Description
Exhibition
The painting gallery has made it to worldwide fame due to its enormous Pieter Bruegel collection, one of the more famous ones being his “Tower of Babel”. Flemish and old German masters of their art such as Rubens, Vermeer and Dürer are represented in the collection too.
The collection of Venetian art is not to be missed either. It contains 400 paintings by Tizian, Bellini, Raffael and Caravaggio among many others. Outstanding pieces of art taken from the Habsburg collection are shown in the chamber of art. In total, 2,200 artworks made of gold, bronze, ivory and stone as well as clocks and machines tell the story of past rulers.
Ancient Egypt is represented in the Egyptian-Oriental collection with mummies, sarcophagi, and statues. Late ancient treasures and ancient Roman artefacts can be seen in the Ancient collection. The numismatic collection shows coins originating from early times up to the presence. All in all, there are 700,000 samples exhibited.
Historical Information
The Museum of Art History is considered to be one of the most significant museums in the world. Its art treasures, presented in various collections, were worn by Habsburg emperors and archdukes throughout the centuries. Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and Apostolic King of Hungary from 1848 until his death in 1916, built a museum to accommodate his art collection, which is a piece of art itself. The building belongs to the grand and splendid buildings along the Ringstraße. It was designed by the architects Gottfried Semper and Karl Hasenauer.
How to get there
By public transport
Coming from the western train station (Westbahnhof), take the U3 until you reach the station “Volkstheater”.
If you arrive at the southern train station (Südbahnhof), take the tram line D and get off at the station “Burgring/ Kunsthistorisches Museum.