Technisches Museum Wien

Gabrielenzeche

Useful Information

Location:	Mariahilfer Straße 212, 1140 Wien. (48.1904070, 16.3177667)
Open:	Museum: All year Mon-Fri 9-18, Sat, Sun, Hol 10-18. Bergwerk: All year Sat, Sun, Hol 12:45. [2025]
Fee:	Museum: Adults EUR 18, children (0-19) frei, Disabled EUR 15,50, Students EUR 15,50. Bergwerk: Adults EUR 5,50. [2025]
Classification:	Replica Underground Mine Mining Museum
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=45 min, Max=25, MinAge=7.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	nein
Bibliography:
Address:	Technisches Museum Wien, Mariahilfer Straße 212, 1140 Wien, Tel: +43-1-899-98-0. museumsbox@tmw.at
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1909	Laying of the foundation stone by Emperor Franz Joseph I.
1918	museum openedto the public.

Description

The Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Technical Museum) is dedicated to various technical topics, including mining. What makes it special, however, is that in addition to the mining exhibition, the museum also has a "real" mine. This mine replica shows a coal mine from Moravia with the typical technical equipment from the early 20th century. The exhibition also includes the machines that were used at the time, which are, of course, fully functional and demonstrated, as befits a technical museum. These range from jackhammers to huge Walzenschrämlader (roller shearers). These machines were used to scrape the coal from the seam, the Austrian technical mining term for this is "schrämmen", and then immediately transport it to a conveyor belt. Such a machine could extract 1,000 tonnes of coal per day. The show mine also has a name, namely "Gabrielenzeche", but this seems to have fallen out of fashion somewhat.

The website offers very little information, but it proudly claims that this is the "oldest show mine in Europe". Apart from the fact that this cannot be verified because there are no statistics on how old show mines are, this is a replica and not a show mine. In addition, they avoid providing any information about the show mine; there are no historical data, and it is not even stated when it was opened. What we do know, however, is that the museum was opened in 1918, so that’s the earliest possible time. The first tours of the Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden (Berchtesgaden salt mine) are documented from 1816, more than 100 years earlier. It was officially opened as a show mine in 1880, with access via the mine railway. This is a classic counterexample, QED. We can only hope that the other things they say on the tour are less untrue.

While you can visit a museum self-guided, it’s different with a show mine, even an artificial one. There are fixed times for guided tours every day, which also cost an extra fee. You have to go down a staircase, so unfortunately it’s not possible to visit in a wheelchair. However, there is a so-called online tour where you are guided virtually through the mine for 1 hour via Zoom. This is actually live, and you have to book an appointment. It is not entirely clear whether this was a temporary arrangement during the pandemic or whether it is a regular offering. Incidentally, the admission price is identical to that of a real visit.