Furnishing & Decorating

The next two rooms give you an idea of how home decor in Austria and Europe has developed from the Middle Ages to the modern period. Most of the objects on display date back to the period from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. They provide you with information on the changing styles and fashions, the methods of production and the social status and taste of their owners.

Our furniture collection currently consists of about 1,400 objects: wardrobes and dressers, chests and boxes, tables and desks, beds and sofas as well as picture frames. The Schaudepot offers you a selection from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. The typical gothic storage container was the chest. Many new types of furniture developed in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. However, the most popular piece of furniture was the cabinet, which came in a variety of sizes and could be closed by double doors. 

A separate area is devoted to picture frames and mirrors. Owning a large mirror in the 18^th century was sheer luxury. The modern production of mirrors began in Venice. The manufacturing process (the glass is covered by a thin sheet of tin, on which a layer of mercury is poured) was treated like a state secret. The vapours released as part of this process resulted in many cases of severe mercury poisoning, which eventually led to the banning of the use of mercury in the late 19^th century. 

On your way to the eating & drinking area, you will pass by our clocks and chairs & seating furniture collections.