Museums
State Hall of the Austrian National Library
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10 am–6 pm, Thu 10 am–9 pm
from June to September also Mon 10 am–6 pm
Josefsplatz, 1010 Vienna
T +43 1 534 10-394
kommunikation@onb.ac.at
www.onb.ac.at
The State Hall of the Austrian National Library is one of the most beautiful historic library buildings in the world. Emperor Charles VI had this jewel of secular baroque architecture built to house his imperial library. The room, nearly 80 metres long, was built between 1723 and 1726 according to plans by the famous court architect, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The ceiling frescoes were painted by court artist Daniel Gran and completed in 1730.
The frescoes in the entrance wing are on earthly and warlike themes, while those in the rear “peace” wing – the original entrance for the emperor – are allegorical depictions of heaven and peace. The fresco in the dome, which is nearly 30 metres high, shows the “apotheosis” of Charles VI, his glorification and deification as emperor, builder of the Imperial Library and patron of the arts and sciences. Further fascinating details about the frescoes in the dome can be downloaded using the interactive multi-touchscreen inside the State Hall itself.
In the middle of the central oval stands a larger than life-size marble statue of Emperor Charles VI that is attributed to the court sculptor Antonio Corradini. The other marble statues depict Austrian and Spanish members of the House of Habsburg and were created by the brothers Peter, Paul and Dominik Strudel. Together with the four magnificent baroque globes by Vincenzo Coronelli placed in the central oval, and the walnut bookcases, they give visitors an authentic impression of what the baroque universal library must have looked like in the 18th century.
Nowadays, the State Hall accommodates about 200,000 books dating from 1501 to 1850, including most of the 15,000-volume collection of Prince Eugene of Savoy. All the holdings in the State Hall have already been fully digitised and made freely accessible via the library's online catalogue. The hall is regularly used for special exhibitions at which selected treasures from the library are displayed.
Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10 am–6 pm, Thu 10 am–9 pm
from June to September also Mon 10 am–6 pm
Heldenplatz, Neue Burg, 1010 Vienna
T +43 1 534 10-511
kommunikation@onb.ac.at
www.onb.ac.at
At the Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library, you can see about 300 unique artefacts from 3000 years of Egyptian culture. In addition to the Books of the Dead and the mummy portraits, this museum is also world-famous for its ancient papyrus documents in numerous different languages: from a magic spell written on an amulet to ward off disease, to the lease agreement on an olive oil mill, they document the diversity of the cultures in the land of the Nile – from the 15th century BC to the 15th century AD.
Special highlights of the exhibition include the perfectly preserved mummy portrait of a woman from the 2nd century AD, beautifully painted on wood using a special technique called encaustic, and the Book of the Dead from Taruma, dating from the 2nd century BC. The two scrolls written in Hieratic script are 8.6 metres long altogether and bring the religious beliefs and social norms of ancient Egypt vividly to life. The Book of the Dead of Sesostris from the 15th century BC which is also on display is the oldest object in the Austrian National Library.
The fragment of a choral ode from the tragedy “Orestes” by the classical Greek writer Euripides is equally unique. The papyrus dates back to around 200-180 BC and shows the words and music for singers and instrumental accompaniment. You can not only see the original written music but also listen to a modern interpretation at an audio station. All the objects in this museum come from the Papyri Collection of the Austrian National Library, which, amounting in total to over 180,000 objects, has been included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register of documentary heritage since 2001.
House of Austrian History
Opening in November 2018
Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna
+43 1 53410 – 805
The House of Austrian History will open its doors in November 2018. Starting in March, the museum will already provide an artistic impulse in the Neue Burg on Heldenplatz.
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the so-called “Anschluss” of Austria to Nazi Germany the renowned Scottish artist Susan Philipsz was invited by the museum to design a work for the balcony of the Neue Burg. This is where Adolf Hitler proclaimed the “accession” of Austria to the “German Empire” on March 15th, 1938, to the frenetic applause of the crowds assembled on Heldenplatz. Against the backdrop of this icon for the establishment of NS rule in Austria, Philipsz contrived a subtle sound, resonating between the Neue Burg and the two pavilions, the new temporary quarters of parliament. A sound space is created which focuses less on the balcony of the Neue Burg and more on Heldenplatz itself, where the construction of the pavilions led to the emergence of a new Democracy Quarter. The ringing of four glasses can be heard: filled with different amounts of water, the rubbing of the glass rims produces an ethereal, crystalline and changing sound. The sound installation generates a delicate, invisible but still intense marker of the Heldenplatz square as a central site of memory for Austrian history that is meant to inspire people to pause, reflect and discuss.
The House of Austrian History sees itself as an active forum for discussing the past, present and future of Austria. The opening exhibition starts in November 2018 in honour of the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic and will examine this century from different perspectives. The main theme will be the development of democracy in Austria, its continuities and fault lines. Interactive mediation points, a packed events programme and a web platform will complement the offerings.
