Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien

About the museum

The treasury dates back to the collections of the Habsburgs in the Vienna Hofburg. As early as 1556, Ferdinand I appointed the scholar Jacopo Strada as court antiquary and administrator of the imperial treasury. For a long time, works of art, valuables and insignia were stored together; only in the 18th century were the collections separated by type.

Around 1800, the insignia and regalia of the Holy Roman Empire from Nuremberg and Aachen came to Vienna. In 1938, the Nazi regime brought them to Nuremberg; after World War II, they returned with the help of the US occupation forces. After the end of the monarchy in 1918, the treasury became a museum. In the new display of 1952 to 1954, it received its current location in the Swiss wing, the oldest part of the Hofburg, with access from the Swiss courtyard. Since 2012, it has appeared as the Imperial Treasury Vienna as part of the KHM Museum Association.

In 18 rooms, the Secular Treasury shows the imperial crown and the holy lance, the crown of Emperor Rudolf II, the later Austrian imperial crown, the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece as well as jewelry and mementos of the imperial family. The Ecclesiastical Treasury is devoted in five rooms with reliquaries, liturgical vessels and vestments to the history of piety from the Middle Ages to the time after the Baroque.

Highlights

• Imperial crown and Holy Lance of the Holy Roman Empire
• Austrian imperial crown (Crown of Rudolf II)
• Burgundian treasure and Order of the Golden Fleece
• Emerald vessel from one of the world's largest emeralds
• Agate bowl and narwhal tusk, once revered as grail and unicorn horn
• Reliquaries and vestments of the Ecclesiastical Treasury

Permanent exhibitions

• Weltliche Schatzkammer – Insignia of rule from more than a thousand years: imperial regalia with imperial crown and holy lance, Austrian imperial crown, Burgundian treasure, regalia of the Order of the Golden Fleece and precious jewelry of the Habsburgs.
• Geistliche Schatzkammer – Reliquaries, liturgical vessels and mass vestments from medieval relic veneration through counter-reformation piety to Austrian folk belief.

Operated by

KHM-Museumsverband

Admission & discounts

Prices online; on site 18 € or reduced 14 €. Vienna City Card 17 €. Holders of culture pass and ICOM card have free admission. As of 1 April 2026, admission only with booked time slot; tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Main entrance step-free (double swing door, 200 cm wide), then ramp to cashier. Exhibition rooms accessible via lift (door 80 cm, cabin 110 × 140 cm). Accessible toilet in cashier and shop area. Loan wheelchairs available if needed, reservation at least 2 days in advance via guestservice@khm.at; folding chairs not available due to confined spaces. Assistance animals allowed. Public disabled parking spaces at Heldenplatz. Tours in sign language and easy language on request.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

Children's audio guide to ten objects such as crowns, jewels, ceremonial weapons and relics. Private children's tours (50 or approx. 90 minutes, up to 13 children flat rate 40 or 60 €), such as on crowns, glittering stones or knights; accompanying adults pay the reduced admission. Arrange appointment at least one week in advance.

Getting there & parking

Entrance in the Swiss courtyard of the Hofburg.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum shop in entrance area (Wednesday to Monday 9–17:30 hrs) with books on Habsburgs and treasury art, jewelry reproductions, textiles and souvenirs. Free cloakroom and lockers; no storage for luggage.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit