Maria-Theresien-Platz

Maria-Theresien-Platz is a broad public square in central Vienna where the Ringstraße meets the Museumsquartier. Two matching museums flank the square: the Naturhistorisches Museum and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Their façades differ only in the statues that represent continents on one building and European artists on the other. Behind the museums lie the former Imperial Stables, now the Modern Art Museum. The square and its museums were completed in 1889 to honour Empress Maria Theresa, whose equestrian statue stands at the centre. The Modern Art Museum shows contemporary works that sometimes provoke debate. The three institutions draw large numbers of visitors every year. Inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum, visitors find Bruegel’s Tower of Babel and an Egyptian collection with mummies, carvings and a reassembled prince’s tomb. The stairwell ceiling is covered by Gustav Klimt’s frescoes. The Naturhistorisches Museum displays butterflies, stuffed animals and the first underwater scene painted from life. A pair of spider crabs sent by the Japanese Emperor and a display of microscopic slides are also highlights.