Care to join us for an extraordinary combination of some of the greatest classical paintings, the rarest prints and full blown imperial residential rooms? The Albertina is your place!
The Albertina combines imperial flair and masterpieces of art. What used to be the city's largest residential palace during the Habsburg monarchy is now an art museum of international renown thanks to one of the worlds most important graphic art collections.
The 21 staterooms with their precious original furniture, recall the Habsburg period's splendour in one of Europe's most beautiful neo-classical palaces. The building was erected on one of the last remaining sections of the fortifications of Vienna, the Augustinian Bastion. In mid 1700’s it was refurbished to become the palace of the director of the Hofbauamt. Later, Duke Albert of Saxen-Teschen brought his graphics collection there from Brussels. In 1919, the government confiscated both the building and the collection and united the collection of prints and drawings with the collection of the former Imperial court library and renamed the building The Albertina.
Today the museum houses one of the largest print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings. Apart from the graphics collection the museum has on permanent loan two significant collections of Impressionist and early 20th-century art, some of which on permanent display. These cover everything from Dürer to Degas, Raphael to Renoir, Michelangelo to Magritte, and much more. In 1963, the Albertina started research on Gustav Klimt’s drawings. The research project Gustav Klimt. Die Zeichnungen has resulted by now in over 4300 works by Gustav Klimt having been examined and scientifically classified, which has produced numerous exhibitions and publications. See our Klimt reviews in Oberes Belvedere, Secession and Klimt Villa, too!
On your way towards the Albertina, walk along the raised front for a view of the State Opera House and if you are a fan of the film “Before Sunrise” you might wish to check the Albrecht Monument on the open area in front of the main entrance. Jesse and Céline sat below the equestrian statue in one of the final scenes.
The museum has a cloakroom at the entrance. If you go further in and down some stairs, you’ll also find free coin-operated lockers.
All public areas of the museum can be accessed by persons with disabilities. The exhibition lift takes you to all exhibition halls and to the wheelchair accessible toilets on Level 1. The cloakroom lift takes you to Level -1. There you’ll find the cloakroom lockers as well as wheelchair- accessible toilets.
There are handicapped parking spaces on Albertinaplatz (across from the tourist information kiosk, behind the taxi stand) as well as on the entire right-hand side of Gluckgasse and at Lobkowitzplatz 2. An exterior lift takes you from the street level to the level of the main entrance. Some rooms in the exhibition areas are at different floor levels; these can be reached via stair lifts for which you will need a Euro-Key (or ask a museum attendant to operate the lift for you). The ticket desks are on the same level as the entrance. Wheelchair users are welcome to proceed to the front of the queue. Don’t forget to ask about discounts for visitors with disabilities. An accompanying person may enter free of charge.
Access to the Albertina museum shop does not require a ticket. This is where to get your usual art museum stuff and a lot more - impress your next dinner guests with Monet napkins, your colleagues with a Dürer mousepad and more!
The DO & CO at the Albertina Restaurant invites you to classic Viennese dishes and international delicacies. Not a bad idea for a dinner later in the evening either, enjoying the breathtaking views of the Vienna state opera. Or start your busy Viennese museum day with an Albertina breakfast.
The museum's website is not terribly user friendly, so take a bit of time to find your way!
The Albertina
Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien
https://www.albertina.at/en/home