Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum best paintings. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria

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MUSEUM OF ART HISTORY IN VIENNA(Kunsthistorisches Museum) - one of the largest museums in the world, whose collection contains famous masterpieces of Western European art, was opened on October 17, 1891. Currently, it is the property of the state, is under its protection, and is administered by the Ministry of Culture.

The museum project was developed by architects Karl Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper. The museum building is one of the twin buildings included in the museum ensemble, built in 1871–1891. The Museum of Art History and the Museum of Natural History stand on two sides of the square, in the center of which is the majestic monument to Empress Maria Theresa by Zumbusch.

The main building of the museum includes 91 rooms, where there is a collection of oriental and Egyptian antiquities, a collection of ancient monuments, works of Western European sculpture, a numismatic cabinet, as well as a world-famous art gallery.

HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM CREATION

The art collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum was originally a private collection of the Austrian Imperial House. Emperors, kings, and archdukes from the Habsburg dynasty collected works of art starting from the 15th century.

A fundamental contribution to the formation of the modern museum was the activity of Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595), stadtholder (governor) of Bohemia in 1547–1563 and ruler of the Alpine lands in 1564–1595, who assembled his collection at Ambras Castle according to truly museum standards. Subsequently, the best things from this collection were taken to Vienna.

Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) established an art gallery and a Kunstkamera in Prague Castle, where he moved the capital of the empire. Most of all, Rudolf II admired the works of Albrecht Dürer and Pieter Bruegel the Elder, which are now the pride of the Vienna Museum. Later, the most significant items were transported to Vienna, which became the capital of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, which included almost all of Central and Southern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Southern Netherlands.

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614–1662) is considered the founder of the Vienna Museum. From 1647 to 1656, the Archduke was stadtholder (governor) of the Southern Netherlands. In Brussels, which at that time was the center of the art trade, he acquired picturesque values. After the fall of Charles I, extensive collections of the English aristocracy (Duke of Buckingham, Earl of Arundel), as well as some paintings from the collection of King Charles I, which were purchased by Leopold William, were brought from England after the fall of Charles I for auction. In a short time he created the best art gallery in Europe. His collection included paintings by Giorgione, Titian, Veronese, Andrea Mantegna, Tintoretto, Jan van Eyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens.

During the reign of Empress Maria Theresa (1717–1780), it was decided to improve the art gallery: following the ideas of enlightenment, the artistic treasures were opened to the public and a new systematization of the collection was made. For this purpose, the most artistically significant works of art were brought from all the palaces, residences, and castles that belonged to the empress. For the first time, the exhibition was based on a historical principle: the paintings were grouped by national schools and hung in chronological order.

The imperial collections were available to the public even before the official opening of the Museum of Art History, but were scattered in different places. The Imperial Art Gallery was formerly located in the Upper Belvedere Castle, the collection of Egyptian, Oriental, Greek and Roman art, Renaissance objects made of gold, bronze and ivory, as well as works of the Baroque era - in the Lower Belvedere Castle. Many masterpieces of decorative art, including dynastic regalia and family jewels of the Habsburgs, were kept in the treasury of the Hofburg, the imperial palace. Several halls of the Hofburg housed coins and medals, as well as collections of minerals, shells and other natural wonders, which are now part of the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum).

Even before the official opening of the Kunsthistorisches Museum by Emperor Franz Joseph (1830–1916) in 1891, its various departments were reclassified and made available to visitors. First among them was the armory (Leibstrammer), a memorial to Austrian military glory, with armor and weapons. Nowadays the military collection (Waffen-Samlung) is exhibited in the Court, Hunting and Armory halls of Neueburg Castle, which is an outbuilding of the old Hofburg Castle. In the Hofburg, in turn, the Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments, the Ephesus Museum and other exhibitions are open. These collections, as well as the collections in Stalburg, Schönbrunn Castle and Ambras Castle near Innsbruck, although scattered, form a single property of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

In 1918, the Vienna Museum, like all Habsburg collections, was expropriated and became a state property.

The museum building was heavily damaged during the Second World War, but the monuments were mostly removed and hidden in 1939. In 1959 the museum was again opened to visitors.

PICTURE GALLERY OF THE MUSEUM OF ART HISTORY

The most significant part of the Museum's collection is the art gallery. It is considered the fourth largest in the world and includes paintings of exceptional value by Western European artists from the 14th to 18th centuries.

Dutch art section

15th–16th centuries includes works by the luminaries of Northern Renaissance painting - Jan van Eyck (c.1390–1441), Rogier van der Weyden (1399 or 1400–1464), Hugo van der Goes (c.1440–1482), Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/ 1530–1569).

Jan van Eyck: Cardinal Niccolo Albergati(c.1431), Jeweler Jan de Leeuw(Leeuva) (1436).

Rogier van der Weyden owns the altarpiece Triptych with crucifix(c.1440-1445), and Hugo van der Goes - a diptych Original sin And Lamentation of Christ (1475).

The world's largest collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder is of enormous value - half of the entire surviving heritage of the 16th-century Dutch artist. (15 works). The most significant works of the painter are landscapes that were originally part of the cycle Seasons of six paintings (1565): Return of the Hunters(Winter), Cloudy day (Spring Eve), Return of the Herd(Autumn), as well as two compositions on a rural theme: Peasant wedding And Peasant dance(c.1568).

Flemish painting

The museum presents a collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Jacob Jordaens (1599–1641), and Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). Peter Paul Rubens: Altar of St. Ildefonso (1630–1632), Portrait of Elena Fourman, usually called Coat(c. 1638), Self-portrait(c. 1639).

Jacob Jordaens: Bean King Festival(c. 1638).

Anthony van Dyck: Prince Ruprecht (with Great Dane), Prince Karl Ludwig of the Palatinate (1631/1632), Portrait of a warrior gilded armor(c. 1624), etc.

Section of Dutch painting

the museum is small, but full of genuine masterpieces by Frans Hals (1580/85–1666), Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669), John Vermeer of Delft (1632–1675), and Gerard Terborch (1617–1681).

Frans Hals: Portrait of a man(c. 1654).

Gerard Terborha: Lady peeling an apple (1661).

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn: Portrait of the artist's mother (1639), Large self-portrait (1652), Small self-portrait(c. 1657) and Portrait reading Titus(c. 1656).

Late painting by Johannes Vermeer of Delft In the artist's studio(c. 1665) often called Allegory of painting.

Section of German art

filled with masterpieces of the Renaissance: Albrecht Durer (1471–1528), Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543) and others.

Of the eight works of Albrecht Dürer, the following should be highlighted: Portrait of the Emperor Maximilian I (1519), Mary with baby(1512) and one of the artist’s main works - an altar image Adoration of all saints of the Trinity (1511).

Lucas Cranach the Elder: Deer Hunting by Elector Frederick the Wise (1529), Judith with head Holofernes(c. 1530).

Hans Holbein the Younger: Portrait of Jane Seymour, Queen of England (1536),Portrait of a young merchant (1541).

The Italian collection is famous for its abundance of names and masterpieces of the Renaissance, 17th–18th centuries: Andrea Mantegna (1431–1506), Raphael Santi (1483–1520), Giorgione (c. 1477–1510), Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) (c. 1490 –1576), Paolo Veronese (1528–1588), Tintoretto (1518–1594), Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) and others.

Andrea Mantegna: St. Sebastian(c. 1460).

Rafael Santi: Madonna in green (1505).

Among several paintings by Giorgione (Giorgio da Castelfranco), the central place is occupied by the painting Three philosophers(c. 1508).

Titian: altarpiece This man (1543), Portrait of Jacopo de Strada (1567–1568).

Paolo Veronese: Lucretia (1580).

Tintoretto (Jacobo Robusti): Susanna and the elders(c. 1560).

Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi): Madonna with rosary(c. 1607) and David with Goliath's head(c. 1606).

Collection of Spanish paintings.

The main decoration is the work of Diego de Silva Velazquez (1599–1660). The court painter of the Spanish kings painted numerous portraits of the king, his children, and courtiers: Portrait of the Infanta Margherita-Theresa (1659), Portrait of King Philip IV (1652–1653).

DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT EGYPT AND ANCIENT EAST

The Egyptian collection of the Vienna Museum is not only one of the largest in the world, but also one of the oldest. Works of ancient Egyptian art began to flock to Vienna even before the general European interest in Egypt, which arose after Napoleon's military campaign in 1798. The oldest exhibit was acquired back in the 16th century, and by the first quarter of the 19th century. the collection consisted of almost 4,000 items. In the 20th century the main revenues came from archaeological research by Austrian scientists, especially in the necropolis of the Cheops pyramid in 1912–1929. The Vienna collection is of great importance for its excellent examples of sculpture from all periods of the history of Ancient Egypt. These are deeply realistic portraits of pharaohs, sculptures introducing us to important dignitaries, and meticulous depictions of animals. The halls contain a collection of reliefs, architectural fragments, figurines made of stone, bronze, wood and other materials, sarcophagi and objects of funeral rites, papyri, scarabs, amulets, and jewelry.

The museum halls in which this collection is located take us to the world of Ancient Egypt, not only because of the rich collection, but also thanks to the decorative and finishing works that brilliantly imitate the interior decoration of temples of that era. The architects used three original granite columns (c. 1420 BC), and also decorated the halls with paintings that replicate the frescoes of the burial chambers.

DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT ART

The antique collection includes Greek, Etruscan and Roman treasures, as well as treasures from the Great Migration era of the early Middle Ages, found during archaeological excavations. From the 16th century coins, medals, and carved stones were collected. In the 18th century scattered collections scattered throughout the vast Habsburg Empire were united, and archaeological expeditions of the 19th century. significantly enriched this section of the museum with objects of sculpture and architecture.

