Tea service by Josef Hoffmann, 1928

You are here:

Wiener Werkstätte

The architect Josef Hoffmann, the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser and the Viennese industrialist Fritz Waerndorfer founded the "Wiener Werkstätte" as patrons in 1903, modeling it on the English and Scottish Arts and Crafts movement. The production community of visual artists was a typical child of the turn of the last century, when Modernism had its beginnings. Historicism and its countless style imitations was countered by the simple, the appropriate and the elegant.

Gesamtkunstwerk or total work of art

The idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, was central to Wiener Werkstätte. Its founding members, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, saw design as the unification of art and crafts in everyday life. The concept of art was to be renewed on the basis of arts and crafts and manual solidity. In line with this principle, the "Wiener Werkstätte" manufactured high-quality products with the aim of refining all areas of everyday requirements: Furniture, interiors, porcelain, glass, jewelry and fashion.

The production site of the interdisciplinary "Wiener Werkstätte" was located in the 7th district at Neustiftgasse 32-34. At the height of its success, sales outlets could be found not only in Vienna but also in New York, Berlin and Zürich. The Sanatorium Purkersdorf near Vienna and Stoclet Palace in Brussels, both of which were designed by Josef Hoffmann, were furnished exclusively by the Wiener Werkstätte. And yet the company had to battle permanently with financial problems during the almost 30 years of its existence (1903-1932). The global economic crisis finally also impoverished the most important group of buyers, the Viennese middle classes. The request for compensation of 1926 was followed by the final winding up of the "Wiener Werkstätte" in 1932.

Archive of the Wiener Werkstätte in the MAK

Nowadays, the MAK - Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna is the owner of the archive of the Wiener Werkstätte, which it was bequeathed by its last owner in 1955: 16,000 design drawings, 20,000 fabric samples, posters, postcard designs, model books, photo albums and business correspondence. The MAK also holds a rich collection of objects of the "Wiener Werkstätte" from all creative periods, including the world's most comprehensive inventory of furniture, objects and designs by Josef Hoffmann. Some of these exhibits can be seen at the MAK in the Vienna 1900 collection, which goes on a foray through the company's extensive body of works.

The Leopold Museum also has a collection that focuses on the Wiener Werkstätte and shows metalwork as well as furniture by Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser, plus selected objects by Otto Wagner.

MAK - Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna

Stubenring 5
1010 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Your benefit with the Vienna City Card: -20%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 15€ /
      additionally 5% off at MAK Design Shop

  • Prices

    • Free admission for young people under 19 years of age
  • Opening times

    • Tu, 10:00 - 21:00
    • 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
    • Open on public holidays (also on Mondays)

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance

      • Ramp, with a wheelchair-accessible elevator to the ticket office
    • Elevator available
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      All facilities suitable for wheelchair users, elevator to the exhibition rooms.

Leopold Museum

Museumsplatz 1
1070 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Your benefit with the Vienna City Card: -16%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 15€ /
      With Vienna City Card: 12,50€ /
      Vienna City card holders are entitled to use the fast lane at the Leopold Museum

  • Opening times

    • Mo, 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
    • on holidays, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Open daily between June and August.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps (Double swinging doors)
        stufenlos mittels Lift an der Rückseite des Leopold Museums
    • Car parks Main entrance
      • 4 Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        Parkplätze am Areal sind über die Haupteinfahrt / Ecke Volkstheater erreichbar
    • Elevator available
      • 89 cm wide and 210 cm low , Door 90 cm wide
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      The Parking Spaces can be reached via the main entrance (=corner of the Volkstheater).

    • Comments

      Main entrance, access to all exhibition rooms and restaurant/café: no steps.

      wheelchairs can be borrowed free of charge from the checkroom at the main entrance to the Leopold Museum (early booking required).


Tea service by Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903
Tea service by Josef Hoffmann, Wiener Werkstätte, 1903© MAK/Georg Mayer
Tea service by Josef Hoffmann, 1928
Tea service by Josef Hoffmann, 1928© MAK/Katrin Wißkirchen
Couple looking at the Wiener Werkstätte collection in the Leopold Museum
Wiener Werkstätte collection in the Leopold Museum© WienTourismus/Peter Rigaud
Couple looking at the Wiener Werkstätte collection in the Leopold Museum
Wiener Werkstätte collection in the Leopold Museum© WienTourismus/Peter Rigaud

Recommend article

Please complete all the mandatory fields marked with an *.

The data and email addresses you provide will not be saved or used for other purposes.

From
  • Email is a mandatory field.
  • Please enter a valid email address.
  • Email address valid
Tomandatory field
  • Name is a mandatory field.
  • Email is a mandatory field.
  • Please enter a valid email address.
  • Email address valid

Subject: Recommendation from www.vienna.info

  • Error: Please wait a moment, verification is still in progress.
  • Error: Please try again. If the error continues to occur, it means we cannot identify you as a human being. You will not be able to send the form for security reasons.
Rate this article
Rate this article

Feedback to the vienna.info editorial team

Please complete all the mandatory fields marked with an *.

1 error has occurred. errors have occurred.

    Salutationmandatory field
    • Salutation is a mandatory field.
    • Name is a mandatory field.
    • Email is a mandatory field.
    • Please enter a valid email address.
    • Email address valid
    • Message is a mandatory field.
    • Error: Please wait a moment, verification is still in progress.
    • Error: Please try again. If the error continues to occur, it means we cannot identify you as a human being. You will not be able to send the form for security reasons.

    Fancy more?