| The Albertina, Vienna’s largest exhibition space, resides on the last remains of the city’s old bastion walls, at the south end of the Hofburg. It was founded in 1776 by Herzog Albert von Sachsen-Teschen, a son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresia. Today, it contains one the world’s largest and most valuable graphic arts collections, including 44,000 drawings and watercolors, as well as 1.5 million graphic prints, which range from Renaissance to Contemporary. Here, one can not only admire Albrecht Dürer’s “A Young Hare,” but also Gustav Klimt’s female figure studies and Ruben’s "Hands folded for Prayer." Masterpieces by Schiele, Cézanne, Klimt, Kokoschka, Picasso and Rauschenberg are shown in rotating exhibitions. The Albertina also has an architecture collection, as well as a newly founded photography collection (including works by Helmut Newton and Lisette Model). The beautiful Habsburg Staterooms, once the home of Empress Maria Theresia’s favorite daughter, are also worth seeing. As for refreshments, one can visit the fashionable Do & Co restaurant or enjoy typical Austrian cuisine at the Augustinerkeller and the Albertina Café, both located directly next door |