The crown jewel of the antiquity department is a series of unique cameos. Ptolemaic Cameo(274–270 BC), made of nine-layer onyx, this masterpiece of Hellenistic glyptics depicts portraits of a married couple from the Ptolemaic dynasty. Gemma Augusta(end of the 1st century BC) - two-layer onyx of Roman work amazes with its multi-figure composition. Often, jewelers of subsequent eras used the works of their predecessors: Italian masters of the 16th century. decorated an antique cameo with a precious frame Eagle(27 BC).

The sculpture is represented by statues made of marble and bronze: Aristotle's head(4th century BC), Amazon sarcophagus(4th century BC), found in the 16th century. In Cyprus.

An interesting large collection of gold and silver items from the era of the Great Migration of Peoples, found in the 18th–20th centuries. in Europe: finely crafted jewelry, decorated with precious stones, a variety of vases and goblets.

KUNSTKAMERA

The exhibition of this department continues the collection of art of the early Middle Ages, covering the entire period of the European Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, Rococo eras - up to the beginning of the 19th century. The core of this department was formed in the 16th–17th centuries. A group of the most significant exhibits comes from the treasury of German kings and emperors of the Middle Ages, the so-called. "imperial treasury" Items from this “golden pantry” clearly express the religious orientation of medieval art, while simultaneously continuing many traditions of the ancient world, the Ancient East, and Germany: Griffin-shaped jug(12th century). The museum has two excellent examples of medieval art: Madonna of Krumau(c. 1400), Madonna by sculptor Riemenschneider(approx. 1500). Applied art in this section includes a variety of bowls, goblets, watches made of crystal, gold, precious stones and pearls in elaborate, luxurious shapes. The most famous exhibit is Salt shaker Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1572), made by the author (1540–1543) from gold, partially enameled, ebony for the French king Francis I. The Kunstkamera displays tapestries of the finest work, woven from wool and silk in the first half of the 18th century. Small-sized figurines and complex 17th-century ivory sculptural compositions amaze with their grace, sophistication and virtuosity of execution.

This year it is celebrating its anniversary - 125 years since its opening, and is presenting a magnificent gift: more than 10 thousand images of exhibits digitized and made publicly available. Titian and Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Arcimboldo, Bosch and Jan van Eyck - we enjoy beautiful works of art.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, "Summer". 1563

Now you can create your own selections of your favorite paintings, select exhibits to visually teach art history, post them on social networks, or even just “stick” to the Museum’s electronic library, looking at the magnificent paintings in every detail.

Please note that the main language of the site only provides general information about the museum. Simply “scrolling through” previews of 10,000 works is tiring, and besides, the paintings and sculptures are mixed together. Therefore, for easy navigation, we recommend filling out the search bar - entering the name of the artist you are interested in in Latin. So, we were interested in Arcimboldo, and a search for the word Arcimboldo returned a preview of all his works from the collection, including those paintings that are only attributed to the master. The illustration above is a detail from one of the master’s paintings. And this is far from the limit of detail!

Madonna of the Greens (Madonna of the Meadow or Belvedere Madonna)
Rafael Santi
1505, 113×88 cm

The Museum of Art History is considered one of the largest in the world and, in terms of its importance and wealth of collections, is on a par with the Hermitage and the Louvre. The main building of the museum has 91 rooms, where collections of Eastern and Egyptian antiquities, a collection of ancient monuments, and works of Western European sculpture are presented. But the heart of the museum is the world-famous art gallery, with a special focus on Renaissance and Baroque art. Hundreds and hundreds of masterpieces: Durer, Rubens, Raphael, Velazquez, as well as the richest collection of works by Pieter Bruegel.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Hunters in the snow
1565, 117×162 cm

Detail of work by Quentin Massys from the museum's website.

Peter Paul Rubens. Coat. Portrait of Helen Fourment (1636/1638)

Detail of one of Rubens's paintings from the collection of the Vienna Museum

Giorgione. Three philosophers
1504, 125.5×146.2 cm

Precious paintings and exhibits were collected by the Habsburgs since the 15th century. However, a moment came when the thoughtfully and exquisitely compiled collections of the Austrian imperial court were no longer housed not only in the Hofburg, the city residence of the emperor, but also in other buildings belonging to the Austrian crown. In the 1860s, the issue of new museums began to be actively discussed, and Emperor Franz Joseph I, accustomed to getting the best of everything, invited the famous architect Gottfried Semper to design a new complex for the new Ringstrasse. It is planned not only to expand the territory of the city at the expense of the Imperial Forum - this is the name Semper gave to his architectural project - but also to build separate museum buildings for the imperial collections.

Jan Vermeer. Allegory of painting
1660s, 120×100 cm

Hans Holbein the Younger. Portrait of Jane Seymour, Queen of England
1536, 40×65 cm

The huge complex, conceived by the author of the buildings of the Dresden Opera and the Dresden Art Gallery, was only partially realized, but Emperor Franz Joseph I still received the coveted museums, where the rich collections of the Austrian court were transported. The museum's spaces are steeped in the Renaissance, from Mihaly Munkacsi's huge painting "The Apotheosis of the Renaissance" adorning the ceiling above the main staircase, to the beautiful frescoes by Gustav Klimt, his younger brother Ernst and friend Franz von Machu.

