Kunsthistorisches Museum - great architecture and other Vienna, Austria Things to Do Tips

the great entrance-hall

Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the 2 best museums in Vienna, not only for the great collections that you may see there, but also for the great architecture of the building, that once belonged to the Hofburg and the royal court of the Austrian empire. Collections of paintings and other works of art were quite common at a royal court and many of the exhibits of today had been given as a donation by other emperors who visited Vienna in former times.
In order to see the best parts of the building, you have to get inside and pay for the entrance. Photography is no problem, you simply are not allowed to use a flash or tripod.
the most beautiful parts of the building are certainly the giant entrance-hall and the high dome with a restaurant / cafe underneath.
You may enter the cafe ONLY when you pay the entrance-fee for the museum !

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Address: A-1010 Wien / Maria-Theresiaplatz
Directions: take bus 2A or 57A or the tram #1 or #2 on Ringstrasse and get out at station "Hofburg" When using the metro U2, the station to get out is : Babenbergerstrasse / Volkstheater
Website: www.khm.at

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Hofburg: Hofjagd- & Ruestkammer

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Written by globetrott

on Nov 1, 2005

Hofjagd- & Ruestkammer

Hofjagd- & Ruestkammer is one of the museums in Neue Burg with the entrance next to the monument of Prinz Eugen. The Ruestkammer shows various iron-armours that were collected by the Habsburg-family at a time, when these armours were still used at several tournaments & parades and so you will see there mostly armours, whose former owners were kings, dukes and even cardinals, you will see armours of children and horses - all of them beautifully arranged, polished and looking almost brand-new.
The Hofjagd- & Ruestkammer is open
daily except tuesday 10.00a.m. - 06.00p.m.

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Address: A-1010 Wien / Heldenplatz
Directions: Hofjagd- & Ruestkammer is one of the museums in Neue Burg with the entrance next to the monument of Prinz Eugen at Heldenplatz. Take tram #1 or #2 and leave at Hofburg / Burgring !

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Things To Do: the egyptian collections in Kunsthist. Museum

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Written by globetrott

on Oct 23, 2005

the first hall of the egyptian

collection

The egyptian- and oriental collection in Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna is in a side-wing of the building to the right at the entrancehall.
You will find various mummies there (see the mummie of a crocodile on my picture), ornate sarcophags and most of the walls of the 6 museum-halls are painted and decorated like the death-chambers in the egyptian pyramids.One of the highlights of the egyptian collection is the portrait of king Thutmosis II, who lived around 1460 B.C. Most of these exhibits were taken to Vienna in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when austrian archeologists made excarvations in Gizeh.
The egyptian- and oriental collections are open daily except mondays :
10.00a.m. - 06.00p.m., thursdays even untill 09.00p.m.!!
it is CLOSED jan1st, May 1st , Nov.1st and dec.25th !!

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Address: A-1010 Wien / Maria-Theresiaplatz
Directions: In order to get to the museum, take bus 2A or 57A or the tram #1 or #2 on Ringstrasse and get out at station "Hofburg" When using the metro U2, the station to get out is : Babenbergerstrasse / Volkstheater !
Website: www.khm.at

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Jewish Vienna: The worst time in Austrian History

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Updated by globetrott

on Nov 11, 2005

the sadest time in Austria's

history

Right opposite of the famous Albertina you see this monument for the victims of fashism, made by Alfred Hridlicka.
When you click on my 2nd picture, you might understand the meaning more easily:
There are the 2 marble sculpture-towers and between them there is another sculpture and on the right a very small person on his knees - that sculpture has a sad meaning, dating back into the times, when the Nazi regime took over in Austria :
This sculpture shows one of the many jews, who had to brush the streets of Vienna after the take-over by the Nazis - Doctors, Professors from university and other formerly rich and famous citicens of Vienna on their knees, cleaning the streets, watched and jeered at by their neighbours...
Btw.: The sculptures were made by Alfred Hrdlicka, who still calls himself a communiste today.
in the beginning the sculpture of the jew on his knees did not have any thorns on top - they had to been added, because lots of tourists used that sculpture like a bench, taking a rest on the back of the sculpture, certainly not in a bad meaning, but simply not at all understanding what they were doing....

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Address: Albertina
Directions: This monument is opposite of the Albertina-entrance, close to the Opera and Hotel Sacher.

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Belvedere: Unteres Belvedere

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Updated by globetrott

on Oct 28, 2005

the marblehall & Donnerbrunnen

Unteres Belvedere is the lower building - a lot smaller than the upper palace, but also with some great halls and ornate rooms with plenty of baroque paintings. Unteres Belvedere is next to Palais Schwarzenberg, that is one of the most exclusive hotels in Austria.
The most interesting room in Unteres Belvedere is the marble-room in the centre and it shows a copy of the beautiful Providentia-fountain on Neuer Markt in Vienna. It dates back to 1739 and in Belvedere you may see the original sculptures made by Georg Raphael Donner: Providentia (goddess of providence)in the centre and around her 4 sculptures symbolizing the 4 most important rivers flowing into the Danube. The fountain in Belvedere looks like brand new, the one in Neuer Markt became grey and green already...

