Vienna in ruins
Photographs of the post-war city, the black market and life under four-power occupation.
A private museum devoted to the film The Third Man (1949), a British production shot in Vienna immediately after the war and regarded as among the most important films of the twentieth century. The museum is broader than its apparent subject. The film was shot in a city divided between four occupying powers and partly in ruins, so the displays document Vienna at that moment: photographs of the wrecked city, the black market, life under four-power occupation, alongside filming equipment, posters and original prints. It also holds a working projector showing sequences from the film, and a section on the zither, the instrument that played its famous theme, a tune many people know without knowing where it comes from. A decisive practical point: the museum is private and small with very limited hours — it usually opens one day a week only, plus visits by prior arrangement. Do not go without checking. Anyone who has not seen the film will get considerably less from it, so watch it beforehand if you can.
Photographs of the post-war city, the black market and life under four-power occupation.
It shows sequences from the film on equipment of the period.
A section on the instrument behind a tune many know without knowing its source.
Pressgasse, 4th district, Vienna
Secession BuildingAn exhibition hall of 1898 built as the home of the Vienna Secession, a group of7 minutes walk4.1
Academy of Fine Arts Picture GalleryA picture gallery inside the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, an old teaching instit8 minutes walk4.4
Haus des MeeresEurope's strangest setting for an aquarium: a colossal concrete tower built by t9 minutes walk4.7
MQ LibelleA viewing platform on the roof of the Leopold Museum in Vienna's MuseumsQuartier9 minutes walk4.5
Leopold MuseumA collection built over half a century by a Viennese eye doctor, Rudolf Leopold,9 minutes walk4.8Strongly advised. Many displays tie to particular scenes and locations, and anyone who has not seen it will look at photographs and equipment without context. The film is widely available and runs about ninety minutes, and watching it beforehand changes the experience entirely.
Usually one day a week only, with additional times by prior arrangement. This is a real planning constraint: check the official site before your trip rather than the day before, and if your days in Vienna are limited it may simply not line up.