Peter Paul Rubens. Head of Medusa
1618, 69×118 cm

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the pearls of the Museum Quarter of the Austrian capital. Or rather, these are two pearls: on Maria Theresa Square there are two luxurious and almost similar in appearance buildings, built in the spirit of the Renaissance. The second building houses the Natural History Museum, which houses a huge collection of natural exhibits collected by the Habsburg family. Among the treasures of its 39 rooms are the insect collection of Ignaz Schiener, the skeleton of a diplodocus, the almost complete composite skeleton of Steller's cow and other fossils and rare finds.

Peter Paul Rubens. Four parts of the world (Four Rivers of Paradise)
1615, 208×283 cm

If we cross the square, we will find ourselves in a treasury of works of art, the foundation of which was laid by the Austrian Archduke Leopold Wilhelm (1614-1662). As Viceroy of Flanders, the Archduke regularly visited the famous Brussels art market. In a short period of time, Leopold Wilhelm created a significant art collection, selected with great taste and understanding. Leaving Flanders, the Archduke took his treasures to Vienna - paintings by Dutch, Italian, Flemish, and German masters. This collection has been replenished over the centuries. In 1918, both museums - art history and natural history, as well as all the Habsburg collections - were expropriated and became the property of the state.

Jacopo Tintoretto. Bathing Susanna
194×147 cm

Now the Kunsthistorisches Museum consists of several exhibitions. Thus, the military collection of the emperors is exhibited in the Neuburg halls (in the wing of the Hofburg Castle). The Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments, the Ephesus Museum and other exhibitions are also open there. Separate meetings are in Stalburg, Schönbrunn Castle and Ambras Castle near Innsbruck.

Of course, the digitized collection of the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum is a great contribution of its employees to the popularization of art. However, nothing can compare with visiting luxurious halls, where you can not only enjoy works of art with your own eyes, but also feel the touch of true History. The museum is huge, so if you are in Vienna, plan a separate day to visit it.

The halls of the Kunsthistorisches Museum display countless masterpieces of Western art, including the world's largest collection of paintings by Bruegel. The collections of the ancient world, Ancient Egypt and the East amaze with the richness of the cultures of the past.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a collection of artistic objects, archaeological exhibits, ancient monuments, and numismatic rarities; an art gallery of world significance. The institution is administered by the Austrian Ministry of Culture.

Museum building

The museum is located on Maria Theresa Square, photo by Peter M.

The façade of the museum is lined with carved sandstone. The building has the shape of a rectangle topped with a 60-meter dome. The interiors are lavishly decorated with marble and plaster relief decoration. There are ninety-one rooms in the main building of the museum.

The building's design was created by the architect Gottfried Semper and Baron Karl von Hasenauer in the mid-19th century.

History of the meeting

The museum collection was started by the Imperial House of Austria. The Habsburgs collected and preserved art and antiques from the 15th century. The largest contribution was made by Ferdinand II, who for a long time formed a collection of works of art in his castle. The best, rare examples from the Archducal heritage are presented in Vienna today.

Rudolf II also did a lot for the future museum. In Prague Castle he opened the Kunstkamera and founded an art gallery. From these collections, the most striking exhibits were also transported to the Vienna Museum. It was Rudolph who for a long time collected works by Bruegel the Elder, which are now the main pride of the painting exhibition of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his gallery

Historians call the founding father of the museum Archduke Leopold Wilhelm. For almost a decade he was governor of the Southern Netherlands. During this time, he managed to collect an extensive collection of paintings, buying them at auctions in Brussels. The gallery collected by Leopold-Wilhelm is considered the most comprehensive in Europe. It included paintings by Giorgione, Titian and Veronese, Tintoretto and Rubens; works by Mantegna and Van Eyck.

The Habsburg treasures were opened to the public under Maria Theresa. The works were brought from many family castles, palaces, and private galleries and grouped according to geographical and chronological criteria. Objects of art were exhibited for a long time in several palaces: in the Upper Belvedere, in the Lower Belvedere, in.

The opening of the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum took place in 1889. Since 1918, this collection, like the entire Habsburg heritage, was expropriated in favor of the state. During World War II, the building on Maria Theresien-Platz was seriously destroyed, but the Austrians took out the bulk of the priceless works and hid them before the war. The museum reopened in 1959.

Art Gallery

The core of the museum collection was the art gallery. It presents paintings by Western European masters of the 14th–18th centuries. The section on Dutch painting contains paintings by van der Weyden and van Goes, Bruegel the Elder, and Jan van Eyck. The collection of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, presented in the Vienna Museum, is considered the greatest in Europe - here you can see half of all the works created by the painter over the years. The pearl of the collection are paintings from the famous “Seasons” series.

