Away from the big museums of art and history, unusual topics can also be a source of interesting wow moments, amazement, shuddering and entertainment. If you are looking for just such unusual museums, then Vienna is the right city for you. Vienna has the right museum for everyone, of that we're certain. We therefore took a look around Vienna's countless museums and in doing so discovered one or two specialties. The result is our list of seven unusual museums in Vienna.

Torture Museum

A dark atmosphere, instruments of torture, guillotines, witch burnings – and all that in a historical Second World War bunker. A visit to the Vienna Torture Museum is an unusual experience and definitely not for the faint-hearted. The sight of medieval instruments of torture makes us shudder. For all the excitement and thrills, however, there is a serious concept to this museum. The aim is to give visitors an eerily entertaining insight into the development of our legal system from the Middle Ages to the present day. What's more, the curators want to draw attention to the fact that torture still takes place in many parts of the world today.

(Temporarily closed!)

Esperanto Museum

Housed within the Austrian National Library is the Esperanto Museum, one of the oldest language museums in the world. To begin with, a short film gives visitors an overview of the constructed language of Esperanto. The extensive exhibition at Palais Mollard then provides an interactive insight into the history of Esperanto and other constructed languages from 1887 to the present day. Admission is free!

Globe Museum

The Globe Museum is unusual, even unique in the world. A neighbor of the Esperanto Museum, this museum in the Austrian National Library also has a magnificent home in Palais Mollard. More than 200 globes from around the world make up this special exhibition. In the Globe Museum, everything revolves around models of the earth, sky, moon and various planets. Truly a historic journey through the galaxy.

Prater Museum

Since the imperial hunting grounds were opened to the people in 1766, much has taken place in Vienna's Prater. From the World's Fair to Venice in Vienna, from the construction of the Giant Ferris Wheel to the Prater as we know and love it today, there was a lot going on. New standards in entertainment were set here over and over again. Reason enough then to dedicate a museum to the Prater. Housed in the Planetarium right next to the Prater, the Prater Museum brings the eventful history of the Prater to life with a large number of exhibits and stories from days gone by.

Rauchfangkehrermuseum (Chimney Sweep Museum)

A museum visit that brings good luck? At the Vienna Chimney Sweep Museum, this wish becomes reality. Chimney sweeps everywhere enjoy a special reputation as bringers of good fortune. A visit to the museum on this subject is sure to bring an extra portion of luck. On more than 200 m², this museum offers an interesting insight into the history of Viennese chimney sweeps from their beginnings to the current tasks and duties of this guild.

Collection of Clocks and Watches

The Collection of Clocks and Watches has (almost) all the time in the world – enviable! Over three floors and in 19 rooms, there are about 700 clocks distributed throughout Vienna's Collection of Clocks and Watches. This makes it one of the most important collections of its kind in Europe. More than 3,000 other clocks and watches are held in the museum's depot. Timepieces of all shapes, sizes and colors show us their progress from the 15th century to the present day. While the smallest fits under a thimble, the largest is an original timepiece from St. Stephen's Cathedral and dates to 1699. Many of the exhibits still tick diligently today and fill the Collection of Clocks and Watches with their sounds every hour on the hour.

Magic Box Museum

Near Schönbrunn Palace, magic lies in the museum air. No wonder, because Vienna's Magic Box Museum immerses us in a world full of conjuring and magic tricks. More than 3,000 exhibits from across three centuries make the museum the world's largest collection of magic boxes – admission to the Guinness Book of Records is included. A special highlight are the one-hour guided tours given by the collector himself. In addition to lots of exciting background information, one or two magic tricks will also be demonstrated live. Simply magical!