{"id":88725,"date":"2026-02-18T11:03:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=88725"},"modified":"2026-03-01T21:04:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T20:04:56","slug":"josephinum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/josephinum\/","title":{"rendered":"Josephinum"},"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\/2026\/02\/josephinumtickets.jpg\" alt=\"Museum placard\" class=\"wp-image-88728\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This 18th-century palais houses the Museum of the History of Medicine, which explores various aspects of the topic across the last three centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Intriguing and diverse displays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Numerous objects, pictures and documents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Including one or two of major historical significance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#tickets\">What special exhibitions are on<\/a>?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Josephinum\" rel=\"sponsored\">classical concert experience<\/a>* in Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3960\">Vienna Pass<\/a>&nbsp;(gives one-time free entry)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1682\">Museums in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History of Medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum1.jpg\" alt=\"Exterior view of the baroque Josephinum\" class=\"wp-image-88729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum1-300x214.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 front view; press photo \u00a9 Josephinum \/ Reiner Riedler)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joseph II (1741-1790) proved an unusually progressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/habsburgs\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12848\">Habsburg emperor<\/a>, at least in the context of the times. For example, he promoted religious tolerance, eliminated serfdom, and introduced education reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our enlightened monarch also pursued a medical agenda that set Vienna on a course to becoming one of the great centres for medicine; a reputation that continues today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the main hospital (the AKH Wien) and the university clinics it runs together with the local medical university ranked 20th in Newsweek&#8217;s 2026 list of the world&#8217;s top 250 hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Joseph&#8217;s medical agenda included founding an imperial military academy for medicine and surgery that opened in 1785 in a purpose-built palais designed by Isidore Canevale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This academy had an unpleasantly long formal title, which led to the use of a shorter alternative: the Josephinum. This name has survived through the decades both as a designation for the building itself and for the institution(s) within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rather lovely neoclassical palais now forms part of the aforementioned Medical University of Vienna and houses, for example, their historical collections. Fortunately for us, it also has a public Museum of the History of Medicine with both permanent and special exhibitions.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum2.jpg\" alt=\"View of a medical exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-88730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum2-300x209.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\">(One of the exhibition rooms. The object bottom centre is the file used to kill Empress Elisabeth; press photo \u00a9 Josephinum \/ Reiner Riedler)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Josephinum galleries present objects, pictures, and documents across several medical themes spanning various perspectives: technical, ethical, social and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walking through the diverse topics and displays, you get a strong feel for the evolution of modern medicine and Vienna&#8217;s role within it. And many of the items build a visceral link to the past. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Handwritten notes by early radiologists, who themselves suffered from overexposure to ionising radiation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An early 19th-century revolving drum for using smoke to clean letters suspected of being &#8220;infected&#8221; with cholera<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1912 lecture notes in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jugendstil\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31716\">Jugendstil design<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/2026\/02\/josephinum3.jpg\" alt=\"View of a baroque lecture hall\" class=\"wp-image-88731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum3.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/josephinum3-300x200.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\">(The main lecture hall with its wall paintings; press photo \u00a9 Josephinum \/ Reiner Riedler)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several rooms present the 18th-century wax models of bodies and body parts used for medical teaching back in the early days of the Josephinum. All mounted in their gorgeous display cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This quite remarkable collection of models evokes different feelings. Awe at the craftmanship, for example: these must have represented an extraordinarily progressive resource at the time. A sense of the macabre, too: I&#8217;m not sure I&#8217;d want to hang around inside after the lights go out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Particular museum highlights for me on my visit, though, were those items related to notable personalities. Two stood out in particular:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The file used to assassinate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/sisi\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"34621\">Empress Elisabeth<\/a> in Geneva in 1898<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Seligmann Fragments, which possibly come from the skull of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/beethoven\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2056\">Beethoven<\/a> (these have been on public display since 2023 but may not be a permanent element of the exhibition)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh&#8230;not forgetting the lovely main lecture room, of course, with its (sadly faded) original wall paintings of famous medical personalities of the past, such as Hippocrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Tickets, exhibitions &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tickets are available on site and cost \u20ac15 for a standard adult at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Special exhibition schedule:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Gustav Klimt and Medicine<\/em> (March 26th to June 28th, 2026): original works from public and private collections that illustrate how the artist&#8217;s understanding of physical form and his interest in themes of birth, life and death influenced his art<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Other sights nearby share an architectural or medical theme with the Josephinum. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The neogothic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/votivkirche\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"27630\">Votivkirche church<\/a>, constructed to give thanks for a foiled assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Joseph<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/liechtenstein-gartenpalais\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"80505\">Liechtenstein Gartenpalais<\/a>, a pristine baroque townhouse which hosts an annual art-themed exhibition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/sigmund-freud\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"986\">Sigmund Freud museum<\/a>, located in the house where the founder of psychoanalysis once had his surgery and home<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Josephinum lies on a major road heading northwest out of the centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: the museum is a short walk up from Schottentor station on the U2 line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tram: the lines 37, 38, 40, 41 and 42 all take you to the nearby Schwarzspanierstra\u00dfe stop (and all start \/ finish one stop further at Schottentor). Another option is lines 5 and 12 to Sensengasse and then walk down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: W\u00e4hringer Strasse 25, 1090 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephinum.ac.at\/\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This 18th-century palais houses the diverse and intriguing displays of the Museum of the History of Medicine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88727,"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-88725","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\/88725","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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88725"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88992,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88725\/revisions\/88992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}