Housed opposite the Art History museum and mirroring its handsome neo-Renaissance style, this is the third-largest natural history museum in the world (after its counterparts in New York and London), and holds the oldest collections. It was established by Franz Stephan von Lothringen (husband of Empress Maria Theresa), who had received a collection of 30,000 natural artifacts in 1750. His personal gift to the Empress still resides in the museum, located in Room no. 4 of the Mineralogy Department. Known as Der Juwelen Strauss, it is a 60cm-tall (24-in.) bouquet of flowers crafted from more than 2,000 gemstones, each of which was even rarer at the time of the object's creation than it is today. Changing exhibits include touring greats like the renowned "Body Worlds" exhibit by Gunter von Hagen, or "Trading in Death–The Final Mass Extinction" about the human-induced eradication of species. The museum also holds an important collection of early Stone Age artifacts, the best-known and most evocative of which is the Venus of Willendorf, which was discovered in Lower Austria and believed to have been carved during the Paleolithic Period, around 30,000 BCE.
Vienna› Attraction
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Maria-Theresien-Platz, Burgring 7, 1010
Our Rating
Neighborhood
Between the Ringstrasse and Museumsquartier
Hours
Thurs–Mon 9am–6:30pm, Wed 9am–9pm
Transportation
U-Bahn: U2/U3 Volkstheater or U2 Museumsquartier; Tram: 1, 2, 46, 49, D
Phone
01/521-770
Prices
€10 adults, €8 seniors, €5 students, free for ages 18 and under
Web site
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Map
Maria-Theresien-Platz, Burgring 7, 1010 ViennaNote: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.