Urania

Innere Stadt, Austria

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Opening hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-12:00
Wheelchair access: Accessible
Phone: +43 1 909 4000 83400

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

Find out more

Built in 1909 and opened in 1910 by Emperor Franz Joseph I, Urania is a multifunctional educational institute and public observatory in Vienna's Innere Stadt, designed by Art Nouveau architect Max Fabiani, a student of Otto Wagner. Located at the outlet of the Wien River, the building was named after the Muse of Astronomy and originally functioned as an educational facility centered on its public observatory. Severely damaged during World War II—including the destruction of its observing dome—Urania was reconstructed and reopened in 1957. Today it remains Austria's oldest public observatory while serving diverse cultural and educational purposes: its seminar rooms host lectures and classes, a movie theater screens films including selections from the annual Viennale festival, and a puppet theater operates within its walls. The building also houses a memorial room commemorating the Kindertransport rescue of Jewish children from Vienna in 1938, a restaurant, and continues to offer technical improvements to its observatory operations.