Weltmuseum Wien, Ethnographic museum in Innere Stadt, Austria.
Weltmuseum Wien is an ethnographic museum inside the Hofburg palace in Vienna, displaying objects from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. The rooms are organized by region and bring together everyday items, ritual objects, textiles, and photographs from each area.
The collection traces back to the Habsburgs, who began gathering objects from around the world in the 16th century, before the museum formally opened in 1876. After years of renovation, it reopened in 2017 inside the Hofburg with a redesigned layout.
A large part of the collection came from the world voyage of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who sailed around the globe in 1893 and brought back many objects. His travel cabin from that journey is still on display inside the museum.
The museum sits in the heart of the Hofburg and is easy to reach on foot from Heldenplatz or Michaelerplatz. A visit of at least two to three hours is a good idea, as the exhibition covers several floors.
One of the most talked-about objects in the collection is a feathered headdress long believed to have belonged to the Aztec ruler Moctezuma. Its exact origin has been the subject of ongoing debate between Austria and Mexico for decades.
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