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Address: A-1030 Wien / Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27
Directions: You may get to Unteres Belvedere by tram #13A and take the 1st exit after Schwarzenbergplatz. You may as well walk down the park from Oberes Belvedere. Next U-bahnstation is Suedbahnhof in a distance of 1000 meters.

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Things To Do: Naturhistorisches Museum - great exhibits

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Updated by globetrott

on Oct 28, 2005

Naturhistorisches Museum - great

exhibits

Naturhistorisches Museum is a great place to learn about nature in all of its aspects and diversity. Already in the entrance-hall you may see this giant walross, in another room you may see exotic fishes in various aquariums and on 1st floor you may see an terrarium with exotic birds, bees, butterflies and that small aligator, that seems to have fun with a butterfly - all of these animals are not alive of course, but they are arranged in a way you get the feeling to be in a jungle. My favorites were the giant crabs and it was really great to see them (next to the cafe )!

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Address: A-1010 Wien / Maria-Theresienplatz
Directions: In order to go to Naturhistorisches Museum take bus 2A or 57A or the tram #1 or #2 on Ringstrasse and get out at station "Hofburg" When using the metro U2, the station to get out is : Babenbergerstrasse / Volkstheater
Website: www.nhm.at

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Nationalbibliothek: Nationalbibliothek / National Library

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Updated by globetrott

on Oct 28, 2005

Nationalbibliothek / National

Library

Nationalbibliothek / National Library is one of the buildings built by J.B.Fischer von Erlach in 1719 and first it was called "Hofbibliothek" The Prunksaal is 77 meters long and is the largest baroque library in Europe with 2.600.000 books, including the private library of Prince Eugene and the libraries of several monasteries, you may see some precious globes there as well.
Photography is no problem there, BUT no tripod and NO flash !!
The Nationalbibliothek is open daily between 10.00a.m. and 02.00p.m.

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Phone: +43(0)1 53410397
Address: A-1010 Wien / Josefsplatz 1
Directions: You may get to Nationalbibliothek by U-bahn (exit is in Herrengasse) - it is just a few steps from Hofburg !
Website: www.oub.ac.at

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Oper / Staatsoper: Opern-toilette & Toilet-Bar

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Written by globetrott

on Nov 1, 2005

the entrance of Opern-toilette

Opern-Toilette is a funny place, right under the Opera. It was constructed some years ago and recently the so-called "Toilet-Bar" was added. It is a pissoir, designed by the artist Rudolf Scheffel and includes a Jazz-piano and 4 hungry lips, waiting untill you p*ss off....
Just Imagine, you walk through the lovely centre of Vienna, and get the idea or need, you want to powder your nose or to talk to a man about a horse...
There is a place, where you may do that in the apropriate way, you certainly expect to, in the metropole of classical music and good taste !
Ladies go ahead, through the big stage' curtain !
Gents go to the right please !
There is a small entrance fee of 60 cents
to be paid into a machine at the entrance.
And believe me : It's worth every cent !
I don't know much about the ladies tones,
when they powder their noses,
but at the men's department strange tones are not unusual
while talking to a man about a horse or a dog !
...and therefore Opera-music is played there in order to
get a more cultural "touch" into any discussion about horses...
Just imagine - Luciano Pavarotti is singing TOSCA
in the real Opera high above you,
while you may talk to a man about a horse...
and you may sit in one of these well-furnished boxes
and may go to the John
and nobody could blame you for that !!!
Just try to do the same in the real Opera's boxes and you will see what happens ...

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Address: Under Ringstrasse, next to the Opera
Directions: Opern-Toilette is just below the Opera. You simply take the rolling-stairs from the opera under the Ringstrasse and will have Opern-Toilette to your right. It is open untill midnight !!

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Oper / Staatsoper: Staatsoper / the opera

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Written by globetrott

on Oct 29, 2005

the foyer of Staatsoper in Wien

The Oper was the first building of the new Ringstrasse that was finished in 1869, and while not everybody was happy with the style of the building at that time it finally became one of the most popular buildings of Vienna. In case that you intend to see one of the performances in the Opera, just make sure to reserve as long in advance, as possible, otherwise you have to get your tickets at one of the several ticket-bureaus, adding high extra-charges to the ticket-prices.
As soon as you arrive in Vienna, you may as well take a look at the side-entrance opposite of "Ringstrassen-Gallerien" - there you see a seperate entrance, where you may see, at what dates guided tours through the opera are offered. - it does NOT follow a regular schema, but the dates of the next few weeks are posted there. Be there in time, these tours are made by plenty of tourguides in various languages, rushing through thousands of tourists within a short time...

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Phone: +43(0)51444-2250
Address: A-1010 Wien / Opernring 2
Directions: Oper is at Ringstrasse and you may get there by U1 and U4, exit Karlsplatz. Trams #1, #2, #65, #D, #J and many others will take you directely to the Opera.
Website: www.wiener-staatsoper.at

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Belvedere: Oberes Belvedere

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Updated by globetrott

on Oct 28, 2005

Belvedere - the ornate hall