Peter Paul Rubens. photo Deborah and Thomas

Art gallery collections

• In Flemish section, the first to attract attention are the paintings of Rubens, with his colorful beauties. You cannot ignore the masterpieces of the Baroque – the works of Jacob Jordaens and the “airy” paintings of Van Dyck.
• Dutch There is little painting presented, but true masterpieces are collected here: paintings by F. Hals, G. Terborch, Rembrandt van Rijn, allegorical works by Jan W. Delft.
• The collection of paintings is especially rich German masters of the brush. Here you can see masterpieces of the Renaissance era: works by Albrecht Durer and Cranach the Elder, G. Holbein and many other painters. Displayed here is Dürer's iconic masterpiece: The Adoration of All Saints to the Trinity, a world-famous altarpiece.
• Names Italian The masters are impressive: Giorgione, Mantegna, Titian, Caravaggio. It is here that you can see “Madonna in the Green” by Raphael Santi and “Lucrezia” by Veronese. The pearl of the Spanish collection of the Vienna Museum is the work of Velazquez, his royal dynastic portraits.
• Sections: art England And France- weak.

Ancient Egypt and Near East Collection

Ancient Egypt collection, photo by courthouselover

The Vienna Museum is famous not only for its artistic canvases. Its collections of ancient Egyptian and oriental treasures are considered the oldest in the world. Egyptian sculptures from different periods of the state's history are presented here. Architectural treasures and stone figurines, bronze and wooden items, papyri, sarcophagi and jewelry are displayed against the backdrop of interiors stylized as Egyptian temples and tombs.

The department of ancient art contains valuables from Etruscan, ancient Greek, Roman times: coins, figurines, medals and jewelry - many artifacts found during research at different times. The most striking exhibit is a collection of onyx cameos by Ptolemy. The extensive sculptural exhibition and the exhibition of jewelry items from the Great Migration era are interesting.

Kunstkamera

The museum's Kunstkamera is unique in its kind. It is decorated with silk tapestries from the early 18th century, as well as works of applied art made of precious metals and ivory.

Numismatic collection

The museum's numismatic collection is one of the world's five largest collections of coins, paper money, shares, orders and medals, and insignia. In total there are approximately 700,000 objects.

Museum opening hours:

See current ticket prices.

Ticket Kunsthistorisches Museum + Leopold Museum

Visit two of Austria's most important museums with a great value combination ticket. Discover 2,000 years of art heritage at the Leopold Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Admire works by Klimt, Schiely and many others. Cost €24.

Ticket Kunsthistorisches Museum + Imperial Treasury

Explore the Habsburg treasures at Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum and Imperial Treasury with a combination ticket - you'll see the world's most important works of art, imperial architecture and more. Cost €22.

Combined Master Ticket

What does it include? With this ticket you will also receive entry to the Vienna Treasury, and attend a morning training of Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School. Cost €24.

Tickets are valid for 1 year, so you choose when to visit the museums and on what day.

How to get there?

Take the U2 metro to Museumsquartier station.

The exhibition of the Kunsthistorisches Museum or Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is housed in two huge buildings located not far from each other. All exhibitions located in these two buildings are visited with one ticket. We only realized this when we bought the ticket, because the information on the Internet is presented in such a way that it seems that you need a separate ticket for each of these exhibitions. It will take a whole day to visit this museum.

The exhibitions are very extensive. This is one of the richest museums in the world. Both of these buildings were built under the penultimate emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Franz Joseph. It was he who decided to bring together all the scattered collections of the Habsburgs and put them on public display. After the collapse of the empire in 1918, all collections became the property of the Austrian Republic.

The building located on Maria Theresa Square (Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Wien) houses:

1. On the ground floor there is Kunskamera, which contains all sorts of curious things such as music boxes, wind-up toys, etc. - this is the earliest kunskamera in central Europe; information about its organization dates back to 1550. And the meeting ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek and ancient Roman art.
2. The second floor is huge painting collection, which includes paintings by famous European painters - Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Anthony van Dyck, Pieter Bruegel and many others.
3. Huge on the third floor numismatic collection.

In New Burg (Neue Burg Heldenplatz, 1010 Wien) there are:

1. Ephesus Museum.
2. Hunting and Armory Chamber.
3. Collection of ancient musical instruments.
4. In addition, the headquarters of the OSCE mission is located in the same building, but they are not allowed there.

All of the above can be visited with one ticket and it’s impossible to see everything quickly in one day, so it’s better to think in advance about which exhibitions to go to.

Adult 16€, children under 19 years old free. We offer a combined ticket for the Kunsthistorisches Museum + = 22€ (save 6€). There is an annual ticket - 44 €. The prices shown are valid for 2019. During the high season, there may be long queues at the museum and an electronic voucher provides a 5% discount in the museum gift shop, this is how Europeans are trying to encourage visitors to buy tickets online. In this case, the museum will be able to save on the maintenance of cashiers, and on printing the paper ticket forms themselves.

There are audio guides. 990 museum objects are described in German, English, Italian and French, and only 120 in Russian. The cost of using the audio guide is 4 euros.

In the souvenir shop you can buy books in Russian with descriptions of the collections, but prices start from 19 euros for a description of selected exhibits of only one Kunskamera, the same for a description of an art gallery and another 39 euros for a description of the works of the grandiose exhibition of Velazquez (it took place in 2016) . The museum always hosts very impressive exhibitions

Kunsthistorisches Museum

The building of the Kunsthistorisches Museum on Maria Theresa Square is a twin building. These two buildings stand opposite each other and are almost identical in architecture.

