Date: 21st August 2022
Travelled: Public transport around Vienna, Austria
Visited: Albertina and Kunsthistorisches Museum
Stayed: Vienna Sosta, โฌ25, N48.13700, E16.31610ย ย
Budget: 88 days @ โฌ108 per day
Itโs a much cooler start to our second day in Vienna. The sosta was full again last night but we can hear vans starting and heading off as if the weather has changed their plans.
After yesterdayโs big churches, big palaces and big schnitzel today is big museums day. Our guide book recommends so many museums we could be here another week, but the top two are the Albertina and Kunsthistorisches. Being Sunday thereโs no point rushing and we walk off to the station just before 10.
Twenty minutes later we are walking across the Albertinaplatz and getting our tickets, โฌ15pp seniors.
Our guide book tells us the Albertina Museum has the worldโs greatest graphic art collection in the world, also on permanent display the Batliner Collection which include painting from Monet to Picasso.
I could add 20 images of works by big name artists, thereโs even a horseโs head by Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec that may give me a nightmares.
The Albertina was once the Palais Erzherzog Albrecht and home to the Habsburgs. A dozen or so of the original apartments are available to walk through as part of our visit. So we do.
The Albertina done, we have a coffee and strudel at Aida, perfect.
Itโs not that far to the Kunsthistorisches, but we catch a tram along the Ringstraรe just so we can say we did.
The Kunsthistorisches or Museum of Art History stands in the museum quarter, it was opened by Franz Joseph in 1891. Our guide book tells us it is one of the most important museums in the world.
The Kunsthistorisches is completely different from the Albertina. The works are mostly 15-16th century, Dutch, Flemish, German, Italian and Spanish. A huge number of Rubens which always seem to set on a theme of violence. As is usual for the period stories or parables from the Bible are common.
Rembrandt had a compulsion for self portraits it seems.
Moving along Iโm looking at this image thinking I know that picture. Looking at the panel I see itโs Holbeinโs painting of Jane Seymour. I read a book on Henryโs wife not that long ago.
The Kunsthistorisches also has an amazing collection of Roman, Greek and best of all Egyptian artefacts. Beautifully presented there are some captivating pieces. We wander about in here for a long time.
Most memorably was finding the work of Gustav Klimt (Woman in Gold) who had been commissioned to paint a fresco in the museums atrium. It wasnโt easy to find but we eventually did.
We finish our day just up the straรe at the Australian Pub of all places, I walked in hoping for a dogโs eye, but no luck so we knock back a couple of sherbets, then hit the dunny before taking the rattler back to the Hymer. That was our day in Wien.
Michael + Pam
One thought on “Wien, Austria ๐ฆ๐น 2022”
Thank for that report we’ve been 3 times to Vienna and haven’t been to the museums you mentioned so thank you if you should go past the Opera house there is a woman with her arms and hands outstretched her hands where modelled after one of my relation safe travels ๐