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Visiting Vienna

Technisches Museum

Glass roof with a historical building behind

The interactive experiences at the Technisches Museum (Vienna Museum of Science and Technology) are near endless. A place of excitement and exploration…

Science & technology

Front view of the Technisches Museum with logo

(Hard to miss the museum sign)

At the opening in May 1918, one paper described the Technisches Museum as “…a treasury of domestic industrial effort” and expressed relief that young people need no longer travel to Munich to study industrial advances.

You’ll be pleased to learn the displays have changed over the years. But today’s museum still remains a source of wonder for the young (and old).

A visit takes you through various self-contained areas, each dealing with a particular topic. Examples include climate change, energy production, communication, work, materials, mobility, and musical instruments.

Think of it as a testament to human scientific and industrial endeavour: a museum of progress.

Model of a satellite hanging in a museum

(1:1 scale model of the ARTEMIS communication satellite; press photo © Technisches Museum Wien/Christine Tschavoll)

Each section typically features both historical and modern items, with text, audio and video explaining developments through time and/or the role played by particular technologies in today’s (and tomorrow’s) world.

I’ve listed some highlights here.

Five aspects of the museum particularly impress me…

1. The Depth

The museum contains a universe of possibilities, with more exhibits and experiences than you can fit in a black hole. Almost too much (we’ll come back to that issue later). Everything from rare earth elements to giant steam locomotives.

And the museum continually expands and updates its displays and collections.

2. The Interactivity

Music lounge in the Technisches Museum

(The performance stage in the new Music Lounge dedicated to electronic music)

Dozens of hands-on displays let you experience and explore technological principles, processes, and histories in a more memorable manner.

For example, you might “ride” a cable car, sit in a wheelchair simulator, appear in a newsroom broadcast, send a message by morse code, or perform on a giant karaoke stage.

(Doing the newsroom broadcast, I squealed like an excited toddler.)

3. The kid-friendly exhibits

The Technisches Museum remains one of Vienna’s best places for entertaining the kids. Many of the interactive experiences specifically target children, plus two play & activity areas (these require a separate timeslot ticket) help burn away the energy of the youngest family members.

4. The sensitivity

The explanations and excitement around technology sit alongside an awareness of the pros and cons…particularly the associated social and environmental impacts and responsibilities.

So, for example, a display on mass media also includes insights into its abuse in spreading propaganda.

Posters throughout the museum highlight the work of women scientists and help redress the imbalance in our understanding of historical gender roles in technological progress.

5. The special exhibitions

Model of a cloud city

(Cloud City in the 2024 Smart World exhibition; press photo © Technisches Museum Wien)

Finally, the temporary exhibitions at the museum always prove entertaining and informative (see below for the current schedules). Those I’ve enjoyed recently include:

But…

All this excellence comes at a price…tired feet and minds.

With so much to see, poke, press, and read, a visit can be rather overwhelming. So it perhaps makes most sense to focus your time only on those sections that interest you most.

Alternatively, do a quick run through to admire some of the more spectacular exhibits and then narrow your interests down by topic.

Tickets, exhibitions & tips

Any entrance ticket from or for the Technisches Museum also includes all the special exhibitions.

(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)

Special exhibitions

The current schedule for the main exhibitions (at the time of writing):

  • CASH. The Value of Money (until August, 2025): the world of physical money in terms of history, production, distribution, disposal, changing roles, symbolism, and sensory aspects like pictured images, the sound of coins and even the smell
  • 100 Years of Radio in Austria (until September 2nd, 2025): a look back at the evolution of radio technology and the different roles played by the medium in Austria’s history. From pop to propaganda

A few additional tips:

  • Those under 19 go in free
  • The great majority of displays contain both German and English text
  • Immediately after the ticket control, turn left for a museum shop full of puzzles, little science kits, small toys and all you might expect from a museum of technology
  • The museum café-restaurant also has a self-service area for buying drinks and snacks without waiting for service. On my visit, the table menu included decent vegetarian and vegan options. (Tip: the sweet potato fries were excellent…and generously portioned)

How to get to the Technisches Museum

To travel there direct on public transport:

Subway: it’s a ten minute walk from Schönbrunn station (on the U4 line) or a slightly longer one from Johnstraße station (on the U3 line)

Tram/bus: two tram stops more or less flank the museum…Penzinger Straße and Winckelmannstraße. The 60 or 52 tram lines are a good bet, since they both leave from a major railway and subway station (Westbahnhof). The 10A bus stops at Linzer Straße/Johnstraße, which is close to the museum.

Address: Mariahilfer Straße 212, 1140 Vienna | Website

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