Hietzing can be explored through several historical questions: Where did Gustav Klimt work, what finds tell us about early human life in the Vienna area, and what stories have shaped garden culture? The answers lead to different focal points in art, district and garden culture.

Access and history around Schönbrunn

Since 25 August 2026, the Angel Gate on the Hietzing side has provided an additional entrance and exit to Schönbrunn Palace Park and the zoo. The palace park is located in Vienna’s 13th district, Hietzing. Since 1996, together with Schönbrunn Palace, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This brings together two facts about the park with different roles: the Angel Gate adds an access point; the World Heritage status recognizes the park and palace together.

Art history and the district’s character

Gustav Klimt worked at the Klimt Villa in Hietzing from 1911 until his death in 1918. The studio rooms where he worked have been preserved. The permanent exhibition about Klimt’s studio is the only one at a place where he formerly worked; its content may change. The grounds are home to Damask roses planted around 1900. This brings together a preserved workplace, an exhibition and a planting with its own date marker.

The Hietzing District Museum displays Paleolithic finds that represent the oldest evidence to date of human life in the Vienna area. It also documents the district’s character as a “villa district.” Two scales sit side by side here: finds whose significance extends to the Vienna area, and the character of a single district. This shift from a broader archaeological context to local district character adds another perspective to the Klimt Villa’s individual artist story.

At the Otto Wagner Hofpavillon Hietzing, the layout is clearly defined: the exhibition area is on the ground floor and comprises three rooms. This adds another clearly delineated exhibition space to the history of art and the district.

Garden culture and different time markers

The Great Palm House presents notable specimens from the historic plant collection across three houses: the warm house, the temperate house and the cold house. Their names provide a clear structure. The focus here is on plants and the organization of the collection, rather than on an individual or a district’s character. This offers a distinct way to explore cultural history.

The Japanese Garden in Schönbrunn Palace Park was built by Schönbrunn gardeners in 1913 and rediscovered in 1996. The sequence of its creation and rediscovery marks time differently from the historic plant collection in the Palm House. Those interested in garden culture will find different themes here: the organization of a plant collection and the history of a garden with two clearly stated dates.

If you are considering a holiday apartment in Hietzing, your cultural interests can help narrow down your choice of district. If you are primarily interested in an artist and his preserved workplace, the Klimt Villa and its exhibition are the main attractions. The District Museum offers a point of interest for early finds and the villa-district profile; when it comes to garden culture, the Palm House and Japanese Garden offer different perspectives. This can help you assess Hietzing based on the themes you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Meidling, Neubau, Alsergrund, Ottakring, Josefstadt, Mariahilf, Innere Stadt, Währing

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