The interior of the Museum of Art History is also very good, one might say simply gorgeous.

As in the Natural History Museum, there is a cafe under the central dome.

Gorgeous front staircase.

Art of the Ancient World

The collection of Egyptian and Near Eastern treasures is considered one of the most significant in the world thanks to its representative collection of ancient Egyptian monuments from the Old Kingdom period (300 - c. 2270 BC). Sculptural portraits of pharaohs and high-ranking officials, animal sculptures, reliefs, stone and bronze figurines, amulets, jewelry, papyri, mummies, sarcophagi and other objects introduce us to the ancient civilization of the peoples of northeast Africa and Western Asia.

The collection of Greek and Roman antiquities is one of the most significant in the world, including ancient cultural monuments and treasures from the era of the Great Migration and the early Middle Ages.

Gold jewelry is displayed in common rooms, no special rooms or storage rooms like we have in the Hermitage.

All the halls of the museum are decorated very elegantly; it is immediately noticeable that the museum workers thought through every detail of the decor of the walls, ceilings, and the location of display cases with exhibits.

The Gemma of Augusta is considered a significant treasure of the museum and is displayed in a separate display case.

All rooms have ideal lighting.

Kunskamera

The exposition of the Kunskammer in Vienna is very different from the exposition of the Kunskammer in St. Petersburg. The Vienna Kunskammer contains amazing and precious products of human hands, no freaks preserved in alcohol, like ours.

Many halls are equipped with interactive screens where you can read about the exhibits in the hall in English and German.

So, for example, this large-scale ceiling painting is accompanied by a tablet, by poking your finger into it you can find out the names and who each of the characters in this huge painting was.

Art Gallery

It is prohibited to take photographs in the art gallery and its exposition is so rich that it makes no sense to include photographs. I will limit myself to only one that made the greatest impression on me. These are amazing paintings by the Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a harbinger of surrealism, he painted these amazing allegories in the 1560s.

Along with the permanent exhibition of paintings, the art gallery held a huge exhibition of works by Diego Vellasquez, he was a court painter to the Spanish king and painted a large number of portraits of the Habsburg family. The exhibition features several portraits of the Infanta Margherita and the famous painting “Las Meninas”, 59 variations of which I saw in Barcelona.

The art gallery is very rich in immortal masterpieces; the entire second floor of the huge building is hung with paintings in several rows.

New Castle - Hunting and Gun Chamber

The collection of weapons and armor is considered one of the best in the world; the earliest examples date back to the 5th century. The collection was formed in 1889 as a result of the merger of the Imperial Arsenal with the collections located in Ambras Castle in Innsbruck.

This showcase displays the oldest pieces in the collection.

This was the first time I saw such pillows on a horse’s neck; apparently, they protected the horse in a collision with an opponent.

Some armors look like works of art, the finishing is so fine.

The collection of armor is very interesting, for example, I didn’t know that there were armor with faces

Or these helmets with a fish face.

Interactive screens are installed in the halls. On them you can see the history of knightly tournaments in medieval engravings. In addition to classic European armor, there is also a lot of Turkish military clothing, since Vienna often fought with the Ottoman Empire, and even one Japanese samurai armor.

The hunting and gun chamber is many times larger than the knights' hall of the Hermitage, since the knights still lived in Western Europe and it is quite natural that large collections of knightly armor developed in Europe.

New Castle - Museum of Ancient Musical Instruments

I admit honestly that we did not examine the musical instruments, since this is very specific and we are far from being passionate about classical music, but the harp in the interiors of the palace looks great.

New Castle - Ephesus Museum

The Ephesus Museum presents everything that was found during excavations of the ancient city of Ephesus, now located in Turkey. Excavations were carried out in 1886-1906; as many as 7 expeditions were sent with finds to Vienna. In Ephesus, of course, they wanted to find the famous Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, which is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed more than once in ancient times and little remains of it, but there were enough marble statues and fragments for the entire Ephesus Museum in Vienna.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is a very large collection of works of art from different eras, from the emergence of civilization in Ancient Egypt to the end of the 18th century. This is one of the largest collections in the world, which is quite natural, since all these collections were collected by the Habsburgs for almost 500 years. Art lovers are guaranteed to have great fun exploring the collection.

You can find out on my website. You no longer have to browse dozens of websites to find information about: what type of transport to choose (plane, train, bus,), all methods of transfer from Vienna-Schwechat airport, what to do in Vienna, what to see on your own, where you can download an audio guide, where to try the legendary Sachertorte and the slightly less famous Tafelspitz, All in one article, all the necessary links.

