Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art in Wien

The Austrian Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art was founded in 1895 by Michael Haberlandt and Wilhelm Hein, who were officials at the Imperial and Royal Natural History Court Museum and prominent members of the Anthropological Society in Vienna. The museum operates under the legal entity of the Association for Folklore, established by Haberlandt and Hein in 1894.

Following its founding, the museum's collections were initially housed and stored in various apartments and warehouses before a permanent location was secured.

In 1898, the museum found its first dedicated home within the Great Hall of the Vienna Stock Exchange, marking an early stage in its establishment and public presence.

In 1917, the museum relocated to the baroque Schönborn Palace, which provided a more substantial and historically significant setting for its growing collections.

After relocating to Schönborn Palace in 1917, the museum officially opened its doors to the public in 1920, making its collections accessible.

The museum's collections were originally intended to encompass the entire Cisleithanian region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, aiming to represent all the peoples under the Austrian crown.

In line with preserving the multi-ethnic state, the museum's collections expanded to include other European regions, promoting a direction of comparative folklore study.