Vienna Technology Museum

About

In Vienna's 14th district on Mariahilfer Strasse, this museum was conceived in 1908, on the occasion of Emperor Franz Joseph I's 60th jubilee, through the initiative of Wilhelm Exner. The foundation stone was laid in June 1909 and the building completed in 1913, but the outbreak of the First World War delayed its opening — the "Technical Museum for Industry and Trade" finally opened its doors on May 6, 1918. Designed by architect Hans Schneider, the building ranks among Austria's earliest reinforced-concrete structures. It closed from 1992 to 1999 for a major renovation and expansion. Its holdings include the second Marcus automobile of 1888/89, one of Austria's largest historical musical-instrument collections, and rail vehicles and aircraft. Today the museum offers ten permanent exhibition sections with more than 300 interactive stations, and in 2024 it drew 467,894 visitors. Demonstrations of working historical technology, from steam engines on up, remain one of its long-standing features.