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
- Current/next exhibition:
- Vienna in Postcards (May 4 – Sept 24, 2023)
- 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.
The main Wien Museum site has closed temporarily for rebuilding work, and the MUSA has taken over some of the former’s exhibition duties. So the current remit (until the parent location’s December 2023 reopening) also includes the history and culture of Vienna.
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.
(All the display information and exhibit labels have always been in both German and English on my visits.)
A smaller room hosts the Startgalerie exhibition space, designed to encourage and support new artists. Art graduates hold solo exhibitions here, with a change every few weeks.
Main exhibition schedule
- Big City / Small Format: Vienna in postcards (May 4th to September 24th, 2023)
The Artothek
If you’re planning a longer stay in Vienna, 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 MUSA’s own collection to hang at home for up to 12 months.
Tickets & visitor tips
A standard adult entrance ticket cost €8 at the time of writing, but has a rather nice bonus to it.
Use the same ticket to go into one of the Wien Museum’s other standalone sites for free (but not the Mozartwohnung), though the ticket does expire after 365 days. These sites include, for example, the former residences of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Strauss. Access to the Artothek or Startgalerie requires no ticket.
- All the above locations (including the MUSA and Mozartwohnung) can be visited once for free with, for example, a Vienna All-Inclusive Pass from Go City (see review)
- Put coats and jackets on a coat rack, or make use of the free coin-operated lockers
- The MUSA ticket counter also has a few items for sale: mainly exhibition catalogues, postcards, CDs, DVDs, and a handful of souvenirs
- The museum may be closed during the short periods between main exhibitions
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 station by far is the Rathaus stop 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