In addition to the world-famous cultural and historical treasures in its renowned museums, Vienna is also home to some unique collections. Unusual topics can cause eureka moments, amazement, shuddering and entertainment. If you’re looking for these kinds of unusual museums, Vienna is the place to be. There’s a museum for every taste here. Take a look at Vienna's curious museum treasures.

Funeral Musuem

"Death is inevitable - so let's celebrate it": that’s the credo of Vienna's Funeral Museum. And the location suits the name perfectly. After all, there could be no better place for this kind of museum than Vienna's Central Cemetery. Here, everything revolves around the proverbial "beautiful funeral". Elaborate multimedia stations, a historic carriage for transporting corpses and century-old exhibits provide insight into the cultural history of the final farewell. The merchandise items on offer in the gift shop are delightfully bizarre as well. It is no coincidence that the Viennese are known for their tendency towards the morbid.

Snow globe museum

Snow falls softly at night. Starting in the 17th district, this Viennese original has set off on a triumphal procession around the world: the snow globe. The Perzy family has been producing these popular souvenirs here since the late 19th century. A small museum is also attached to the manufactory. You can get an insight into the production of snow globes, which are still made by hand today, marvel at many different models and, of course, purchase exhibits in the adjacent sales room. 

Third Man Museum

Around the world, few cinema classics are more closely associated with Vienna than the British thriller The Third Man. It is not only a timeless classic among film fans, but is also considered a contemporary document of post-war Vienna. At the Third Man Museum dedicated to this iconic movie, various exhibits and original documents depicting the reality of life in the destroyed and occupied Vienna are on display alongside various film props. You´ll find 2,500 exhibits including the perhaps most famous zither in film history by Anton Karas.

Chimney Sweep Museum

A museum visit that brings good luck? In Vienna´s Chimney Sweep Museum in the 4th district, this wish may come true. Chimney sweeps enjoy a special reputation as lucky charms, so a visit to the museum is sure to bring an extra dose of good fortune. Covering more than 200 square meters, this museum offers an interesting insight into the history of this guild, from its beginnings to the present day. Beautiful old furnaces can also be seen during guided tours.

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Coffee Museum

Coffee and Vienna are inextricably linked. The fact that the Viennese coffeehouse culture enjoys UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status underscores the importance of coffee in Vienna’s culture and history. It’s no wonder that the “black gold” and the surrounding culture have a small museum dedicated to it. In the 5th district, coffee machines from throughout the ages are presented in an area of almost 200 square meters. Likewise, in the Coffee Museum, which is part of the Museum for Social and Economic Affairs, you can find pots, cups, roasters, grinders and much more. You can also learn about Viennese coffee specialties such as Großer Schwarzer, Einspänner and Franziskaner. 

Clock Museum

The Clock Museum has (nearly) all the time in the world. Wouldn’t that be nice! Some 700 clocks are on display across three floors and 19 rooms. This makes it one of the most important clock collections in Europe. Over 3,000 further clocks are stored in the museum's depot. Clocks of all shapes, sizes and colors show how they’ve progressed from the 15th century up to the present day. While the smallest clock fits under a thimble, the largest model is an original clockwork from St. Stephen's Cathedral from 1699. Many exhibits work perfectly fine today, filling the Clock Museum with their sounds every hour, on the hour.

Crime Musuem

Even though death may be Viennese, as Georg Kreisler sings so beautifully, the Viennese soul is harmless. Most of the time, anyway. But murder, robbery, police operations and executions used to be commonplace – even in morbidly romantic Vienna. Vienna´s Crime Museum has set itself the task of shedding light on the darker sides of life in the big city. Here, you learn that Austria didn´t always have one of the lowest crime rates in the world and in fact some of the most thrilling crime stories occured in the otherwise tranquil capital.

Globe and Esperanto Museums

The Austrian National Library, more precisely the Palais Mollard not far from Vienna’s Hofburg Palace is home to the Globe Museum and the Esperanto Museum. The unique Globe Museum presents 240 original Earth, celestial, lunar and Mars globes. It truly is a historic journey through the galaxy. The neighboring Esperanto Museum is one of the oldest language museums in the world. Here you can immerse yourself in the fascinating world of language learning and discover the multifaceted history of Esperanto, which dates back more than 100 years.

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Museum of Sanitary History

It may not appear particularly exciting at first glance, but the history of Vienna's sanitary facilities is definitely significant. Your daily shower, indoor toilet and access to hot water in your home: What has long been part of Vienna's basic standard of living would have been considered pure luxury just a few decades ago. In the Museum of Sanitary History, you can dive deeper into the history of the Bassenas (public fountains usually located in the hallway of an apartment building) and the Tröpferlbad (colloquial for a public bathing facility) or admire the sanitary facilities of the Vienna public baths and the last toilet by Otto Wagner from the former Nußdorfer Straße subway station.

Brick Museum

Whoever thought it couldn't get any more bizarre may cast the first stone. But please, no bricks. Because even in Vienna´s Brick Museum, it's best to look with your eyes. Everything here is devoted to the basis of many foundations: brick. Countless exhibits from all over the world and different eras prove that even the smallest brick can carry enormous meaning. Admission is free, but the museum operators would love it if you brought some bricks to add to the collection.

Magic Box Museum

Magic is in the air at this museum near Schönbrunn Palace. Vienna´s Magic Box Museum will immerse you in a world full of magic tricks. More than 3,000 exhibits from three centuries make the museum the world's largest collection of magic boxes – it even has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. A special highlight is the one-hour guided tour by the collector himself. In addition, you will get fascinating background knowledge and magic tricks demonstrated live. Simply magical!

You can´t get enough of the city's extraordinary museums? Vienna is home to many more museums in addition to those presented here. More information