Bees on a flower

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The city of bees

So it's no wonder that over 6,000 beehives feel at home here and over 700 city beekeepers have their hands full.

The bee dance was discovered by a Vienna-born researcher by the name of Karl von Frisch. No one knows whether he was himself a good dancer, but bees were definitely his great passion in life. In 1973 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering research, along with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz.

But 200 years before that, bees had already captured the attention of none other than Maria Theresa, who founded the world’s first beekeeping school in Vienna in 1769. To this day, a memorial plaque hangs in the Augarten commemorating her head beekeeper and rector of the beekeeping school, Anton Janša. Having World Bee Day on May 20 – his birthday – seemed like the obvious thing to do. And in 2018 the United Nations made it official, showing just how important these industrious creatures are for our ecosystem and the wider economy.

Bees in the best locations

Vienna's city bees have been settled in the most amazing and often highly prominent places. City beekeeping master Thoms Zelenka placed his beehives on the roof of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. The particularly refined Imperial Honey is available in the shop of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna  and the bees can be watched collecting nectar in City Hall Park. Zelenka's bees live on the roof of the University of Vienna and the Kunst Haus Wien, whose green façade and planted inner courtyard provide the perfect conditions for insects.

Further beehives are situated on the roof of the State Opera, the Secession, City Hall and the Austrian Mint. The honey produced by the mint on Heumarkt is called "Liquid Gold" ("Flüssiges Gold") and can be purchased in the mint's shop. The bees are also busy at some of Vienna's hotels: bees live on the roofs of the Hotel InterContinental, Hotel Daniel, and 25hours Hotel Wien. The hotels rely on sustainable, in-house honey production. Almost 130 species of wild bee have been documented in the Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna in the Belvedere Garden in the 3rd district.

Green spaces create space to live in

At the Cobenzl Vineyards, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the flow of delicious wine is accompanied by the flow of tasty "Viennese Organic Honey from the Cobenzl", which is available from the farm shop and online. The Gardening Museum in the 22nd district has a beehive and produces its own honey, while tens of thousands of bees also live on the roof of the Technology Center Seestadt.

Vienna's Central Cemetery is now also known as being an ideal habitat for many animals – the finest cemetery honey, collected by the bees of the nature garden at the Central Cemetery, can be found in the online shop of the Funeral Museum. The Hirschstetten Botanical Gardens are obviously a land of plenty for nectar and pollen gatherers.

And in the Tirolerhof at Schönbrunn Zoo, there is a unique apiary. Visitors can watch around 100,000 bees close up in outsized, accessible honeycombs. Glass windows and spyholes provide and insight into the bustling goings-on inside the beehive. The bees of the Honigstadt Organic Beekeeping Center (Bio-Imkerei Hongistadt) collect their nectar throughout the idyllic Schwarzenbergpark in Neuwaldegg. The famous boulevard lined with horse chestnuts and linden trees and the protected Vienna Woods offer a diverse habitat: a bee paradise that can be tasted.

Sweet greetings from Vienna – Viennese honey shops

Honey lovers will find many shops selling the sweet natural product in Vienna. Wiener Bezirksimkerei – Vienna's organic beekeeper - sells district honeys from Vienna – the specific flavor of each honey makes it unique. Wald und Wiese runs three shops and, in addition to honey, sells a wide variety of propolis lozenges, honey bears and beeswax candles. The honey harvest of the Vienna State Opera is available through the buffets of the Opera, which are run by the Vienna Royal Court Confectioner Gerstner, and in the souvenir shop Arcadia. Also worth recommending is Wiener Honig: the small business sells tasty honeys, some with sophisticated blends of herbs and spices. Available at numerous outlets across Vienna.

Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum)

Maria-Theresien-Platz
1010 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -5%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 21€ /
      Savings: 1 € /
      Audioguide 5€ instead of 6€

  • Opening times

    • Tu, 10:00 - 18:00
    • We, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Th, 10:00 - 21:00
    • Fr, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Sa, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Su, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Open daily from June to August as well as from October, 8 2024 until January, 6 2025.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • 5 Steps (Double swinging doors 300 cm wide)
        on Maria-Theresien-Platz, no ramp
    • Side entrance

      • Barrier-free entrance: Burgring 5 via porter, visitor service accompanies you to the elevator and into the building
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • 5 Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        on Heldenplatz
    • Elevator available
      • Door 99 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Wheelchair rental possible (please reserve one day in advance). Guided tours for visitors with special needs as well as tactile tours for the blind and visually impaired on request (Tel. +43 1 525 24-5202). Three masterpieces of the Renaissance collection of the painting gallery, selected objects of the Kunstkammer, the Egyptian-Oriental collection and the collection of antiquities are available to the blind and visually impaired as castings for touching. A brochure with image descriptions of this in Braille is available. The Kunsthistorisches Museum offers workshops for people with dementia (Tel. +41 1 525 24-5202 or email: kunstvermittlung@khm.at) Wheelchair users who visit the museum via Burgring 5 can purchase their tickets at the shop in the lobby.

    • Comments

      The museum is a place of encounter and sensory perception and offers plenty of opportunity to stimulate vistors and motivate them to interact with one another by looking at art together and then getting creative themselves.
      Induction loop available at the audio guide stand.

      http://www.khm.at/en/learn/kunstvermittlung/inclusive-art-education

University of Vienna

Universitätsring 1
1010 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • Mo, 06:00 - 22:00
    • Tu, 06:00 - 22:00
    • We, 06:00 - 22:00
    • Th, 06:00 - 22:00
    • Fr, 06:00 - 22:00
    • Sa, 07:00 - 19:00
    • Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Hundertwasser House

Kegelgasse 37-39
1030 Vienna

Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)

Opernring 2
1010 Vienna
  • Accessibility

    • Side entrance
      • 2 Steps (Swinging doors 87 cm wide)
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        Operngasse, Opernring intersection
    • Elevator available
      • Door 80 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • 22 Wheelchair spaces available (4 in the stalls/orchestra, 18 seats in the gallery as needed)
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Tours in ten languages, prior notification for wheelchair users necessary (Tel. +43 1 514 44–2606). Language display.

    • Comments

      Portable ramps available for steps inside building.
      To reserve wheelchair and companion seats for performances, tel. +43 1 514 44-2653 (Mo-Fri, 9.00 am – 4.00 pm)

Secession

Friedrichstraße 12
1010 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -0%

      Special Offer:

      Free audioguide or guided tour

      Additional information on the offer:

      Overview tour every Saturday, 11 a.m. in English or individual visit with an audioguide (German, English, French, Italian, Polish, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish).
      Savings: 3€

  • Opening times

    • Tu, 10:00 - 18:00
    • We, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Th, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Fr, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Sa, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Su, 10:00 - 18:00
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • 13 Steps (Swinging doors 120 cm wide)
    • Side entrance
      • (Swinging doors 120 cm wide)
    • Elevator available
      • Door 80 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      People with disabilities pay the discounted admission price, companions enjoy free admission. Audio guide free with the Vienna City Card

    • Comments

      Main exhibition rooms accessible by elevator. Access to all exhibition rooms: elevator. Elevator: door width: 80 cm, cabin depth: 105 cm, cabin width: 80 cm. Beethoven Frieze (basement): elevator. Drawing Room: 24 steps.


Vienna City Hall (Wiener Rathaus)

Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1
1010 Vienna
  • Prices

    • Free guided tours
  • Guided tours

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • (Swinging doors 92 cm wide)
      • Ramp 545 cm long , 47 cm high
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        on Lichtenfelsgasse, Felderstrasse
    • Elevator available
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Multimedia guides in Austrian and English sign language are available free of charge upon presentation of an official photographic form of ID (passport, identity card, driver’s license).

