Museum im Schottenstift
Art collection of Vienna's oldest monastery on Freyung: Schotten altar with the earliest city view of Vienna, paintings, vestments and clocks.
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About the museum
Duke Henry II Jasomirgott brought Irish-Scottish Benedictine monks to Vienna in 1155 and founded the monastery at what is now Freyung; hence the name 'Schotten' (Irish) still used today. In 1418, Duke Albrecht V transferred the monastery to German-speaking Benedictines. The Schotten church was newly erected in the baroque style from 1638, and Joseph Kornhäusel redesigned the extensive monastery courtyards between 1826 and 1832. In 1807 the Schotten gymnasium was founded, which the monks still run.
Because the Schotten monastery was never dissolved, its collections remained together over centuries. The museum displays the most significant pieces in the rooms of the former abbatial residence (prelature); its latest expansion was completed in 2008. The main work is the panels of the Schotten altar, a gothic winged altar created around 1470, whose master probably came from Nuremberg. Two panels show Vienna in the background – the oldest known topographical views of the city.
Also displayed are a panel by Peter Paul Rubens, early Dutch landscape paintings, furniture, treasure art such as the stag horn monstrance, precious vestments, sculptures as well as clocks and instruments, including a playable flute automaton from the Biedermeier period. A natural history cabinet shows preserved animals from the former teaching collection of the gymnasium; changing displays present documents and manuscripts from the monastery archive and library.
Highlights
- Schotten altar around 1470 with the oldest views of Vienna
- Panel painting by Peter Paul Rubens
- Stag horn monstrance of 1761
- Baroque vestments and liturgical garments
- Biedermeier flute automaton and historic clocks
- Saturday monastery tour with crypt and library
Permanent exhibition
- Kunstsammlung des Schottenstifts – In the former prelature: panels of the Schotten altar, paintings from Gothic to Biedermeier, furniture, treasure art, vestments, clocks and a natural history cabinet, supplemented by changing displays with archival materials.
- Founded
- 1160
- Operated by
- Benediktinerabtei Unserer Lieben Frau zu den Schotten
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €8Pensioners, students |
| Children & teens | €5Children 6 to 15 years 5 € |
| Seniors | €8For pensioners |
| Students & apprentices | €8 |
| Groups | –Private tours for groups up to 25 people: flat rate 130 € plus 8 € admission per person. |
| Admission with public monastery tour (Saturday 14:30) | €16Children 6–15 years 8 €, with Vienna City Card or Vienna Advantages Club 13 € |
| Audio guide (German/English) | €3 |
| Private tour | €130Flat rate plus 8 € admission per person; from 18:00 and on Sundays and public holidays 180 € flat rate |
Vienna City Card 5 €. Members of Vienna Advantages Club get a second ticket free. Free admission with Vienna Pass, Lower Austria CARD and ICOM ID. Tickets at the cashier in the monastery shop.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Schottentor · 3-min walk
Station Schottentor (U2, streetcar D, 1, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 71, bus 1A and 40A, about three minutes walk) or station Herrengasse (U3, about four minutes walk). From main station and Franz-Josefs station with streetcar D, from west station and Vienna center with U3.
By car
Tour buses: pick-up and drop-off at Börseplatz 2 (about five minutes walk), bus parking at Grillparzerstrasse or Rathausplatz.
Access to museum via the monastery shop to the left of the main entrance of the Schotten church.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Cashier and entrance in the monastery shop of the Schotten monastery (also online shop), where the museum catalog is also available.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN) |
| Good to know | Public monastery tour every Saturday at 14:30 (except public holidays) through museum, crypt and classical library; max. 25 people, no registration required, meeting point in monastery shop. Monastery tours also take place in July and August. Private tours in German or English via the form on the website or museum@schottenstift.at. |
