Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum Vienna is the largest museum in Austria. It is located in the Old Town of Vienna, a two-minute walk from the Hofburg Palace. It stands right opposite the Museum of Fine Arts on Maria Theresa Square with a park and the statue of Maria Theresa. The façade of the Natural History Museum is adorned with stucoo decorations. Inside, there is a staircase with statues of famous scientists and 100 valuable oil paintings with natural and scientific motifs. It was built because of the extensive collection of natural objects (about 30,000 specimens) gathered by the “imperial cabinet of natural sciences”, which had been stored in the Hofburg Palace until then. The building was designed by architects Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer. Construction began in 1871 and was completed after 18 years. Today, the scientific collections of the museum contain about 20 million objects. Exhibitions are divided into several sections – botanical, zoological, archaeological, etc. There is also a digital planetarium, where visitors can watch movies about astronomy, biology or prehistoric times. The Natural History Museum also owns the largest and oldest collection of meteorites (1100 stones) and life-size dinosaur skeletons. The museum houses a restaurant and café and a souvenir shop.
Useful information for visitors
Public transport connections
The closest public transport stops near the Natural History Museum:
- Museumsquartier metro station and bus stops
- Volkstheater metro station, bus and tram stops
- Burgring bus and tram stops
Opening hours and admission
For up-to-date information about admission fees and opening hours, visit the official website.
Interesting facts about Natural History Museum
One of the most valuable objects of the Natural History Museum is the 29,500-year-old Venus of Willendorf. There are also stuffed animals dating back over 200 years, including some endangered or already extinct species. Another interesting thing to catch visitors’ eyes is the showcase with forty sharks and sea rays. The museum also displays a unique floral bouquet of gems, a gift given by Maria Theresa to her husband. It is built of 2100 diamonds and 761 precious stones.
