Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Visiting the Museum:
Today, you can walk through his three-room office (but not the
apartments next door, where Freud lived with his large family). The rooms are tiny and dis-
appointingly bare. Freud, who was Jewish, fled Vienna when the Nazis came to power. He
took most of his furniture with him, including the famous couch that patients reclined on
(now in a London museum).
All in all, the museum is quite old-fashioned—tediously described in a three-ring binder
loaned to visitors, which complements the more general audioguide.
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Imperial Furniture Collection (Hofmobiliendepot)
Bizarre, sensuous, eccentric, or precious, this collection (on four fascinating floors) is your
peek at the Habsburgs' furniture—from the empress's wheelchair (“to increase her fertility
she was put on a rich diet and became corpulent”) to the emperor's spittoon—all thought-
fully described in English. Evocative paintings help bring the furniture to life. The Habs-
burgs had many palaces, but only the Hofburg was permanently furnished. The rest were
done on the fly—set up and taken down by a gang of royal roadies called the “Depot of
Court Movables” (Hofmobiliendepot). When the monarchy was dissolved in 1918, the state
of Austria took possession of the Hofmobiliendepot's inventory—165,000 items. Now this
royal storehouse is open to the public in a fine and sprawling museum. Don't go here for the
Jugendstil
furnishings.TheolderBaroque,Rococo,andBiedermeierpiecesarethemostim-
pressive and tied most intimately to the royals. Combine a visit to this museum with a stroll
down the lively shopping boulevard, Mariahilfer Strasse.
Mon, Mariahilfer Strasse 88, main entrance around the corner at Andreasgasse 7, U-3: Zieg-
lergasse, tel. 01/5243-3570,
www.hofmobiliendepot.at
.
Among Europe's palaces, only Schönbrunn rivals Versailles. This former summer residence
of the Habsburgs is big, with 1,441 rooms. But don't worry—only 40 rooms are shown to
the public. Of the plethora of sights at the palace, the highlight is a tour of the Royal Apart-
ments—the chandeliered rooms where the Habsburg nobles lived. You can also stroll the
gardens, tour the coach museum, and visit a handful of lesser sights nearby.
Getting There:
While on the outskirts of Vienna, Schönbrunn is an easy 10-minute sub-
wayridefromdowntown.TakeU-4toSchönbrunnandfollowsignsfor
SchlossSchönbrunn
.
Exit bearing right, then cross the busy road and continue to the right along the yellow build-
ing to the main entry courtyard, which will be on your left. Tickets are sold at the visitors
