Literary Museum Vienna, Literary museum in Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria

The Literary Museum Vienna occupies the former Imperial and Royal Court Chamber Archive at Johannesgasse 6, built 1843/44 to plans by Paul Sprenger. Its permanent exhibition on two levels holds around 650 objects by some 200 authors, plus 60 audio and video stations, a cinema room and a museum tablet; total exhibition space is about 750 m².

The building was erected in 1843/44 to plans by Paul Sprenger and is one of the oldest archive buildings in Central Europe. From 1848 it housed the Imperial and Royal Court Chamber Archive, a financial authority of the Habsburg monarchy, managed by the Austrian State Archives until 2006. The poet Franz Grillparzer, a former director of that archive, had his office on the second floor, now part of the museum.

The permanent exhibition traces Austrian literature from the late 18th century to the present, with chapters on the multi-ethnic, multilingual traditions of the Habsburg empire. It asks what makes Austrian literature Austrian: its ties to music, the visual arts and theatrical forms, and its use of satire and polemic. Around 650 objects from some 200 authors are shown, alongside 60 audio and video stations, a cinema room and a museum tablet.

The exhibition occupies two levels, with temporary shows on a third; the ground floor is used for events and workshops. The former Grillparzer room on the second floor is part of the museum route. About 60 audio and video stations, a cinema room and a museum tablet support a visit.

On the second floor, the former study of Franz Grillparzer, poet and one-time director of the Imperial and Royal Court Chamber Archive, is part of the museum. The room belonged to the archive building erected in 1843/44 by Paul Sprenger, one of the oldest archive buildings in Central Europe.