The history of Vienna
Today I will take you to the newly renovated Wien Museum. You can easily get there from the hotel using the U1. First go to Karlsplatz station and then take the Resselpark exit. Then through the park towards Karlskirche and you're there.
The Museum
The renovation of the Wien Museum took two and a half years and it was worth it. The old building from the 1950s was renovated and expanded for an estimated 108 million euros (the final bill is still missing). Now the usable space has doubled to 12,000 square meters. There are large terraces, the rooms are bright and there are cafes on the forecourt and on the 3rd floor.
The permanent exhibition of the history of Vienna
First of all, the most important information: At the moment, entry to the permanent exhibition is free! Unfortunately, we don't know whether this will change. So quickly head to the Wien Museum. The entrance hall was redesigned. They kept the old portal and I think that's very nice. You start on the ground floor with the history of Vienna and work your way up to the present day on the 3rd floor. There are lots of interactive stations, touchpads, seating and incredibly beautifully presented history. There is also a lot on offer for children and you could spend days there and not have seen everything.
The whale
My highlight in the museum is the whale hanging from the ceiling. As children we often went to the Prater and there was the “Gasthaus zum Walfisch”. The nine and a half meter long and three and a half meter high animal towered over the entrance and sprayed fountains of water and glowed in the night. We were fascinated by it as children. In 2013 the whale was rescued from destruction, lovingly restored and is now on display in the Museum. My heart beat faster when I saw him and childhood memories came back.
The South Railway Station (Südbahnhof)
The former Südbahnhof is now the Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Central Station). The lettering “Südbahnhof” was also saved and is now emblazoned in the Wien Museum. This is also a beautiful memory worth keeping.
The terrace cafe
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not averse to a good coffee. In “Trude & Töchter” on the 3rd floor you can find it! They also offer delicious cakes and you can also enjoy a lunch menu and dinner there. The terrace with a view of the beautiful Karlskirche is enchanting! On the other side you can see the famous Musikverein, the Albertina Modern and the Künstlerhaus. You can also take creative photos there.
The challenge
In the museum I saw a painting of the “Street Exchange Grünangergasse” from 1840. I took a photo of that and was of course curious to see what the alley looks like today. We then walked along Schwarzenbergstraße in the direction of Grünangergasse. Suddenly there was a stop for the “2A” bus. These are small electric buses that drive through the city. You can use it with the regular Wiener Linien ticket. To my shame: I've never ridden an electric bus like this in my life. So we got on and the bus took us through small streets to Stephansplatz. A nice alternative to get to know the city. From Stephansplatz it was a short walk to Grünangergasse and hardly anything has changed compared to the painting. The beautiful portal was still there, and the buildings next to it were still there. Vienna is incredibly beautiful and I feel blessed that I get to live in a city where others go on vacation.
The conclusion
The new Wien Museum is really worth a visit! You learn so much about the history of Vienna and I think it's nice that people care and think about preserving this history.
Kind regards
Ingeborg
