Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Austria Vienna Bestattungsmuseum (Vienna Undertakers' Museum)

Bestattungsmuseum (Vienna Undertakers' Museum)

Collection dedicated to funeral rites, equipment, and mourning rituals of the Viennese.

Vienna, Austria

Added By
Annetta Black
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Inside the Bestattungsmuseum, the Vienna Undertakers’ Museum. (Wikimedia Commons)   http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title...
Inside the Vienna Undertakers’ Museum.   http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=e...
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
  gingercinnamon / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

It may come as no surprise in a city that houses Europe's second largest cemetery, the excellent Josephinium Museum as well as a separate Pathological collection at the Narrenturm, and where a visit to the Imperial Crypt is on the average tourist's sightseeing list, that there is also museum specifically dedicated to funerals and funeral services.

Historically, the Viennese have something of a love affair with death, and the concept of "A schöne Leich´" (literally mistakeable as "a beautiful corpse", but actually meaning "a beautiful funeral"). Funerals were a BIG DEAL.

In 1951 the Bestattung Wien, or Undertaking Service of Vienna became the sole provider of funeral services in the city, and continue the tradition to this day. The Funeral Museum was founded by them in 1967, and redesigned in 1987.

The collection about 1000 objects related to Viennese funeral traditions, including a collection of items designed to help out should you find yourself unexpectedly buried alive. Also on display: hearses, coffin, mourning attire, and a unique re-usable coffin proposed in 1784 by Emperor Josef II, from the bottom of which a corpse could drop through a trap door into a void below, thus opening up the space for a new occupant - all in order to save precious wood. Unsurprisingly, the idea did not go over terribly well.

The new museum features interactive media and focus more heavily on the "Viennese Cult of the Dead," local cemeteries, and Viennese mourning ceremonies.

Related Tags

Funeral Art Museums Funeral Cars Collections Memento Mori

Know Before You Go

Next to the main entry of the Zentralfriedhof

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Andie, minka, kpryzk, pf...

  • Andie
  • minka
  • kpryzk
  • pf
  • hrnick
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • gingercinnamon

Published

January 6, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.gadling.com/2010/03/23/the-museum-of-the-funeral-service-institute-of-vienna/
  • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/austria/vienna/sights/museum/bestattungsmuseum
  • http://derstandard.at/3188235/Schene-Leichen-Ein-Gang-durchs-Bestattungsmuseum
  • http://www.deathreference.com/Me-Nu/Museums-of-Death.html
  • http://www.mindfood.com/at-viennese-fascination-with-death-lives-on.seo
  • http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing/sights/from-a-to-f/funeral-museum
  • Nicholas Parsons, "Vienna: a Cultural History:" Chapter 10
  • http://www.bestattungsmuseum.at/
Bestattungsmuseum (Vienna Undertakers' Museum)
234 Simmeringer Hauptstraße
Vienna, 1110
Austria
48.154184, 16.441151
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Boltzmann's Grave

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Gedenkstätte der Anatomie

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Gasometer Town

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vienna

Vienna

Austria

Places 66
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Boltzmann's Grave

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Gedenkstätte der Anatomie

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Gasometer Town

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vienna

Vienna

Austria

Places 66
Stories 7

Related Stories and Lists

The Atlas Obscura Guide to 11 Hidden Wonders of Vienna

essential guide

By Atlas Obscura

The Horror of Premature Burial

31 days of halloween

By Bess Lovejoy

Related Places

  • A collection of West Mexican tomb figures at the Hudson Museum.

    Orono, Maine

    Hudson Museum

    Largest institutional collection of tomb figures from Western Mexico in the United States.

  • Houston, Texas

    National Museum of Funeral History

    Fantastic collection celebrating the final send-off.

  • Burial Tumulus

    Taxco, Mexico

    Museo De Arte Virreinal (Museum of Viceroyalty Art)

    The jewel of the museum is a rare tumulus, a funeral decoration from the 18th century.

  • collection of painted coffins

    Kassel, Germany

    Museum of Sepulchral Culture

    This German museum is devoted to all aspects of grave culture from headstones to coffins.

  • Caleu Caleu Department, Argentina

    Argentine Vintage Funeral Cadillacs

    The clients of these mysterious hand-crafted funeral cars took their last ride in style.

  • Mittens made from human hair.

    Frederikshavn, Denmark

    Hair Jewelry Exhibit at the Bangsbo Museum

    The largest collection of hair jewelry in Europe reminds you how creepy 19th-century love was.

  • Bicycles in the Deke Slayton Space & Bicycle Museum. (Kiersten Gray/Atlas Obscura)

    Sparta, Wisconsin

    Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum

    Small-town museum dedicated to outer space ... and bicycles.

  • The bright yellow front of Yusupov Palace.

    Saint Petersburg, Russia

    Rasputin Museum at Yusupov Palace

    Palace where the nearly un-killable Rasputin was murdered.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.