Since when have the works of art been on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum?
Which Habsburgs were particular art lovers and who is considered the actual founder of the collection?
Which paintings will you miss here? A world-renowned art museum where you can view the great old masterpieces .
It displays the private collections of the Habsburgs. The building itself is an architectural synthesis of the arts and is located on the Vienna Ringstrasse.
Particularly impressive are the entrance hall,the staircase and the Dome.
Gustav Klimt immortalized himself in the staircase with a cycle of paintings on the various art movements.The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) is divided into the following departments: The Picture Gallery – The KHM boasts the largest Bruegel collection outside Belgium. Floor-to-ceiling works by Rubens stand out, as well as by Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael and Velazquez. Paintings by French painters were hardly collected. It should not be forgotten that the Habsburgs were at loggerheads with the French most of the time, apart from the examples of marriage policy (Marie-Antoinette with Louis XVI and Marie-Louise with Napoleon)The Kunstkammerwhich has been restored to its former glory since March 2013, dates back to the chambers of art and curiosities of the late Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque period . 2,200 different objects are on display in 20 rooms . These collections were the precursors of the collection of paintings and underlined the creditworthiness of the ruler. The objects have a value that cannot be measured in numbers nowadays. The masterpiece of the Kunstkammer is the “Saliera” – a golden salt cellar by Benvenuto Cellini from the 16th century.
Nowadays, the only comparable Kunstkammer is the Green Vault in Dresden, where something similar can be viewed. The Egyptian-Oriental Collectionhouses a real treasure in Vienna with a remarkable 17,000 objects. The Habsburgs were passionate collectors and this section bears witness to this. The collection of antiquities is no less worth seeing for all fans of Greek and Roman art.Coin fans take note: The Coin Cabinet on the top floor comprises the most extensive collection in Austria and is the fifth largest coin cabinet in the world alongside London, Paris, Berlin and St. Petersburg .
How did the Habsburg collections come about?
The Austrian line of the Habsburgs gathered their Works of art since the 15th cent.
in Vienna, Prague, Innsbruck and Graz.
Ferdinand I (1503-1564) had established a chamber of art and curiosities in the Vienna Hofburg . In 1656, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands, Archduke Leopold Wilhelm , moved his 1,400 paintings by Italian and Dutch masters from Brussels to Vienna . He is considered the actual founder of this unique picture gallery. Through marriage and inheritance , an incredible treasure had been gathered in the Stallburg over the course of centuries. Emperor Franz I Stephan, husband of Maria Theresa, was the founder of the rich natural history collections, the coin collection and the Tapestries.
Vienna In 1781, the Habsburg paintings were brought together in Belvedere Palace and, by an imperial decree of Joseph II, the collection of tapestries in the city was expanded. was the first gallery in Europeto beopen to the general public with free admission . This was, of course, entirely in the spirit of the Enlightenment. On December 20, 1857 , Emperor Franz Josef I decided to demolish the city wall and build a boulevard in its place . The emperor wanted to counter the bourgeois power on the Ring with imposing court buildings .
The domed twin buildings of the two court museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum, designed by Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer , were to provide an appropriate setting for the treasures of art and nature that had been accumulated over four centuries .
The museum has been open to the public since October 22, 1891 , initially only at weekends and only accessible in the best of outfits and with clean shoes.
This has changed to the extent that the museum is open every day except Monday (during the winter season).
In summer and during the high season, it is open every day. Time Travel Tip:A museum break with a café and cake in the domed hall is a treat.
The view of Maria-Theresien-Platz and the twin buildings of the Natural History Museum opposite is also included.
opposite is also included.
Please note: only possible with an admission ticket!
The museum store is well frequented and offers nice gifts as well as beautiful memories of the museum.
More information: Kunsthistorisches Museum: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (khm.at) Image source: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/wien-vienne-kunsthistorisches-museum-221578/
Image source:
https://pixabay.com/de/photos/wien-vienne-kunsthistorisches-museum-221578/
