Kunst Haus Wien Hundertwasser Museum Tickets Vienna

The Kunst Haus Wien building

Kunst Haus Wien stands in Untere Weißgerberstraße in the 3rd district, Landstrasse, a quiet residential quarter near the Danube Canal. The building began life in the 19th century as a furniture factory; in the late 1980s Friedensreich Hundertwasser redesigned it, and it opened as a museum in 1991. He replaced straight lines with curves, covered the facade in a checkerboard of black and white tiles and colourful ceramics, gave every window its own shape and let plants and trees grow on the building.

Even before you go in, the facade is one of the most photographed in Vienna, and many visitors ask whether the Hundertwasser Museum is worth visiting just for the architecture. Inside, the experience continues: the floors rise and fall under your feet, columns are tiled in bright colours and daylight enters from unexpected angles. Allow time to look at the building itself as much as at the art on its walls.

The Museum Hundertwasser collection

The first two floors house the permanent Museum Hundertwasser, a permanent exhibition dedicated entirely to the artist's work. You follow his path from early paintings full of spirals, bright colours and onion-shaped forms to graphic prints, tapestries and the architecture projects for which he became famous in Vienna and beyond.

A central theme is his idea of living in harmony with nature: roofs covered in meadows, windows that residents may decorate as they like, and 'tree tenants' growing out of apartments. Models and plans show how these ideas became real buildings, including the nearby Hundertwasserhaus and the colourful facade of the Spittelau district heating plant. Plan about an hour for the collection; an audio guide can be rented at the desk if you want more background.

Contemporary art and the garage exhibition

The top two floors are used for changing exhibitions of contemporary art, often focused on photography, ecology and how people live with the environment, in line with the spirit of the house. Your ticket also gives access to the garage exhibition, a smaller space dedicated to ecology, sustainability and urban life.

Because the programme changes several times a year, every visit can be different. Kunst Haus Wien tickets for this combination are ideal if you want to see both the classic Hundertwasser works and something new. After the exhibitions, the green courtyard café with its mosaic floor and plants is a pleasant place for a coffee or a light snack before you continue.

Visiting Landstrasse and the Hundertwasserhaus

How to get to the Hundertwasser Museum: take the U1 or U4 to Schwedenplatz and then tram 1 towards Prater Hauptallee, or the U3 or U4 to Landstraße/Wien Mitte and then tram O towards Praterstern, and get off at Radetzkyplatz, a short walk from the entrance. The museum is open daily; Kunst Haus Wien opening hours are usually from 10 am to 6 pm, and mornings are the quietest time.

A few minutes away on foot stands the Hundertwasserhaus, the colourful council apartment building he designed with architect Josef Krawina, finished in 1985. It is a private residential building, so you see it from the outside, but together with the museum it makes a perfect half-day in Landstrasse. The Danube Canal promenade and the Prater are also close by.