Are you visiting Vienna and its countless museums and monuments? Take a tour of the Hundertwasser Museum and discover one of the most visited buildings in Austria.
By visiting the ancient capital of the Hasburg monarchy, you will discover a city with a thousand contrasts. Marked by a history of exceptional wealth, the city of Vienna has managed to preserve its rich heritage, of which Schönbrunn Castle is undoubtedly one of the most famous representatives. With its historic UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Vienna is one of the most important cities to visit in Europe. But Vienna is not a city of the past. With boldness, she has evolved and is now a dynamic and modern city, attracting artists from all over the world.
If you are looking for an original place to visit in Vienna, don’t miss a tour at the Hundertwasser Museum, the first green-labelled museum in Austria. Located in the Kunst Haus , not far from the Danube, the museum is a tribute to the values of Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a great Austrian artist born in 1928 and died in 2000. Enlisted and revolutionary, he marked the city of Vienna with his avant-garde ideas.
You want to visit the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna? Here’s all you need to know to discover one of the five most visited tourist attractions in the Austrian capital.
History of the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna
Photo credit: Shutterstock / Marina Litvinova
After two years of work, on 9 April 1991, opens the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna in a building built by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in person, a few blocks from the Hundertwasser Haus near the Danube canal. The original building dates back to 1892.
In 2007, the museum opened a cultural hub including, inter alia, the Mozart’s house or the Jewish Museum of Vienna. Currently, this cultural hub attracts nearly three million five hundred thousand visitors each year. A few years later, in 2011, the Museum received the prize of the Austrian museums of the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, for the preservation of its original building and for all works created by Friedensreich Hundertwasser which are exhibited there.
In 2015, the museum is designated as first Green Museum of Austria . This label rewards Hundertwasser’s innovative ideas in ecological matters, but also the museum’s policy, which encourages the preservation of the environment through various actions and decisions. Thus, the museum promotes repairs rather than the purchase of new equipment, thus encouraging the preservation of resources. In addition, eco-labal products are always favoured during purchases by the museum. For the anecdote, the logo Green Museum was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser himself.
Since 1991, in addition to Hundertwasser's works, the museum has presented ninety temporary exhibitions of international photographers such as René Burri or Henry Cartier-Bresson . In recent years, temporary exhibitions have placed more emphasis on contemporary photography.
What to see and do at the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna?
Photo credit: Facebook – KUNST HAUS WIEN. Museum Hundertwasser
Hundertwasser Museum architecture in Vienna
To visit the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna, it is first of all to imbue reflections and commitments by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Thus, you may not remain insensitive to the unusual architecture and biscornue of the building, imagined and realized by the artist himself. This is the expression of the strong link between the artist, the environment and its ecological commitments. You will enjoy the loggia with arcades, galleries, suspended gardens and tenant trees, statues and bulbs that adorn the façade. It is like nature, as Hundertwasser represented it: colourful, colourful and free.
Built with a wide variety of materials, the Hundertwasser Museum building is a work of art, to be discovered. For the little story, know that the artist himself resided on the top floor of this building.
Exhibition rooms
Visiting the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna is then discovering an extraordinary universe.
The first two floors of the museum are entirely dedicated to permanent exhibitions works by Hundertwasser. They present a complete overview of the works of the Austrian artist. You will discover his paintings, tapestries and lithography in a colorful and clearly engaged universe. The protection of the environment is indeed at the heart of the artist’s creations, then considered a visionary.
In the basement, temporary exhibitions are proposed. Always on the theme of ecology, various and varied artists exhibit their works.
Finally, the upper floors are dedicated to the photo , with temporary exhibitions that renew very regularly. The Hundertwasser Museum is also considered the main exhibition centre for contemporary photographs in Vienna.
Activities
The museum offers many guided tours, activities and workshops all sorts for the little ones and the big ones. Discovery tour, ecological tour or photo workshops, visit the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna will allow you to better understand the universe of a visionary out of the ordinary and to discover the artist who sleeps in you. Your child celebrates his birthday during your stay? Organize your birthday at the museum or register it for a holiday program. He'll have a great time. Do not hesitate to consult the museum’s website for more information.
The bistro coffee
Want some relaxation? Located in a charming inner courtyard, the bistrot coffee is ideal for a break after your visit. You will enjoy vegetarian dishes and taste one traditional cuisine , tasty and modernized.
The Museum Shop
No question of Visiting the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna without stopping at its shop. The store offers many high quality items. You can offer an illustration, a calendar, and even an umbrella. A multitude of small gifts all in reference to Hundertwasser. The shop also offers many environmental products which reflects the artist’s commitment to the preservation of the planet. Many books and catalogues featuring the various permanent and temporary exhibitions are also available. And for those who forgot to go through the shop, know that you can order most of the objects online on the museum site.
How to go to the Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna?
The museum is located on the Untere Weissgerberstrasse , only two minutes away Radetzkyplatz and 10 minutes Praterstern . If you come from Rochusgasse or Schwedenplatz , count about twelve minutes. If you come further to visit Hundertwasser Museum in Vienna, the ideal is to borrow public transport.
By metro
- U4 station Wien-Mitte or Schwedenplatz
- U3 station Wien-Mitte or Rochusgasse
- U1 station Schwedenplatz or Praterstern
- U2 station Praterstern
By tram
- Line 1 stop Radetzkyplatz
- Line O stop Radetzkyplatz
Hundertwasser Museum schedules and rates
Photo credit: Shutterstock / TasfotoNL
HORARI
The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. .
One guided tour takes place every Tuesday at 3 p.m. It lasts about an hour and can accommodate up to thirty people.
RATES
- Adult : 11€ (12€ with the current exhibition).
- Child 10-19 : 5 €.
- Free for under 10 years.
BON A LEARN
- For temporary exhibitions, consult the museum’s agenda on the official website.
- Audio-guides are available in English and German for three additional euros.
– Take comfortable shoes. The museum floor is undulating astonishment.
- The museum is perfectly suited to people with reduced mobility. You can access the museum by sounding at the entrance located on the left of the main entrance of the ground floor. All floors are accessible by elevator and staff are very available if needed. Disabled toilets are also available on the ground floor in the café and shop. The visit is free for the accompanying guests. For guided tours, consider informing the museum in advance.
- The blind dogs are admitted to the museum.
- If you want to discover other architectural works of Hundertwasser, go to the Fernwärme (Vienna Incineration Plant), in the thermal village of Blumau, or at the _Hundertwasser Haus_nearby.
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