Special Vienna Experiences 2027

Want to appreciate the legendary Imperial Crown in a new setting? Explore Jewish modernism from fresh perspectives and immerse yourself in the fashion world of turn-of-the-century Vienna? Or would you rather experience classical music in the very place where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri once performed together? In 2027, as part of Vienna, Grand New, Vienna’s attractions and museums will host exciting exhibitions, along with special tours and concerts, revealing imperial Vienna from entirely new angles.

Michelangelo & Co: Picture Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts

Through August 22, 2027, the Picture Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts presents the exhibition “The Great Michelangelo Is Dead! Avant-Garde and Academicism.” Renowned names await, from Michelangelo Buonarroti and Artemisia Gentileschi to Sandro Botticelli, Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens.

© Kunstsammlungen der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, Foto: Iris Ranzinger

The exhibition explores the creative tension between the concepts of the avant-garde and academic art – both from a broad historical perspective and as a positioning within the sphere of contemporary art. The representatives of contemporary art include such renowned names as Roy Lichtenstein, Martin Kippenberger, Jutta Koether, Markus Lüpertz, and Jörg Immendorff.

A Rubens Spectacle: Liechtenstein Garden Palace

The magnificent Liechtenstein Garden Palace in the 9th district will be dedicated to Peter Paul Rubens from January 29 to March 29, 2027. The exhibition celebrates the artist’s 450th birthday. At the heart of “In the Service of Freedom: Decius Mus and the Battle of Vesuvius” is a spectacular rediscovery: The Decius-Mus Cycle is a rarely exhibited early work by Rubens and his first series of paintings of this kind. The work also marked the beginning of his exploration of tapestry production.

© LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

For the first time in decades, the entire cycle is being presented in its entirety following extensive research and restoration. Complemented by international loans and masterpieces from the Liechtenstein Princely Collections, the exhibition marks a splendid start to the Rubens Year. This collection is truly a treasure trove, given that the world’s largest private collection of Rubens works is owned by the Princely Collections of Liechtenstein. The exhibition opens up new perspectives not only on Rubens’ working methods and workshop practice, but also on the relationship between art, politics, and diplomacy in Baroque Europe.

A dazzling premiere: Kunsthistorisches Museum

With the “The Imperial Crown: Power and Myth,” exhibition opening on February 16, 2027, the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna will mark a first, namely the first time that the legendary Imperial Crown will be on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In an extraordinary exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to admire one of the most significant symbols of power from the Middle Ages up close.

© KHM-Museumsverband

The legend goes that the crown – which is now kept in Vienna – is associated with Charlemagne, who ruled the Frankish Empire from 768 to 814, and for centuries it belonged to the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire (of the German Nation). It was a key element of the coronation regalia right up until the last coronation of the Holy Roman Empire in 1792 and, more than almost any other object, symbolized power, tradition, and the concept of imperial dignity.

Its use over the course of several centuries ensured that it was the only one of the medieval royal and imperial crowns to survive destruction, making the Imperial Crown one of the most significant and fascinating treasures of European history. The exhibition runs through May 30, 2027.

Exclusive tours: Liechtenstein City Palace

Want to step inside a magnificent Viennese town house that’s otherwise only open to the public for exclusive tours and events? You’ll have the chance to do so on three dates in 2027 at the Liechtenstein City Palace in downtown Vienna. As part of the special tour series KUNST.MOMENTE, the guided tour “Change” offers insights into how the Stadtpalais Liechtenstein is used today as an exclusive event venue. What’s more, the Stadtpalais houses parts of the Princely Collections Liechtenstein (Fürstliche Sammlungen Liechtenstein), one of the world’s most significant private art collections. The fascinating and eventful history of this magnificent building is also a focus of “Change”.

© Palais Liechtenstein/Sebastian Burziwal

The special tour will be offered in German at 4.00 pm on February 12, May 10, and October 15, 2027 and can be booked directly via the Palais Liechtenstein website. Private group tours on special dates and in English are also possible (max. 25 people) – this is an extraordinary opportunity to get to know imperial Vienna from a completely new perspective.

