The Museum of Military History

was the first proper museum in Vienna. It was built at the same time as the Arsenal (former military complex) in the years 1850 – 1856 in the Moorish-Byzantine style with a magnificent dome, according to plans by Baron Theophil von Hansen, who later designed the Vienna Stock Exchange building. Whereas at the time the museum was built, von Hansen was o ne of the main advocates of late Romanticism and preferred a Byzantine hybrid style, in the following years he developed the famous "Viennese Style" of historicism, with the clean, austere lines of the Renaissance. The collections of this most important historical museum in Europe stretch from the 16th century to well into the 20 th century. The museum displays the history of the Habsburg monarchy in five major stages, from the end of the 16th century until 1918, and the fate of Austria after the breakdown of the monarchy until 1945.

The Feldherrnhalle (Commanders’ Hall)

56 statues of the most famous Austrian military commanders (Feldherren) – all of them made of Carrara marble – dominate the impressive entrance hall of the building.


The Ruhmeshalle (Hall of Fame)

It is impossible to capture the fascination of this room in a picture. To fully appreciate it, one has to stand in this magnificent hall and let the frescoes by Carl v. Blaas, the majestic dome, and the unparalleled architecturalsplendour take their effect.