维也纳艺术史博物馆

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) is one of the principal museums in Vienna, Austria. It houses the art collections of the Habsburg dynasty, assembled over several centuries. The museum is located on Maria-Theresien-Platz in central Vienna, opposite the Naturhistorisches Museum and adjacent to the Hofburg Palace. Both museums were commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph I and opened in the late 19th century to provide a suitable setting for the imperial collections.

The museum contains extensive holdings of European painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and antiquities. The picture gallery is notable for its works from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern European schools. Among the Italian artists represented are Raphael, Titian, Veronese, and Caravaggio. The collection of Netherlandish and Flemish painting includes works by Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Rembrandt. The museum preserves the most comprehensive collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, including The Tower of Babel 和 Hunters in the Snow.

In addition to European paintings, the museum maintains collections from Ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome. These holdings include sculptures, sarcophagi, jewelry, and everyday artifacts. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection is considered one of the most significant in Central Europe.

The building itself was designed in a historicist style, with interiors decorated with marble, stucco, and murals. Together with the adjacent Naturhistorisches Museum, it forms part of the monumental Ringstrasse ensemble.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum functions not only as a public exhibition space but also as a research institution. It organizes temporary exhibitions, academic projects, and conservation work. The museum’s library and archives are open to scholars specializing in art history and related disciplines.

Visitor information

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00, with extended hours until 21:00 on Thursdays. It is closed on Mondays. As of 2025, general admission is 21 euros, while visitors under 19 years of age have free entry.