A Glimpse of Green: Porcelain Museum in the Augarten

The temporary exhibition “IN THE GREEN: Porcelain and the Gardens of the 18th Century” at the Augarten Porcelain Museum runs from March 18, 2027 to February 26, 2028. It explores the imperial gardens surrounding the imperial capital of Vienna as places of utility, experimentation, and pleasure. At its center is the Augarten, an exemplary pleasure garden of the 18th century that was opened as a public recreation park in 1775. It brings together the era’s longing for nature and escape from the city, as well as politics, garden design, kitchen gardens, and summer days between the Baroque and the Enlightenment. The imperial porcelain manufactory conjured up winter blossoms and entire gardens for the table. The world of greenery, immortalized in porcelain, becomes a reflection of a society that sought to create paradises for itself through poetry and science.

Fashion revolutions: Leopold Museum

Beginning on February 26, 2027, the Leopold Museum at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna (MQW) will explore fashion in the context of the Gesamtkunstwerk of Vienna 1900. The exhibition “Modern Fashion – Wiener Werkstätte & Paris” will trace Viennese fashion from 1900 to around 1930, and will also look at the fashion of the Ringstrasse era. At the end of the 19th century, Henry van de Velde and Anna Muthesius ushered in a revolution in fashion: the rejection of the corset and the introduction of the reform dress marked a significant paradigm shift in European women’s clothing.

© WienTourismus/Gregor Hofbauer

The exhibition focuses on the fashion department of the Wiener Werkstätte, founded in 1911, and highlights in particular the productive exchanges between Vienna and Paris. The exhibition features works by Sonia Delaunay, Raoul Dufy, Emilie Flöge, Mathilde Flögl, Josef Hoffmann, Gustav Klimt, Mela Koehler, Otto Lendecke, Maria Likarz-Strauss, Koloman Moser, Dagobert Peche, Paul Poiret, Egon Schiele, and Eduard Wimmer-Wisgrill. The exhibition runs through June 27, 2027.

There will also be special guided tours in English every two weeks as part of the “Vienna, Grand New” program. These tours will shed light on the most significant fashion revolutions of this era and tell the story of a time of transformation – from the imperial Vienna of the Habsburgs to a modern metropolis – and of the creative connection between Vienna and Paris, featuring Paul Poiret and the multifaceted artist Sonia Delaunay.

Modernism reexamined: Jewish Museum Vienna

The Jewish Museum Vienna will cast an entirely new light on Vienna around 1900 with the exhibition “The Myth of Vienna 1900: How Jewish Is Modernism?”, which will be open from May 26, 2027, through January 2028. It takes a look at Vienna’s fin de siècle in a Jewish context – a topic that is very often charged with nostalgia.

© WienTourismus/Paul Bauer

For while the image of “Jewish modernity” symbolizes artistic and intellectual renewal, it overlooks poverty, marginalization, and intra-Jewish conflicts. After Jewish authors in Vienna had initially described this cultural awakening themselves, it became more firmly embedded in the collective memory from the 1980s onward. However, the effort to bring erased Jewish culture to light also gave rise to a myth.

The exhibition questions this narrative and presents a wide range of Jewish lived realities during a period of social upheaval. It examines how Jewish identity around 1900 was negotiated and instrumentalized – and asks how “Jewish” the modernism of Vienna’s fin de siècle really was.

Musical highlight: Schönbrunn Palace Concerts

As part of “Vienna, Grand New,” there will also be musical performances at a very special venue that was once reserved exclusively for the nobility and a small, wealthy elite, but is now open to all music lovers. The Orangery at Schönbrunn Palace was the venue, on February 7, 1786, for the historic musical contest between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, initiated by Emperor Joseph II and immortalized in music history.

© Schloss Schönbrunn Konzerte

Today, the palace’s magnificent Orangery is the prestigious setting for the Schönbrunn Palace Concerts, with daily performances devoted to classical music. The program features works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss, including overtures and arias from Mozart’s operas, as well as well-known waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss. The program varies slightly each day. In 2027, it will be expanded to include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, marking the 200th anniversary of his death. Taking the stage will be the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra, a Viennese chamber orchestra, accompanied by two opera singers.

The concerts will take place daily at 8.30 pm and last about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Upon request, the evening can be combined with an exclusive tour of the palace or a three-course dinner nearby.