Across an exhibition space of about 22,000 m2, the Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Museum of Science and Technology) offers room for exceptional insights into the world of technology. The Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Media Library) preserves Austria’s audio-visual cultural heritage, holding more than two million audio and video recordings.
One-of-a-kind exhibits and archive materials from the past to the future make the museum the showplace of fascinating technical developments. But the Technisches Museum Wien is far more than just an exhibition space. It is a place of controversial debates about technology and does not only show objects, but also puts them into context with people. Images, texts, films and experiments illustrate the influence of technical accomplishments on our society, economy and culture. The multimedia presentation of these extensive connections, combined with numerous interactive stations, enables visitors to approach technology in a very personal, individual way, making a visit to the Technisches Museum Wien an exceptional technical experience.
As Austria’s largest museum of science and technology, the museum sees itself as a place of learning and discourse within society that bridges the realms of science, education, economy and society. The museum’s work is guided by the notion of sustainability in an effort to act in a future-oriented and socially effective manner. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs for short) adopted by the United Nations (UN) serve as an appropriate framework definition. 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 commitment to sustainability is also reflected in the museum’s operations, for which the Technisches Museum Wien was awarded the Austrian Ecolabel as the first federal museum.
Permanent exhibitions at the Technisches Museum Wien
The museum’s display collection currently comprises the exhibitions “Energy”, “Heavy industry”, “Mobility”, “Locomotive.adventure”, “Musical instruments”, “Everyday life – directions for use” and “media.worlds” as well as the interactive exhibition “ON/OFF” dedicated to electricity, the hands-on exhibition “In motion”, the exhibition “At work” addressing the dynamics of working life and the exhibition “Cherished – praised – unwanted” on household appliances. In addition, the Technisches Museum Wien shows the contributions of women to technology and science in the “Women’s gallery” and presents its provenance research in “Inventory number 1938”. As part of changing presentations, pioneering technologies of Austrian start-ups and innovative businesses are showcased in the “Innovation Corner”, while current research projects of the TU Wien are given a museum stage in the “Science Corner”. With the “techLAB”, the museum also offers an in-house maker*space, designed specifically to encourage young people to experiment with innovative production technologies. The youngest museum visitors are given the opportunity to discover new things in a playful way in the “mini” and “miniXplore” adventure areas. Electrifying high-voltage demonstrations, full-body VR experiences and exciting insights into the display mine round off the stunning museum experience.
Special exhibitions at the Technisches Museum Wien
mit Österreichischer Mediathek
Special exhibitions related to all major topic areas of the museum complement the visitor experience. The Technisches Museum Wien is currently hosting the “BioInspiration” exhibition of the Parque de las Ciencias in Granada, which is part of the #Alliance4Science collaboration project between European museums, while the “Smart World” exhibition of the DASA Dortmund will be on display from autumn 2023. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Vienna World’s Fair, the hybrid exhibition entitled “Women at Work: 150th Anniversary of the Women’s Pavilion at the Vienna World’s Fair” will address the female working world from 2 May 2023. Starting 1 June 2023, the “Music Lounge” will be dedicated to “electronic music”, showcasing original objects of renowned musicians such as Joe Zawinul or Parov Stelar. In addition, the special exhibition “Energy transition. A race against time” will be presented from June 2023.
Österreichische Mediathek
Moreover, thousands of archived recordings of the Österreichische Mediathek are already accessible in online exhibitions, where various topics of Austrian contemporary and cultural history are catalogued and prepared for multimedia presentation. For example, the Beethoven Anniversary Year was celebrated with the “Beethoven up close” online exhibition and Arnold Schönberg’s bequest of shellack records was presented as part of the “Schönberg. A transatlantic audio journey” online exhibition. Since the end of 2022, the Österreichische Mediathek has brought audio documents from the first few decades of the history of sound recording back to life for the first time in more than a century in the “Sound recordings” online exhibition.
Mobile and digital programmes of the Technisches Museum Wien
To also promote a passion for technology and science outside the Museum, the Technisches Museum Wien has upgraded an e-bus to a digital production workshop. The “roadLAB” is now touring Austria along with its team of qualified mediators, offering free workshops to schools as well as leisure and educational facilities. The “nextgenLAB” maker*platform, the museum’s YouTube channel and the ZINE online magazine also give interested people the opportunity to examine the museum’s contents in more detail at any location in a low-threshold setting. On site, the “TMW ToGo” museum app enriches the visitor experience with comprehensive information, exciting tours and augmented reality.
