Austrian Theatre Museum: Vienna's Home of Stage History

The Austrian Theatre Museum's origins trace back to the theatre-related collections of the Austrian National Library, with some of these collections dating as far back as the late 17th century.

In 1922, the theatrical collections were formally organized as a separate entity. Joseph Gregor, who led this initiative, also organized an exhibition that year, which attracted a significant private donation of theatre items from Hugo Thimig.

Following an exhibition in 1922 organized by Joseph Gregor, the theatrical collections received a substantial gift: the enormous private collection of theatre items belonging to Hugo Thimig, director of the Burgtheater.

In 1938, before fleeing the Nazis, Stefan Zweig bequeathed his important collection of autographs from poets and playwrights to the museum.

The museum also holds a significant bequest from the writer Hermann Bahr, representing a major collection related to Viennese Modernism.

The idea of a theatre museum gained traction in the 1930s, but it was not until 1975 that the Austrian Theatre Museum was finally founded. Initially, it was located in the premises of Hanuschhof.

After the Austrian Government acquired and renovated the Palais Lobkowitz, it was opened as the Österreichisches Theatermuseum on October 26, 1991.

The Palais Lobkowitz was acquired and renovated by the Austrian Government to serve as the new, larger premises for the Austrian Theatre Museum, addressing the space limitations of its initial location.

Upon the opening of the new museum in 1991, the theater collections from the Austrian National Library were merged with the assets of the Theatermuseum, creating a significant and comprehensive collection in the theatrical field.

In 2001, the Theatermuseum transitioned from being part of the Austrian National Library to becoming an independent entity under the umbrella of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

On September 1, 2014, the assets of the Wiener Staatsoper museum, which had been founded in 2005 and subsequently closed, were incorporated into the holdings of the Theatermuseum.

Since 1991, the Austrian Theatre Museum has been housed in the historic Palais Lobkowitz in Vienna. This palace was once owned by Franz Joseph Maximilian Prince Lobkowitz, a patron of Beethoven.

The Theatermuseum includes the grand concert hall known as Eroica Hall, named in honor of Beethoven's Third Symphony, which was dedicated to the palace's owner, Franz Joseph Maximilian Prince Lobkowitz.

The museum's extensive collections include over 1,000 stage models, 600 costumes and props spanning three centuries, more than 100,000 drawings and prints, and over 700,000 theatre photos, totaling more than 2,000,000 objects.

The museum's library contains approximately 100,000 books and periodicals. Technically still the property of the National Library, these materials are on permanent loan to the Theatre Museum.

A dedicated room in the museum showcases the work of Jugendstil artist Richard Teschner, featuring his elaborate stick puppets and the 'Figurenspiegel', a concave mirror installation with light effects.