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The great treasures of the Habsburgs became the basis of many of Vienna's museums, each of which amazes not only with its outstanding collections, but also with the architecture of the buildings in which they are housed. In the year of cultural tourism between Russia and Austria, ARTANDHOUSES has compiled its guide to the most significant art collections in the Austrian capital.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

The great collection of art collected by the Habsburgs is presented here in all its diversity. The museum is divided into three parts. The right wing of the second floor displays Roman, Greek and Egyptian antiquities and sculpture; on the left, in the so-called Kunstkamera, there are objects of decorative and applied art of the 13th–19th centuries from all over the world (the most famous among them is the golden “Salier”). The most spacious third floor of the museum building is occupied by a collection of old masters, making the museum, along with the Louvre and the Hermitage, one of the main ones in the world. The pride of this part of the collection is the largest selections of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Dürer, Rembrandt and other artists.

Albertina

The world's largest collection of graphics by old masters, impressionists and modernists, was founded in the 18th century by Albert of Saxe-Teschen, the son-in-law of Maria Theresa. Thanks to his excellent taste, there is a collection of drawings by Leonardo and Michelangelo, Dürer and Raphael, Rubens and Rembrandt, and Bosch. The collection is still being replenished, not only with graphic works, but also with paintings by contemporary artists, which are regularly exhibited. Since opening after global reconstruction in 2003 Albertina It has also become famous for its blockbuster exhibitions, produced by the museum itself. In recent years, powerful retrospectives of Titian, Raphael and Renoir, Bruegel and Durer have been held here.

Leopold Museum

The museum, based on the collection of ophthalmologist Rudolf Leopold, is located in the famous museum cluster in the former royal stables in the heart of Vienna. It can be considered a museum of 20th century Austrian art - it was the collector's focus. And it is this art, like his first names - Gustav Klimt and, that form the main core of the collection. The permanent exhibition, which rotates twice a year, also features masterpieces by Oskar Kokoschka, Koloman Moser and other local artists. Various exhibitions of contemporary art, both Austrian and international, are also regularly held here.

MUMOK

The second most important (and most visited) institution in the MuseumsQuartier museum cluster. This museum of contemporary art is also known by its second name - Ludwig Museum. Peter Ludwig, the famous chocolate magnate from Cologne, scattered his legendary collection all over the world (he donated part of it to the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg), but it seems that Vienna got the most. There is no permanent exhibition here, but every six months they come up with a new exhibition concept for a huge collection of world art of the 20th–21st centuries, from Dali to Warhol, Maria Lassnig and the Viennese actionists. Along with its own collection, MUMOK simultaneously displays two or three temporary exhibitions of current artists.

Kunsthalle Wien

This huge exhibition hall is the third exhibition space in the MuseumsQuartier and, perhaps, the most radical. It hosts experimental exhibitions of contemporary artists from different countries, explores the subcultures of world capitals, organizes performance festivals and alternative music concerts. IN Kunsthalle For example, monographic shows of such artists as Camille Henrot, Isa Genzken, Leigh Bowery and others took place.

Belvedere

This palace complex is called the Viennese Versailles or the Viennese Peterhof. It, like its French and Russian counterparts, was built during the Baroque period as a summer residence, has a fantastic park with fountains and is associated with royal stories, from Prince Eugene of Savoy to Empress Maria Theresa. Today it is the main repository of historical art in Austria, from the Middle Ages to the Secession. Tourists flock here from all over the world to admire Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" and "Judith", Egon Schiele's "Embrace" and the funny busts by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. The ensemble of the complex is divided into Upper Belvedere And Lower. In the solemn Upper, the treasures of Austrian art are demonstrated, and in Nizhny temporary exhibitions are held. In recent years, the classical museum has begun to pay attention to and, so don’t be surprised if you see works by Jeff Koons, or, in the lobby, exhibition or park.

21er Haus

This museum of modern art is part of the Belvedere association - that’s why large-scale projects 21er Haus can be continued in the parks of the palace, and sometimes inside the Baroque walls. The museum building is the former Austrian pavilion, built by the architect Karl Schwanzer for the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. It would have been criminal to destroy an avant-garde building with references to constructivism, and the Austrians moved it at the end of the exhibition to the area of ​​the railway station, which was then almost the outskirts of Vienna. Today, this fantastically beautiful space hosts large-scale exhibitions and retrospectives of contemporary artists, as well as street art exhibitions in the adjacent garden.

MAK

Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna - one of the best in the world in its category. Here they know how to present the public with such sad exhibits as tables, chairs and dishes in a fun way. This is largely due to its former long-term director Peter Noever, who was more obsessed not with design, but rather with contemporary art. To decorate the museum halls, he invited contemporary artists, who literally assembled numerous exhibits of decorative and applied art and furniture of the 19th–20th centuries into exciting total installations. Based on them, undoubtedly, studying the history of world design of this period is much more interesting.

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Vienna Academy of Fine Arts- just like the Venetian one, a collection of old masters. It is based on the collection of Count Lamberg-Sprinzenstein: in 1822, he donated more than 800 paintings to this educational institution. Over the next two hundred years the collection expanded with other gifts and today has nearly doubled in size. Having climbed several floors of the existing educational institution, you will come face to face with the masterpieces of Rubens, Bosch, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Titian, the Little Dutch and other authors.