    • Comments

      Elevator near stair no. 7: door width: 92 cm, cabin depth: 240 cm, cabin width: 130 cm, passage to elevator: 110 cm.
      Elevator near stair no. 8: door width: 92 cm, passage to elevator: 88 cm, cabin width: 110 cm, cabin depth 210 cm.
      Wheelchair-accessible restroom / changing room (near stair no. 8).

Austrian Mint Shop

Am Heumarkt 1
1030 Vienna

Cobenzl Vineyards

Am Cobenzl 96
1190 Vienna
  • Comments

  • Opening times

    • Mo - Fr, 07:00 - 12:00
    • Mo - We, 13:00 - 17:00
    • Th, 13:00 - 16:00
  • Guided tours

    • by arrangement

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps (Automatic sliding doors )
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.

Austrian Horticultural Museum (Österreichisches Gartenbaumuseum)

Siebeckstraße 14
1220 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • All year round, except on public holidays Mo - Fr, 08:00 - 15:00
    • Additionally from April to October, every first Thursday of the month until 6.00 pm or by telephone appointment

Botanical garden of the University of Vienna

Mechelgasse / Prätoriusgasse
1030 Vienna
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.

Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof)

Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234
1110 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • 03 November to the end of February
      • daily, 08:00 - 17:00
    • March
      • daily, 07:00 - 18:00
    • April to September
      • daily, 07:00 - 19:00
    • October to 02 November
      • daily, 07:00 - 18:00
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Honorary tombs: Main Entrance (2nd Gate, access by car possible on the blue paths), free with ID. One can apply for the access card at the Infopoint (2nd Gate). Wheelchair-accessible restroom accessible with "Euro-Key" near Hall 3, in the cemetery church and at the cemetery office (ramp), gravel paths.

Funeral Museum at Vienna's Central Cemetery

Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, Tor 2
1110 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -22%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 9€

  • Opening times

    • Th, 10:00 - 16:00
    • Guided tours are not possible on Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved exclusively for guided tours (10:00 and 13:00 by appointment for groups of 15 or more). Fixed guided tours every 1st Saturday (10:00 and 13:00), except on public holidays.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • 12 Steps (Double swinging doors )
        Ramp: 6 % incline with intermediate landings of 120 cm length, wall opening of 160 cm and a passageway opening of 144 cm (from railing to railing);
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Alternatively to the ramp: 12 steps 14.66 / 35 cm, wall opening 160 cm, handrail on both sides 144 cm, passageway opening 144 cm;

Hirschstetten Botanical Gardens (Blumengärten Hirschstetten)

Quadenstraße 15
1220 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • 19 March to 13 October
    • Th - Su, 09:00 - 18:00
    • In the winter months, only the Palm House is open (Tuesday to Friday, 10 am – 6 pm, Sunday 10 am - 6 pm).

Schönbrunn Zoo Entrance via Hietzinger Tor/Hietzinger Hauptstraße

Schönbrunner Schlosspark
1130 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -15%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 27€ /
      Savings: 4€

  • Opening times

    • January
      • daily, 09:00 - 16:30
    • February
      • daily, 09:00 - 17:00
    • March
      • daily, 09:00 - 17:30
    • April to September
      • daily, 09:00 - 18:30
    • October to December
      • daily, 09:00 - 16:30
      • ACHTUNG: Bis zur Umstellung auf die Winterzeit gelten im Oktober die September-Öffnungszeiten
  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps (Swinging doors )
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        at Elisabethallee, entrance Tirolerhof
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Tours for visitors with disabilities and special needs on request.

    • Comments

      Access to buildings and enclosures without steps or via ramp.

Schwarzenbergpark

Exelbergstraße/Höhenstraße
1170 Vienna

Villa Erbse Organic beekeeping

Franz-Graßler-Gasse 16
1230 Vienna
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