Here technology becomes an experience2 
Technology and science are key drivers of our society. They are all around us and determine our daily lives. 
Our cultural mission is to publicly reflect upon the developments of technology and science and their contemporary effects on society. With the Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Media Library), we preserve Austria’s audio-visual heritage. Creating an integral connection between historical objects and documents as well as interactive elements in exhibitions is our signature feature.
 
At the interface between past and future, the Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Museum of Science and Technology) invites visitors to discover, experience and reflect on different fields of technology and the history of technology, catering to all ages and interests. Our goal is to encourage and enable our visitors – especially children and young adults – to take an active part in shaping future developments. Fun ways and methods of knowledge transfer make it possible to literally get to grips with technology.
 
We assist in navigating the dynamic and lively field of experimentation and research. By offering a wide range of online services, we also act as a virtual learning and research platform, illustrating the complementary interaction of analogue and digital technologies.
 

Our guiding principle: Sustainable development

As Austria’s largest museum of science and technology, we see ourselves as a place of learning and discourse within society that bridges the realms of science, education, economy and society. Our work is guided by the notion of “sustainability” in an effort to act in a future-oriented and socially effective manner. 
By way of a framework definition, we are guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs for short) adopted by the United Nations (UN). These goals represent a globally recommended agenda for sustainable development by 2030, in which 17 goals with ecological, economic and social fields of action have been defined. 
 

The mainstays of our work as a federal museum 

As a federal museum, the Technisches Museum Wien mit Österreichischer Mediathek is a scientific institution under public law.
The legal basis of our work is the 2002 Federal Museums Act and, in particular, the Museum Rules and Regulations for the Technisches Museum Wien mit Österreichischer Mediathek. They set out the legal form, general and particular purposes, tasks, organisation, management as well as the duties of the board of trustees as the supervisory body for all economic matters. 
 

Our values

  • Sustainability
    To meet the major challenges of our time, we want to encourage our visitors to contribute their visions to models of the future. To convey the necessary critical understanding of technical and social processes, we therefore offer a platform for reflection and discussion that is based on the idea of sustainability. The connection of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals with our objects and our expertise provides food for critical thought and insightful perspectives. Our commitment to sustainability is also taken into account in the museum’s operations, for which we were awarded the Austrian Ecolabel as early as 2020.

  • Innovation
    We put innovation at the centre of all our activities: We want to not only stimulate the public discourse on technological developments and their interactions with society, but also promote forward-looking skills and enthusiasm for the STEM fields. 

  • Anchored in present and future
    Due to the increasingly rapid pace of scientific and social change, the very concept of the museum also needs to be anchored more firmly in both the present and the future. Current issues are put into context with historical objects, deepening the basic understanding of technological and socio-political processes and putting fears about the future and technology into perspective. As a place of encounter and exchange, we also offer a platform for critical reflection and visionary development strategies. 
     
  • Access and participation
    To enable social participation on a broad scale, we develop mobile education formats and intensify our activities in online education, aiming to reach socio-economically disadvantaged groups through interactive and participatory cooperation formats.
     
  • International perspective
    In a globalised world, forward-looking social issues demand a way of thinking that is networked at international level. Within the framework of cooperation ventures, research and exhibition projects are given a clear international orientation.
     
  • Gender-informed action
    We see it as our responsibility to contribute to gender balance in science and technology and to promote the deconstruction of stereotypes. This commitment is reflected in the museum’s collection strategy, exhibition and educational concepts and operations.

FACTS

  • Laying of the foundation stone in 1909
  • Opening 1918
  • Approx. 22.000 m2 exhibition area
  • Approx. 420.000 visitors per year

Business documents are only available in German.