Leopold Museum — Attraction in Vienna

The modern building itself is very good and the square within it sits is a beautiful outdoor space on a sunny day. Peaceful and away from the noise of the city.

I bought the ticket on a Sunday an hour before closing to use the next day as there was no queue at the time for entry.

However when I returned on Monday for my visit I still needed to join the queue to pay for the audio guide so the early purchase did not save any time.

Entry is €15 but as I had the Vienna City pass I got a discount resulting in a €12.50 entry fee.

The audio guide is additional €4 and I suggest to take it because it does help bring those pieces of interest to life with some short insight via the audio guide.

I started on the top floor and worked down with the cafe and shop being on the middle floor of the building but sadly the cafe is enclosed in glass and on a hot day I wanted to be outside for a break. Also during the period I visited the inside cafe is only serving drinks. The food is served outside on the terrace which requires leaving the building. This is allowed - to leave the building and re enter the same day.

The security is somewhat extreme, for example to rent the audio guide they wanted to keep my passport ( they ask for photo ID ) Unhappy with the request it was accepted that I leave my credit card at the desk.

I was carrying a small backpack which I was told to remove the Small bottle of water from and wear the backpack on my chest .. An odd request given they have a bag store for no extra charge- So this is what I did, I left the small back pack in the cloakroom / bag store.

I was permitted to keep the small phone bag I was carrying on me during the visit.

It is permitted to take photos and there are small benches to sit on each floor if you don’t like to stand for long periods.

The gallery itself was not of a great interest to me personally with the exception of a few interesting pieces. Of course a personal opinion. There is no extra charge for the WC ( rare in Austria) I still managed to spend two hours here before leaving for a break plus an extra hour on my return. If you are time limited I would say there are many superior museums and galleries to spend your time and again a personal opinion I found it only mildly interesting and mildly educational.

With regards to the staff here they are simply following protocols regarding the security so remaining polite with regards to somewhat extreme requests did afford a little negotiation.

I prefer the other cafes on the square to take a beak including MQ kantina and MQ Daily. Both have lovely...

Local art museum. You will see works by Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt among others. Egon Schiele is very well known for his drawings but much less for his painting and I understand why because it was not really of the same level. Fortunately the majority of the works are drawings. For Klimt it is mainly works from his classical period and not Art Nouveau. The real surprise was the exhibition on the Biedermeier movement with beautiful discoveries of classical works from the first half of the 19th century. As for the Vienna 1900 exhibition, it is rather poor from an artistic point of view and is like Central European Art in general: uninteresting. I think that this is not the museum to visit as a priority when you are in Vienna. The artistic strength of Vienna came from the Habsburgs who were influential patrons and who allowed the development of Italian and Flemish painting in particular. To see his true masterpieces, head to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, located just across the street, which is definitely worth the detour.

Regarding the museum itself: the building is quite pleasant, with large spaces and plenty of light. However, the staff working inside are not up to scratch. And I was actually assaulted by an employee at the end of my visit: I entered the museum with a perfectly normal-sized bag over my shoulder, handed over my ticket at the entrance, and toured all the rooms for two and a half hours, passing numerous security personnel without anyone saying anything to me. I had saved the ground floor room for last and I did well because at that moment a totally hysterical museum employee came to see me shouting that I couldn't have a bag on me... when I explained to her that I had been in the museum for 2.5 hours and that no one had said anything to me, she went to get one of her managers which gave me time to visit this last room. When I was about to leave, the two were waiting for me at the museum exit to ask me why I had a bag on me... Luckily I had finished my visit. Without this episode I would probably have given a better rating. Instead they got the rating they deserve (What a shame that we can't give a...

In a busy long weekend visiting Vienna from the UK, we chose a single museum for our itinerary- and the Leopald Museum was it. It did not disappoint.

Situated in Vienna’s MuseumQuartier (museum quarter) it’s large modern structure contrasts with the grand classical architecture across most of the city but the airy space inside is a treasure trove of modern art.

To appreciate the chronology of Rudolph Leopold’s collection, it is best to go to the top floor and work your way down. You start with the latter part of the 19th century and are led on a journey through modernism in European art to the current day.

I particularly loved the Egon Schiele collection which is extensive and well displayed, adding details of his short but prolifically productive life that help contextualise the art and graphics displayed.

There are a host of other names in art that most of us will recognise : Gustav Klimt, Edvard Munch, Picasso, Josef Hoffman, sculptures, sketches, ceramics, even furniture. There is an exhibition showing fascinating details of the work of art duo Christo and Jean-Claude who have created art installations around the world by temporarily wrapping buildings and trees.

I was struck by how many Austrian artists of the twentieth century were influenced by themes of war and it helps you realise the impact of a country at the centre of the two major world conflicts of the last century.

There is also a clever reflection on climate change where a number of paintings have been tilted a few degrees (it varies from painting to painting). Commentary then allows visitors to reflect on what would happen to the subjects in these images if our planet is allowed to heat up ‘a few degrees more’.

Well worth a trip. Delightful coffee shop in the top floor although there is a slightly over zealous system of entry where you have to scan your museum entry ticket to gain access. A bit of a faf at busy times but a lovely coffee shop none the less - open on one side in...