{"id":252,"date":"2015-11-26T13:34:34","date_gmt":"2015-11-26T11:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=252"},"modified":"2026-03-03T12:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T11:03:10","slug":"natural-history-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/natural-history-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Naturhistorisches Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><a href=\"#tickets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/nhmtickets.jpg\" alt=\"Front of a historical museum\" class=\"wp-image-81033\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Where meteorites meet mammoths and molluscs. Vienna&#8217;s Natural History Museum (the Naturhistorisches Museum or NHM) has them all, displayed in one of the city&#8217;s most beautiful buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Extensive collections: minerals, dinosaurs, prehistory, animals, and much more<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Did I mention dinosaurs?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Home to the ca. 29,000 year-old Venus of Willendorf statue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lovely mix of historical setting and modern interactive displays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#tickets\">What special exhibitions are on<\/a>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\">Vienna Pass<\/a> for one-time free entry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Selected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/past-exhibitions-nhm\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"63556\">past exhibitions at the NHM<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/kids-2\/\">Vienna with children<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/\">Other museums<\/a> in the city<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inside the NHM<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/naturalhistorymuseum.jpg\" alt=\"The Natural History Museum building\" class=\"wp-image-43718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/naturalhistorymuseum.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/naturalhistorymuseum-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The NHM as seen from Maria-Theresien-Platz)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Natural history museums can go two ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re unlucky, you get dusty cabinets filled with stuffed animals that look like something out of Ebeneezer Wormwood&#8217;s <em>World of The Weird and Strange<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re lucky, you get an engaging, fun, and informative peek into the wonders and mysteries of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, Vienna&#8217;s Naturhistorisches Museum (NHM) leans toward the second variety, even though the collections began life almost three centuries ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you reach the location on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/maria-theresien-platz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"47208\">Maria-Theresien-Platz<\/a>, you find two identical-looking buildings on either side of a large square. The one with the elephant statue in front of it is the Naturhistorisches Museum, completed in 1889.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(The building opposite is Vienna&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/khm\/overview\/\">Kunsthistorisches Museum<\/a>. If you go in there by mistake, animals will be tricky to find. Though the <em>Four Rivers of Paradise<\/em> by Peter Paul Rubens features a rather angry-looking tiger and a startled crocodile.)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside2.jpg\" alt=\"Inside the Naturhistorisches Museum\" class=\"wp-image-58697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Part of the interior architecture; press photo \u00a9 NHM Wien, Kurt Kracher)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get some quick visitor information on this page, then dive deeper for further details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-geology-dinosaurs-prehistory\/\">geology, dinosaurs &amp; prehistory floor<\/a> (home to, for example, the illustrious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/venus-von-willendorf\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"955\">Venus<\/a>, a remarkable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/gemstone-bouquet\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"18679\">bouquet of flowers<\/a>, and an animatronic Allosaurus dinosaur)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-zoology\/\">zoological floor<\/a> (still using many original cabinets that add a Victorian air to the atmosphere)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-cafe-shop\/\">shop and caf\u00e9<\/a> (the latter occupies a lovely position beneath the main dome, surrounded by historical interior decoration with a scientific slant to it)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The galleries for the main special exhibition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For some insight into life away from the public areas, read about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-behind-the-scenes\/\">my experience<\/a> on a press trip. And for screen entertainment, note that the museum played starring roles in both the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/vienna-blood-locations\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22811\">Vienna Blood<\/a> TV series and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/songsfilms\/corsage-film-locations\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"55818\">Corsage<\/a> movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Tickets, exhibitions &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/nhmcopernicus.jpg\" alt=\"Copernicus reliefs on the Natural History Museum\" class=\"wp-image-47479\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/nhmcopernicus.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/nhmcopernicus-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Scientific greats like Copernicus immortalised in stone)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Entry is relatively inexpensive for a top museum: at the time of writing, kids were free and adults \u20ac18 with various concessions. The Vienna Pass (see my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\">review<\/a>) gets you in once for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"special\">Special exhibitions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Exhibitions in the main museum building&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Glaciers out of Balance<\/em> (until January 10th, 2027 ): a photographic exhibition juxtaposing identical photos of alpine glaciers, but taken decades apart, thus revealing the extent of the melting process<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Cockaigne<\/em> (until July 19th, 2026): photographer Gregor Sailer&#8217;s look at futuristic food abundance through two alternative systems&#8230;one diverse and labour intensive, one automated and AI driven<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An information desk in the entrance atrium has folders in English and a supervised cloakroom on the right, where you can check-in your belongings or use coin-operated lockers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On the left is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-cafe-shop\/\">shop<\/a>. Go up the stairs to the right to start your visit &#8220;at the beginning&#8221; with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-geology-dinosaurs-prehistory\/\">geology collection<\/a>, or climb the stairs ahead to reach the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-cafe-shop\/\">caf\u00e9<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/nhm-zoology\/\">zoological collections<\/a>. Lifts are available, too, of course.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Once you enter the museum proper, look up<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, wherever you are in the museum, always look up and around, not just at the exhibits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Naturhistorisches Museum is full of staircases of the &#8220;sweeping&#8221; kind, as well as ornate marble archways, stone carvings, oil paintings, and glorious ceilings offering a setting often as impressive as any of the scientific contents.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"332\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside.jpg\" alt=\"Inside the Naturhistorisches Museum\" class=\"wp-image-58696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/nhminside-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(More of the interior architecture; press photo \u00a9 NHM Wien, Kurt Kracher)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The museum is improving continually, so don&#8217;t be shocked to find a section closed off temporarily for refurbishment or redesign<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both main floors take you from room-to-room following the sides of a rectangle until you get back to where you started. However, don&#8217;t forget the more central corridors that connect the two long sides of the rectangle (otherwise you&#8217;ll miss some super displays)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Set aside around half a day for looking round, including a cappuccino and cake to finish. You can go round quicker, of course, but you won&#8217;t get nearly as much out of the visit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As you walk around, you&#8217;ll spot the occasional item with a large number on it. That&#8217;s one of the Top 100 exhibits. The shop has an accompanying guidebook, or just use the numbers as a hint about where to pay close attention<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the museum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As you wind your way through the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/walking-tour\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"50322\">walking routes<\/a> for tourists in Vienna, you probably bump into the museum anyway. The museum also sits next to subway and tram stations. And the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/transport\/sightseeing-bus\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3789\">hop-on hop-off services<\/a> stop outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the formal address is Burgring 7, the visitor entrance is the front and centre of the long building that faces the adjacent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/maria-theresien-platz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"47208\">landscaped square<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway:  A short walk from the Volkstheater station, a stop on both the U2 and U3 subway lines<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram: Lines 1, D, 71, 46, 49 and 2 all go to the Ring\/Volkstheater stop, which is above Volkstheater station<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bus: The 48A also goes to Ring\/Volkstheater<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nhm-wien.ac.at\/\">Website<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1pTjEiErU7xkYT2U7QbI7wgGEnSU\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You may need to have consented to YouTube\/Vimeo cookies, depending on the implementation, to see the following video(s), otherwise you&#8217;ll get an error message:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Natural History Museum Vienna\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JiCDKugAZPM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Where meteorites meet mammoths and molluscs. Vienna&#8217;s Natural History Museum (the Naturhistorisches Museum or NHM) has them all, displayed in one of the city&#8217;s most beautiful buildings. Inside the NHM (The NHM as seen from Maria-Theresien-Platz) Natural history museums can go two ways. If you&#8217;re unlucky, you get dusty cabinets filled with stuffed animals that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89029,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/89029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}