Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach was commissioned by Emperor Karl VI to build the imperial stables on the escarpment behind the old town fortifications. In 1921, these Baroque buildings became a venue for fairs, and in the 1980s they were converted into a museum complex to designs by Laurids and Manfred Ortner. They changed the furnishings of the existing structures and added new ones, resulting in one of the world’s largest cultural centres. The MuseumsQuartier (Museum District) includes the Kunsthalle Wien (Vienna Art Hall) opposite the main entrance, behind the former premises of the Spanish Riding School. Vienna’s main showcase for international contemporary art, the Kunsthalle is one of the city’s most important art spaces, focusing on transdisciplinary work including photography, video, film and new media, as well as modern-art retrospectives. To the left of the Kunsthalle is the white limestone fa?ade of the Leopold Museum, which houses the art collection of Rudolph Leopold. This encompasses over 5,000 works of art, including major pieces by Gustav Klimt, together with the world’s largest Egon Schiele collection. The Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna, or MUMOK, to the right of the Kunsthalle, is clad in contrasting dark basalt. It contains one of the largest European collections of modern art, from American Pop to Cubism, Expressionism and Viennese Actionism, as well as contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe. The Architektur Zentrum Wien is a venue for temporary exhibitions of modern architecture and architectural history. Its permanent exhibition features 20th-century Austrian architecture. The Tanzquartier Wien is dedicated to dance, providing facilities and training to performers and choreographers, and presenting various types of dance and other performances to the public. The MuseumsQuartier also has archives and facilities for lectures, workshops and seminars, as well as Austria’s first centre for museum and exhibition studies. Children can play, explore and learn about a variety of subjects in the ZOOM Kindermuseum, an unconventional centre. Amid this extraordinary cultural setting, numerous caf?s, bars, green spaces, shops and bookstores invite visitors to relax.
