egypt to the modern era. Experience unique major works by Dürer, Raphael, Titian and Velázquez as well as the world's largest collection of Bruegel paintings, all in a magnificent setting. The Kunstkammer Vienna, featuring the famous Saliera by Benvenuto Cellini, is a veritable universe of art and beauty guaranteed to transform any visit into an unforgettable experience. Included in the ticket are the collections at the Neue Burg on the opposite side of Vienna's Ringstrasse. Here you will see the instruments used by the great composers and be transported back to chivalrous times when knights held sway and tourneys and hunting shaped courtly life.

Due to the current regulation to contain the pandemic, the museums of the KHM Museum Association will remain closed until 23th March 2021! The wonderful world of the Renaissance The provincial sovereign of Tyrol, Archduke Ferdinand II (1529-95), son of Emperor Ferdinand l, ordered that the mediaeval fortress at Ambras be turned into a Renaissance castle for his wife Philippine Welser. He also commissioned the building of a separately designed museum complex to house his world-famous collections. Constructed according to the most advanced ideas of its time, it is an eminent precursor of our modern-day museums and has been preserved at its original site to this day. The armouries comprise rare examples of 15th century jousting armour from the collections of Emperor Maximilian I, suits of armour of famous 16th century commanders, the Archduke’s private armour, the armour of the court of Innsbruck, and weapons from the Thirty Years’ War.

The two Belvedere palaces were built in the early eighteenth century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to be used as the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). One of Europe’s most stunning Baroque landmarks, this ensemble – comprising the Upper and Lower Belvedere and an extensive garden – is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today the Belvedere houses the greatest collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day, complemented by the work of international artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Max Beckmann. Highlights from the holdings Vienna 1880–1914 are the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt’s paintings (including the famous golden Art Nouveau icons the Kiss (Lovers) and Judith) and works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. Key works of French Impressionism and the greatest collection of Viennese Biedermeier art are further attractions on display at the Upper Belvedere.

Situated in the very heart of Vienna's City center, the Albertina houses one of the most important art collections of the world. Founded in 1776, the Museum today owns masterpieces by Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Duerer, Rembrandt etc. These collections are presented in temporary exhibitions. The Batliner Collection "From Monet to Picasso" is permanentely on display and shows the most important works by artists from the age of modernism. The Habsburg Historic Staterooms of the Albertina give an air of Imperial glamour.

The unique architecture of Schloss Eggenberg, the most important great house in Styria, is a complex symbolic representation of the universe. At the same time, with its impressive combination of Baroque interiors (magnificent state rooms), magical gardens and park, and priceless collections of the Universalmuseum Joanneum (Alte Galerie with its old masters paintings, Archaeology Museum and Coin Cabinet), Eggenberg contains a fascinatingly varied panorama of Styrian culture over the centuries. UNESCO World Heritage Site! Please note: dogs are not allowed in the park to protect our peacocks.