Technisches Museum

The Technisches Museum sits in Vienna's fourteenth district, not far from Schönbrunn, and spreads across more than 22,000 square metres. Technology, industry and science fill its halls, with Austria's own contributions at the centre. Rail transport, shipbuilding, aviation and industry each get a section, plus one of the country's largest collections of historical musical instruments.

The museum goes back to 1908, when Vienna marked sixty years of Emperor Franz Joseph's reign. Wilhelm Exner had championed such an institution since the Vienna World's Fair of 1873. Industrialists and bankers provided the money, the Rothschild bank among them. Emil von Förster drew the first plans, but his sudden death prompted a competition. Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos and other leading names submitted designs within two months, and Wagner won. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, no friend of modern art, overruled the result and chose Hans Schneider's design instead. Franz Joseph laid the cornerstone in June 1909, and the First World War delayed the opening until 1918. A renovation backed by nearly 502 million schillings began in 1994, and the museum reopened with new exhibitions in 1999.

Functional models demonstrate how machines work, and they get regular updates as technology advances. The building is wheelchair accessible throughout, and puzzle hunts plus hands-on stations pull you into the action. Children get their own areas in Minixplore and Minti, and the Techlab works as a maker space for experimenting. Guided tours and workshops are part of the programme, and Birdly, a VR flight, gives you the feeling of flying. Exhibitions on climate knowledge, innovation and the history of radio in Austria bring historical objects into dialogue with new technology. The road vehicle section gathers Austro-Daimler, Gräf & Stift, Steyr and Puch. Eugen Zardetti's Benz, the first petrol car used in Austria, counts among the oldest pieces. The second Marcus car, one of the oldest vehicles in original condition, runs again in a replica built in 2006.