Palais Liechtenstein, Garden Palace

At the turn of the 17th–18th centuries, the luxurious Baroque palace was considered only the summer residence of the Princes of Liechtenstein on the outskirts of Vienna, but today it is located practically in its center - just a few tram stops from the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Until recently, it worked as a museum, but today you can get there by appointment, and there is a reason for it. The palace, with its gigantic ballroom frescoed by Johann Michael Rothmayer, displays masterpieces from the princely collection, which continues to grow today: from Botticelli and Quentin Masseys to the largest collection of Rubens and European decorative arts.

Palais Liechtenstein, City Palace

In 2013, the second princely palace in Vienna, the City Palace, was opened to the public, where a large family still stays today. Viewers (also by appointment) have access to the most magnificent rooms of the building, designed by Domenico Martinelli in collaboration with the Swiss Gabriel de Gabrieli at the beginning of the 18th century. The interiors are decorated with powerful draperies, huge bronze chandeliers with rock crystal pendants, soft sofas with woven pillows with patterns from the Rococo era, repeated in gilded elements of mirror and picture frames, ceiling and wall stucco, covered with a triple layer of gold leaf. On two accessible floors, a rich Biedermeier collection is exhibited with works by the main representatives of the style - Ferdinand Waldmüller, Carl Spitzweg, Moritz von Schwind and other artists, as well as furniture, dishes and graphics of that era.

Hofburg

One of the largest palace complexes in the world, the construction of which lasted from the 13th to the 20th centuries, was the home of the Habsburgs until 1918, and today it is fragmented into several museum institutions and the residence of the President of Austria. The most famous museums in the composition Hofburg- The Sisi Museum, the Imperial Apartments and the Treasury attract tourists primarily with collections of artifacts from the life of the legendary dynasty and a collection of decorative and applied art from different centuries and countries. Among the highlights are the crown, spear and sword of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, one of the largest emeralds in the world, furniture and decor of the 16th–19th centuries.

Schönbrunn

The summer imperial residence was rebuilt many times until Maria Theresa decided to settle in it thoroughly and ordered it to be remodeled in a lush Baroque style with references to Versailles in Paris. In fact, the skill of German, Italian, French and English cabinetmakers, glaziers and other court artisans of the 18th century can today be seen in all its splendor in the forty rooms of the palace open to visitors. Plus a huge park with Italian garden sculpture and the world’s very first zoo, along whose alleys the young Mozart walked.

Wien Museum Karlsplatz

Like any museum in the city, it is a museum of everything. Thousands of historical exhibits include topographic maps and models of the city, household utensils and furniture, paintings and sculpture and many other things that characterize the life and customs of the townspeople, starting with the first settlements here during the Neolithic period. The museum is especially proud of its own collection of great names of Austrian and German painting - Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Ferdinand Waldmüller and others.

Bank Austria Kunstforum

This largest exhibition hall is located in the building of the postmodernist architect Gustav Peichl in the center of Vienna and, as the name suggests, belongs to the main Austrian bank. The latter uses it not at all to demonstrate its own art collections, but to display retrospectives of world classics of the 19th and 20th centuries. Among the large-scale exhibitions of recent years there are exhibitions by Aivazovsky, Picasso and many others.

Weltmuseum

Opening at the end of October, it occupies an entire wing of the Hofburg imperial residence in the center of Vienna. It is the new reincarnation of the ethnographic museum, famous for its collections of archaeological antiquities and minerals from around the world, including, for example, finds from the expeditions of James Cook. Unique items of the Aztecs, applied art - wood, bronze, ivory - from different centuries and continents are stored here.

Secession

An incredibly beautiful white house with a golden dome, as if woven from tree branches, is the quintessence of Viennese Art Nouveau, an exhibition pavilion called Secession House. It was erected in 1897–1898 on the initiative of artists by the famous architect Joseph Olbrich and since its creation has been used to display the works of Art Nouveau artists. The main attraction inside is Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, written at the very beginning of the 20th century. Today, it also hosts exhibitions, mainly of contemporary artists from different countries.

If you don't like the works of Ernst Fuchs, one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, an art movement in post-war Austria, then you need to visit his museum, if only because it is located in the famous house built by Otto Wagner. The architectural pearl of Art Nouveau, or Art Nouveau, was erected by the famous architect for his family in 1888 and decorated according to all the canons of the style by famous masters of the era.

KUNST HAUS WIEN - Museum Hundertwasser

"Vienna House of Arts" was opened in 1991 by the Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. In fact, the founder dedicated the space to himself: on two floors, his many whimsical works are exhibited, mixed with expressionism, surrealism and the fantastic buildings of Gaudí. Temporary exhibitions of contemporary artists are also held here, and nearby is the famous asymmetrical and colorful residential building designed by Hundertwasser and which has become one of the symbols of Vienna.

Hofmobilendepot

Furniture Museum has been operating since 1924 and presents outstanding examples of almost all styles and trends, from Gothic to Art Nouveau. It is based on the imperial collection, represented here by individual items and entire rooms, such as the apartments of Princess Sissi, beloved by the Austrians, or the so-called Egyptian Cabinet, an empire masterpiece that belonged to Empress Marie Louise.

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