Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)
In the twin building facing the Kunsthistorisches Museum, you'll find moon rocks, dinosaur
stuff, and the fist-sized
Venus of Willendorf
—at 25,000 years old, the world's oldest sex
symbol. This four-inch-tall, chubby stone statuette, found in the Danube Valley, is a generic
female (no face or feet) resting her hands on her ample breasts. The statue's purpose is un-
known, but she may have been a symbol of fertility for our mammoth-hunting ancestors.
Even though the museum is not glitzy or high-tech, it's a hit with children and scientifically
curiousgrown-ups.Ofthemuseum's20millionobjects,you'resuretofindsomethinginter-
esting. The collection's presentation is almost charming in its old school-ness.
Cost and Hours:
€10, Wed-Mon 9:00-18:30, Wed until 21:00, closed Tue, on the Ring-
strasse at Maria-Theresien-Platz, U-2 or U-3: Volkstheater/Museumsplatz, tel. 01/521-770,
The vast grounds of the former imperial stables now corral a cutting-edge cultural center
for contemporary arts and design, including several impressive museums; the best are the
Leopold Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. For many, the MuseumsQuartier is most
enjoyable not for its galleries but as a youthful gathering spot in the evening for light, fun
meals and cocktails.
Visiting the MuseumsQuartier:
Walk into the complex from the Hofburg side, where
the main entrance (with visitors center, shop, and ticket office) leads to a big courtyard with
cafés, fountains, and ever-changing “installation lounge furniture,” all surrounded by the
quarter's various museums. At the visitors center, various
combo-tickets
are available for
those interested in more than just the Leopold and Modern Art museums. You can also rent
a €4
audioguide
that explains the complex (behind Kunsthistorisches Museum, U-2 or U-3:
Volkstheater/Museumsplatz, tel. 01/525-5881,
www.mqw.at
)
.
The
Leopold Museum
features several temporary exhibits of modern Austrian art. The
top floor holds the largest collection of works by Egon Schiele (1890-1918; these works
make some people uncomfortable—Schiele's nudes are
really
nude) and a few paintings
by Gustav Klimt, Kolo Moser, and Oskar Kokoschka. While this is a great collection,
you can see even better works from these artists in the Belvedere Palace, described later
(€12, €3 audioguide—worth it only for enthusiasts; June-Aug daily 10:00-18:00, Thu un-
til 21:00; Sept-May Wed-Mon 10:00-18:00, Thu until 21:00, closed Tue; tel. 01/525-700,
The
Museum of Modern Art
(Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, a.k.a.
“MUMOK”) is Austria's leading gallery for international modern and contemporary art. It's
the striking lava-paneled building—three stories tall and four stories deep, offering seven
floors of far-out art that's hard for most visitors to appreciate. This state-of-the-art mu-
