Imperial Furniture Museum

The Imperial Furniture Museum, known in German as the Hofmobiliendepot, is a furniture museum in Vienna, Austria, that ranks among the most important collections of furniture in the world. Located at Andreasgasse 7 in the 7th district of Neubau, the museum preserves and displays the furnishings of the Habsburg monarchs alongside a broader survey of Viennese cabinet making and interior decoration. Its holdings trace a path from imperial court suppliers to the pioneering architects and designers of the early twentieth century, including Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann, and Otto Wagner, figures who shaped the domestic architecture of Vienna. The institution is organized as part of the Schönbrunn Palace Cultural and Joint Operating Company (Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H.).

The origins of the collection date to 1747, when Empress Maria Theresa appointed the first Court Furniture Inspector (Hofmobilieninspektor) to oversee the inventory control, care, and transportation of the imperial court's furniture. In 1809 this office was elevated to the Court Furniture Directorate (Hofmobiliendirektion), which also assumed responsibility for purchasing new furnishings for the imperial household. The present building complex on Mariahilfer Straße 88 was lunger was constructed in 1901 as the Imperial-Royal Court Furniture Depository (k. k. Hofmobiliendepot), providing centralized storage for furniture not in active use, together with attached workshops and coach houses. Because the Habsburgs regularly refurnished their residences according to changing tastes and styles, the depot accumulated vast quantities of material. Following the dissolution of the Danube monarchy in 1919, the entire imperial furniture collection passed to the Republic of Austria. Display rooms opened to the public in 1924, and after a period of refurbishment, the museum reopened in its modern form in 1998. In 1991, architects Alessandro Alverá and Karl Stransky were commissioned to undertake a fundamental spatial reorganization of the building complex.

The museum's collection encompasses over 160,000 objects, spanning from the Baroque era to contemporary design. Its core consists of original Habsburg furnishings, including commodes, imperial thrones, beds, and ceremonial seating. The collection documents the evolution of the Habsburg court's living style across centuries, with items drawn from official residences such as the Hofburg and Schönbrunn as well as from summer and private residences. Beyond the imperial holdings, the museum presents the history of Viennese furniture art and interior decoration more broadly, incorporating work by twentieth-century Austrian designers and architects. Thematic emphases include Biedermeier and Historicist styles, and the museum also maintains holdings related to modern and contemporary design. A dedicated section explores the use of collection pieces in the 1950s Sissi film trilogy starring Romy Schneider. The collection continues to serve practical functions: federal ministers may borrow furniture for their chancelleries during their terms of office, embassies draw on the depot for furnishings, and film companies have used original pieces for productions.

Among the signature works on display are imperial thrones, imperial beds, and the travel throne used by the Habsburg court. The collection includes the Egyptian Cabinet, originally created for Empress Maria Ludovica during the Napoleonic era, and the Armorial Hall, originally from an 1883 villa designed by Eugen Sehnal. Visitors can examine personal and intimate items such as rococo spittoons, room toilets disguised as seating furniture, and specially designed ladies' chamber-pots, alongside commodes that illustrate imperial sanitation. The museum features a Baroque easy-chair on wheels, praying stools with velvet pillow covers, and folding chairs developed for the traveling court, which could be packed and transported between residences. The Biedermeier alcoves recreate middle-class interiors of the period, while the Bentwood furniture section includes work by Michael Thonet. Wiener Werkstätte designs by Josef Hoffmann are displayed alongside postwar innovations by designers such as Oswald Haerdtl and Walter Pichler, and contemporary pieces from studios including EOOS and POLKA.

The main building is located at Andreasgasse 7 in Vienna's 7th district, Neubau, occupying the former Imperial-Royal Court Furniture Depository. The 1901 structure at Mariahilfer Straße 88 was purpose-built as a storage and administrative facility, and its adaptation into a public museum preserves the historical atmosphere of a working depot, including multi-level storage areas that evoke the original operations. The complex incorporates specialized exhibition rooms such as the Habsburg Room, the Maria Theresa Room, and the Bentwood Furniture section, as well as restoration workshops. The site is accessible via public transport, with the U3 line to Neubaugasse station located approximately 200 meters away. In 1991, architects Alessandro Alverá and Karl Stransky were commissioned with the fundamental spatial reorganization of the building complex, work that supported its 1998 reopening as a modern museum.

The Imperial Furniture Museum is located at Andreasgasse 7, A-1070 Vienna. It is open Tuesday through Sunday and on public holidays from 10:00 to 17:00 or 18:00, and closed on Mondays. As of 2025, admission is €18 for adults and €11 for reduced tickets. The museum offers audio guides of approximately 70 minutes in multiple languages, as well as private and themed guided tours. A virtual tour is available online. Accessibility provisions include accommodations for visitors with mobility impairments, with specific details such as wheelchair ramps available on request. The museum is part of the Schönbrunn Group, allowing combined access with sites such as Schönbrunn Palace and the Sisi Museum via the Sisi Pass. Contact information includes telephone at +43 (0)1 524 33 57, and further details are available through the museum's website at www.moebelmuseumwien.at.