Austria’s capital Vienna will temporarily close several museums dedicated to famous composers this year as part of city-wide budget cuts, officials announced on Wednesday. The closures affect sites including the apartment where Franz Schubert died, the residence of Johann Strauss, and Joseph Haydn’s former home. Schubert’s birthplace will also close for a redesign ahead of the 200th anniversary of his death in 2028.
Matti Bunzl, head of the Wien Museum, which oversees several of the affected historical sites, described the measures as necessary austerity. “We all have to economize. That’s the reality we live in,” he said in a statement.
The cuts come amid broader cost-saving measures in Vienna, which will also see public transport fares rise by nearly 30 percent for some tickets.
Although the impacted museums are generally low-profile with minimal staffing costs, closures are expected to last up to two years, according to finance director Christina Schwarz. The city’s cultural budget has fallen from €29.7 million in 2025 to €28.4 million this year, with further reductions planned for 2027. Schubert’s apartment has already been closed, while Haydn’s house and Strauss’s residence are scheduled to close on March 2.
Vienna’s rich musical and artistic legacy, nurtured over centuries by Habsburg patronage, includes figures such as Mozart, Beethoven, Gustav Klimt, and Egon Schiele. The city continues to project its classical prestige internationally, with the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert broadcast to millions worldwide each year.
On top of the composer-focused museums, several other institutions will slash their opening hours. They include the Prater Museum, Hermes Villa, the Otto Wagner Church, and two Otto Wagner pavilions in Hietzing and Karlsplatz.
The closures have sparked criticism from Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which objected to the fact that high-profile events like the Wiener Festwochen arts festival, known for its politically charged programming, will remain unaffected by the cuts.
City officials have emphasized that the temporary closures and reduced hours are part of broader efforts to balance public spending while continuing to preserve Vienna’s cultural heritage, with many sites expected to reopen fully once funding stabilizes.
