Albertina Museum

The Albertina Museum in Vienna is one of the city’s most important cultural institutions, renowned for its vast graphic arts collection. Housed in a former Habsburg palace on the edge of the Hofburg complex, the museum combines imperial grandeur with world-class art. Its stately staterooms, once home to Archduke Albert of Saxony-Teschen (who gave the museum its name), provide a lavish setting for both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum’s location in the heart of Vienna makes it easily accessible and a popular stop on the city’s cultural trail.

The Albertina is best known for its collection of prints and drawings, one of the largest and most significant in the world, boasting around 65,000 drawings and over a million prints. These include masterpieces by Dürer, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Schiele, as well as Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Study of a Young Woman (often called “Head of a Girl”). Beyond works on paper, the museum has expanded its holdings to include modern and contemporary art, with notable works by Picasso, Monet, Chagall, and Baselitz. This blend of old masters and modern innovators gives the Albertina a uniquely wide artistic scope.

Today, the museum is also known for its ambitious temporary exhibitions, often showcasing blockbuster themes or highlighting pivotal artists in depth. Its combination of historic palace interiors, cutting-edge exhibitions, and world-class collections makes it a dynamic cultural destination. The contrast between admiring delicate Renaissance sketches and then stepping into galleries filled with vibrant modern canvases highlights the Albertina’s role in bridging centuries of art history. For many visitors, it offers one of the most diverse and inspiring museum experiences in Vienna.