Vienna Furniture Museum

Vienna Furniture Museum – a real insider tip…

The Vienna Furniture Museum is situated in an idyllic green inner courtyard in Neubau, the hip 7th Viennese district, in the middle of cool concept stores and original restaurants and bars. An insider tip for all fans of design and interiors, or those who fancy a break from the everyday Routine in the shady inner courtyard.

A journey through four centuries of interior design

The original furniture of the Habsburgs, the largest collection worldwide of Biedermeier and classics of contemporary furniture design: whatever the preference, there’s something for everyone in the Vienna Furniture Museum. 1.50 € discount on the regular admission fee incl. current special exhibition*. Free Audioguide in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Mandarin.

Empress Elisabeth and Romy Schneider – two women, two fates …

A special tour of the museum uses selected objects to tell the story of Elisabeth, affectionately known as Sisi, Empress of Austria, and Sissi, the protagonist of the film trilogy of the same name, in which Romy Schneider captured the hearts of audiences.

In the 1950s, director Ernst Marischka furnished his Sissi films with imperial furniture from the Imperial Furniture Collection. Some scenes were recreated with original furniture, and the Vienna Furniture Museum shows the corresponding film clips as part of its permanent exhibition “Sissi in Film - Furniture of an Empress.” Different language versions make it clear how popular the Sissi films were around the world and still are today.

The furniture of the imperial family

Many of the exhibits come from Habsburg residences. If furniture could talk, no doubt it could tell an indiscreet tale or two. But as it is, these objects eloquently reveal the tastes of their former imperial owners while demonstrating the design of high-end furniture down the centuries. Nowhere else can Viennese furniture making from the mid-18th century onwards be viewed as comprehensively as here. The collection originated in 1747, when Empress Maria Theresa ordered a systematic inventory of the imperial furniture.

Biedermeier – a middle-class style?

Biedermeier was long held to be a middle-class style, disparaged as staid and unadventurous. But its origins lie in the nobility and the courts of the early nineteenth century. Fabrics with vibrant contrasts were preferred to the pale colors traditionally associated with the style. Displays with completely furnished rooms convey a vivid picture of this period.

A design journey into the twenty-first century

Since the year 2000, the museum has given contemporary Austrian furniture design a place where it can be shown in all its variety for the first time. Under the motto ›The expanding collection‹ a new generation of designers are given a space to showcase their latest work.

Did you know that...

... Maria Theresa went down in history not only as a ruler, but also as a great patron of the arts and crafts? Under her reign, Viennese furniture design experienced a particular heyday....

Otto Wagner was not only an architect, but also a furniture designer? His designs are characterized by functional elegance.

... Adolf Loos sparked a debate about ornamentation and function in design with his essay “Ornament and Crime” that continues to this day?...

the Sissi films starring Romy Schneider continue to shape the image of imperial interior design to this day, and many of the pieces of furniture shown were actually originals from the Imperial Furniture Collection?

Permanent exhibitions and special exhibitions

While regular temporary exhibitions explore the development of international furniture design from various perspectives, the museum’s unique history also allows us to put on exhibitions devoted to outstanding personalities from the House of Habsburg and their love of architecture and design.

Your Benefit with EasyCityPass Vienna: 1.50 € discount on the regular admission fee incl. current special exhibition*

*The discount must be redeemed on-site at the checkout. Free Audioguide in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Mandarin