MuseumsQuartier where art meets dolce vita

MuseumsQuartier (Museum Quarter) is Vienna’s most exciting art complex, the eighth largest cultural areal in the world, which offers wide range of visual and performing arts, architecture, music, fashion, theatre, dance, literature, children's culture and the new media. It occupies a total usable area of around 90,000 m² and houses 9 major cultural institutions and the creative centre Q21, which hosts around 60 initiatives, associations, agencies and editorial offices in the culture segment.

The MuseumsQuartier is located at the border of the old city between the Ringstraße, the most famous street in Vienna and Mariahilfer Straße, the most famous shopping street and next to the two biggest Vienna’s museums Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) and Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum). It is connected with two metro lines U2 station MuseumsQuartier and U3 station Volkstheater.

The oldest buildings of the complex were built in 1725 as imperial court stables of the emperors. Two centuries later they were converted into a trade fair venue. Its today’s usage MQ got in 2001, when the original, baroque buildings were reconstructed and the modern architecture new museum buildings of the MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art) and the Leopold Museum were added to complex

The Leopold Museum is a cuboid building with the white limestone façade located in the inner courtyard of the complex. It is home of the world's largest collection of Egon Schiele paintings. Opposite of it is the MUMOK building a cubic formed covered with black volcanic rock. The museum houses its own collection of contemporary art consisting of some 9000 exhibits, including works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Yves Klein etc. Both buildings were designed by German-Austrian architects Ortner & Ortner.

MuseumsQuartier courtyard is very popular place to meet for Viennese. All year around there are events and seasonal outdoor programs such as concerts of the electronic music, popular music, classical music, jazz and DJs. In winter the Christmas market for young people is located here. The courtyard with its cult outdoor furniture, which became trademark of Vienna, especially in summer turns into living room of the city.

The MQ complex includes restaurants, cafés and shops as well. So when you visit it you can have a break in Café Leopold and MQdaily or dinner at Halle or Corbaci, or you can just buy a drink, like the most of visitors and relax at one of the “Enzos”.