One side of Felderstraße has the imperious and imperial Rathaus, rich in history. The other side has the Wien Museum MUSA, which sits at the other end of the time spectrum with its contemporary (art) exhibitions.
- Exhibition space for established and new artists, as well as particular eras and themes
- Includes the Artothek art library
- What special exhibitions are on?
- One-time free entry with the Vienna All-inclusive Pass
- See also:
MUSA exhibition venue
(Sits opposite city hall)
One of the younger additions to the sites run by the Wien Museum is the MUSA, a small exhibition centre and cultural spot.
The larger area inside offers space for a main ticketed exhibition. This typically addresses some aspect of Viennese contemporary art, such as a solo exhibition for a particular iconic artist or a review of some genre, topic or era.
Recent exhibitions have covered, for example (just to give you a flavour), a look at Viennese street photography through the decades, the interaction between art and politics during (and after) the Nazi period in Vienna, and the life and work of architect Richard Neutra.
A smaller room hosts the Startgalerie exhibition space, designed to encourage and support new artists. Guest curatorial teams hold group exhibitions there.
The Artothek
If you’re planning a longer stay in the city, then the Artothek within the MUSA building might pique your interest. Think of it as a lending library for contemporary art.
For a small monthly fee, you can borrow drawings, photographs, paintings and similar from the Wien Museum’s own collection to hang at home for up to 12 months.
The list of artists featured includes a few names I’ve seen in exhibitions at leading museums in Vienna.
(The Felderstraße colonnade outside the art venue)
Tickets, exhibitions & tips
A standard adult entrance ticket cost €8 at the time of writing. Access to the Artothek or Startgalerie requires no ticket.
The MUSA ticket counter also has a few items for sale: mainly exhibition catalogues, postcards, CDs, DVDs, and a handful of souvenirs.
Special exhibitions
The current schedule for the main MUSA exhibition is:
- Elfriede Mejchar: featuring a wide selection from the renowned photographer’s long catalogue of works (April 18th to September 1st, 2024)
- Gekauft. Und dann? (my translation: Bought. And then what?): selected works purchased by the city for its art collection in the last five years and a presentation of what goes on behind the scenes of such a collection (September 26th, 2024 to February 23rd, 2025)
Film buffs might want to stand on the colonnade outside the MUSA: this was used twice as a location in the movie The Woman in Gold: once for a Nazi parade and then later for a chase scene.
How to get to the MUSA
The MUSA sits opposite the north wing of the Rathaus (city hall), so is easily reached if you’re meandering around the city centre.
Despite the central location, the premises lack any great history, largely because the land formed part of the open ground that lay in front of the city fortifications until the late 19th century.
Subway: the closest stations are Schottentor and Rathaus on the U2 line.
Tram/bus: Go two streets in practically any direction from the MUSA and you hit a tram stop. For example:
- The 43 and 44 lines stop at Landesgerichtsstraße
- The 1, D and 71 stop at Rathausplatz/Burgtheater
- The 2 at Rathaus
Address: Felderstraße 6-8, 1010 Vienna | Website