Oberes Belvedere

About the museum

Prince Eugene of Savoy had the palace complex built from 1712 by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt as a summer residence: first the Lower Belvedere as a residential palace, from 1717 to 1723 the Upper Belvedere as a building for state occasions, and between them the baroque garden by Dominique Girard. After Eugene's death, Maria Theresa acquired the complex in 1752. In 1777 the imperial picture gallery opened in the Upper Belvedere – one of the first publicly accessible museums in the world. After the collections moved to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the palace served from 1896 as the residence of the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand.

Today's museum goes back to the Moderne Galerie, which opened in the Lower Belvedere in 1903 and was intended to show Austrian art in international comparison. In 1908 the state acquired Gustav Klimt's "Kiss". In 1912 the Moderne Galerie became the Österreichische Staatsgalerie, which from 1918 used both palaces. During the Nazi era the institution was closely entangled with the regime's cultural administration; war damage in 1945 affected the Marble Hall, among other places. In 1953 the Upper Belvedere reopened as the Österreichische Galerie, and in 1955 the State Treaty was signed here.

After extensive renovations in the 1990s, further sites were added, including today's Belvedere 21. In the Upper Belvedere, the collection presentation "Schau!" leads chronologically from the Middle Ages to the 1970s; its focal points are the Baroque, Biedermeier, Vienna around 1900 and the world's largest collection of paintings by Gustav Klimt. The Lower Belvedere with the Orangery and the Prunkstall shows temporary exhibitions as well as the Medieval and Renaissance Gallery.

Highlights

• Gustav Klimt: "The Kiss (Lovers)" and the world's largest collection of Klimt paintings
• Character heads by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt
• Marble Hall with ceiling fresco by Carlo Carlone and a view of Vienna
• Works by Egon Schiele, Helene Funke, Vincent van Gogh and Maria Lassnig
• Salzburg Altar by Rueland Frueauf the Elder in the Prunkstall of the Lower Belvedere
• Baroque palace garden between the Upper and Lower Belvedere

Permanent exhibitions

• Schau! Die Sammlung Belvedere von Cranach bis Lassnig – Chronological tour through 800 years of art in the Upper Belvedere, from the Middle Ages to the 1970s, with self-portraits as a common thread and Klimt's "Kiss" as the climax.
• Galerie Mittelalter und Renaissance – In the former Prunkstall of the Lower Belvedere: panel paintings and sculptures from the 14th to 16th centuries, including the Salzburg Altar and works by Michael Pacher.

Founded

1903

Operated by

Österreichische Galerie Belvedere (Bundesmuseum, wissenschaftliche Anstalt öffentlichen Rechts)

Director

Stella Rollig

Admission & discounts

Prices change daily; the prices given are those of 5 October 2026. Free admission and free audio guide with Kulturpass ("Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur"), free admission with IAA card. Reductions with NÖ-Card, Ö1 Club card or Kulturpass only at the ticket desk. With Gold Pass, Friends card, Bundesmuseen Card, Vienna Pass, Flexi Pass or ICOM card, go straight to the entrance.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description

Level access through the main entrance (heavy doors, 102 cm wide); all areas reachable by lift. Accessible ticket desk at the group ticket desk. Disabled parking right next to the entrance gate, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27. Wheelchairs free of charge at the cloakroom. Tactile models of works by Klimt, Schiele, Master I. P. and Messerschmidt, video guide in Austrian and International Sign Language, booklet in plain language and audio descriptions; inclusive tours (including for people with dementia, with Austrian Sign Language interpretation). Assistance dogs only with certificate and entry in the disability pass. The path through the palace park to the Lower Belvedere is not accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly

Family workshops, tours "With Baby in the Museum" and monthly photo workshops. Free AR game "The Fantastic Palastics" with "Mission Museum" in the Upper Belvedere and "Garden Game" in the palace garden. Pushchairs are allowed everywhere; playgrounds in the surrounding parks. Children's birthday parties are offered by the Belvedere at the Belvedere 21.

Getting there & parking

Bicycle parking in the palace park (entrances Prinz-Eugen-Strasse and Landstraßer Gürtel); Citybike station and e-charging station nearby.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Palace café (daily 9 am–6 pm). Shop in the palace (ticket holders only) and shop in the Kavalierstrakt (no ticket needed). Free lockers; there is no left-luggage service for suitcases. Coats, umbrellas, backpacks and larger bags are not allowed in the exhibition rooms.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 250 guests.

In the Upper Belvedere, the Marble Hall (gala dinners up to 200 people), Sala terrena (cocktail reception up to 250, dinner up to 100) and Octagon can be hired; in the Lower Belvedere the Marble Gallery, Grotesque Hall, Gold Cabinet and Kammergarten. Weddings possible.

Plan your visit