Best Museums in Vienna (that are not art)

Weltmuseum

Let’s start with Weltmuseum. It’s right inside Hofburg and hosts cultural artifacts from all around the world, from South America, to Asia and Africa.

Of course you might say this is also a type of art and should not be on our list (and of course the artifacts are so beautiful that they are definitely works of art). But Weltmuseum has a lot of historical background as well, and goes beyond just displaying these artifacts. You can learn something about the culture of other peoples around the world and how they used to live.

They also treat colonial history very thoughtfully and critically question Austria’s role as an allegedly non-colonial empire. So if you’re curious to find out more, Weltmuseum is perfect for you!

Heeresgeschichtliches Museum

Heeresgeschichtliches Museum (as the name suggests) is all about the history of war in Austria. Of course WWI and WWII are the main topics of, but they have many more historical items from for example the 30 years war as well.

So if you’re interested in military history and want to learn more about the role of Austria in the First and Second World War, then Heeresgeschichtliches Museum might be just right for you. Also it’s quite cool: They have the actual car that Archduke Franz-Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914 on display. Definitely a must-see for all history lovers.

Technisches Museum

Technisches Museum is another must-see in Vienna. It’s all about science and technology. So if you’re curious about research and innovation, this is the perfect museum for you.

The exhibitions are constantly changing, but all of them are super interesting. What we think is quite cool as well: In addition to their core focus on science and technology, they are also trying to show how important women were in research, even if they were often forgotten historically. Currently they have a dedicated exhibition about the role of women in the World Expo in Vienna in 1873, and their exhibition on women in science and technology in general is still running as well.

We think it’s really cool how they are combining the educational aspect about research in general with social politics and trying to show us that women have always been highly relevant for research, even if their contribution has often been forgotten over time.

Jewish Museum

Another museum you should check out is the Jewish Museum. It’s not too big so you can easily manage it in an afternoon. What we really liked in this museum is that it talks a lot about Jewish culture in general and not just the terrible crimes convicted during the Holocaust.

Now don’t get us wrong: Of course the Jewish Museum still deals with the experience of the Holocaust and Austria’s role in it. But it goes further, by showing visitors not just the painful experiences of the Jewish people during WWII, but gives a glimpse at Jewish culture in general, its role in Vienna and Austria during the monarchy and hence leaves visitors with a broader understanding of the essential role that Jewish people have always played in Austria.

Naturhistorisches Museum

Of course we cannot skip Naturhistorisches Museum on our list. It’s all about natural history, science and biology and is a really nice introduction to the many different aspects of this fascinating topic.

The permanent exhibition is really interesting and has loads of items on displays. In addition, they keep changing the temporary exhibitions as well. We think it’s perfect for getting an overview of natural history as it’s not as big as many other natural history museums (like the one in London). So definitely worth a visit!