Located in the middle of the Arsenal and designed by Ludwig Foerster and Theophil Hansen in the 1850s, this museum focuses on battles from the late 16th century through the dissolution of the Austrian monarchy in 1945. A “tank garden” behind the museum exhibits several armored battle vehicles from Austria and around the world. Rotating special exhibitions highlight more recent international conflicts. Visit the museum as part of a World War II tour that touches on sites around the city linked to the war and its main players, including Adolf Hitler.
It’s easy to reach the Museum of Military History (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum) via public transportation from locations across the city. Take the rapid transit railway to Quartier Belvedere, or metro lines U1 (Südtirolerplatz – Hauptbahnhof stop) or U3 (Schlachthausgasse stop). There are also a number of bus and tram lines that stop nearby.
The museum is open every day except for major holidays. On the first Sunday of the month, admission is free so expect the museum to be more crowded than on a normal weekday.
One of the most compelling exhibitions in the museum is the ground-floor room dedicated to the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, an act of terrorism that would eventually lead to the start of World War I. The exhibit includes the bullet-hole-ridden car the archduke was shot in, his blood-stained overcoat, and the divan he bled to death on.
