The Kunsthistorische Museum (kunsthistorisch = relating to art history) stands vis-à-vis its architectonic mirror-image, the Naturhistorische Museum (naturhistorisch = relating to natural history). Both buildings were planned by the architects Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) and Karl von Hasenauer (1833-1894) and are among the outstanding landmarks of Vienna's Ringstraße (Ring = ring + Straße = street).

The Kunsthistorische Museum was ceremoniously opened in 1891 and houses most of the imperial Habsburg art treasures. They reflect both Habsburg taste and the craft of the countries that were part of the Habsburg empire in the past.

The collections of the Kunsthistorische Museum are undoubtedly amongst the most important and spectacular in the world. The collections range from ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities to medieval art; from renaissance to baroque art. There are eight different collections, some of which are housed in the Hofburg and in the Schönbrunn Palace. The most important exhibition is the Gemäldegalerie (Gemälde = painting + Galerie = gallery), the picture gallery of classical paintings that is situated in the main building of the museum.

Artists whose works are on display in the Kunsthistorische Museum include van Dyck, Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Velázquez, Raffael, Tizian, and Tintoretto. The museum also houses the biggest Bruegel collection in the world.

Check out the Kunsthistorische Museum’s website for information on tickets and special exhibitions:
http://www.khm.at

Kunsthistorische Museum
1st district
Maria-Theresien-Platz
Metro: U2 Museumsquartier Mariahilferstraße
Tel: 52524 - 403

Open: Tue-Sun 10 am to 6 pm; Thu 10 am to 9 pm; closed on Mondays.