Josephinum: Exploring Vienna's Medical History Museum and Anatomical Wax Models

The Josephinum, Vienna's medical history museum, houses a world-renowned collection, including 1,200 anatomical wax models and historical medical instruments. After extensive renovations, the museum offers 1,000 square meters of exhibition space and highlights Vienna's significant contributions to medical history.

The Josephinum, a medizinhistorisches Museum (medical history museum), located in a preserved Classicist building, reopened in September 2022 after nearly four years of renovations. The museum, which houses the collections of the Medical University of Vienna, now offers approximately 1,000 square meters of exhibition space. The building itself has been extensively restored to its original state, with particular attention paid to its nine-meter-high, semi-circular historical lecture hall, where original wall paintings have been uncovered. The Josephinum's collections are extensive and historically significant. Central to its display are 1,200 world-famous anatomical wax models, originally commissioned and acquired by Emperor Joseph II in Florence. These are exhibited in seven rooms within original rosewood and Venetian glass display cases. The museum also showcases numerous other important medical history artifacts, including instruments, images, books, archival materials, and manuscripts. Notable items include the world's first endoscope (1806), the stomach specimen from Theodor Billroth's first successful gastric resection, surgical instruments from Giovanni Alessandro Brambilla, the skull fragments believed to be from Ludwig Van Beethoven, a handwritten curriculum vitae by Sigmund Freud, and the file used in the assassination of Empress Elisabeth. Many objects are being displayed for the first time since the reopening. The museum concept combines a university collection depot with a flexible exhibition space, also addressing contemporary bioethical debates. The Josephinum also possesses a substantial library founded in 1786.

Admission is subject to a fee, with a normal price of 15€. A 20% discount is available with the Vienna City Card. Guided tours are offered, with a separate fee of 5 Euros per person, in addition to the entrance price. Advance booking is recommended for German-language tours.