3 Ways to Visit the Austrian Parliament

The building of the Austrian Parliament is one of the sights that no visitor to Vienna should miss. It is located in the center, on the Ring, and attracts attention just because it resembles Greek buildings. It is not a coincidence. Greece is the cradle of democracy. The new building of the parliament, originally the Imperial Council, had to correspond to its purpose. The Danish architect Theophil Hansen had been commissioned to design the new building. To commemorate the beginnings of democracy, he took structural shapes and symbolism from Greek antiquity.

Many visitors are satisfied only with the external view of this building. Some climb the stairs to the eight columns and take selfies under the 38-ton triangular marble relief. The construction of the parliament began in 1874, i.e. still in the time of the monarchy. Therefore, the relief shows Emperor Franz Joseph I handing over the constitution to the crown countries of his empire (allegorical female figures with coats of arms of the individual countries). The emperor is dressed in a toga as a Roman emperor, but the Viennese joke that he is wearing a nightgown… Franz Joseph was not a big fan of the parliament, he never attended its session and stepped inside only twice as part of special celebrations.

The mosaic by Eduard Lebiedzki with an allegory of Austria with a crown and a floral wreath on her head and the imperial coat of arms at her feet is of interest as well.

You will also find several seated statues representing various historical figures from ancient Rome and Greece.

Additionally, you can find a bust of the architect Theophilus Hansen.

Imagine that during the planning of this building, the metric system was introduced and Hansen had to recalculate everything! The construction process lasted ten years. The fountain with an almost 5-meter-high statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena by the sculptor Karol Kundmann, was completed after Hansen’s death.

Even today, the fountain attracts a lot of attention; everyone wants to take a picture here. Athena looks at the Hofburg – her back is turned to the parliament. That is why there are various sayings around Vienna that you cannot find wisdom in the parliament…

Athena wears a golden helmet, holds a spear in her left hand and a statuette of the goddess of victory Nike in her right. At the base, on one side, a figure symbolizes legislation (with a tablet of laws) and on the other, there is a statue embodying the executive (sword and scales). Other figures on the fountain symbolize four rivers: Danube, Inn, Elbe and Vltava.

However, you do not have to look at the Austrian parliament only from the outside.

Before visiting, you must register in advance – here: online registration

After registration, you will receive an email with a QR code – when you enter, you will show the code on your phone or a printed version. Do not forget to take your photo ID with you. Then, you have to go through security (just like at the airport). Some items (large umbrellas, large bottles…) are not allowed inside, but you can pick them up when you leave the building.

Entrance to the parliament is free.

Parliament opening hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m

Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

In 2018, the complete reconstruction of the parliament began, which cost 422 million euros. From 2023, the parliament is open again, but this time as a barrier-free, modern building using the latest technology. And as a “building for everyone” you can visit it too!

You have 3 options to choose from:

1. Demokratikum is a newly created visitor center. Here you will learn more about parliamentarism as well as the rich history of the Austrian parliament through interactive stops. Its part is the Agora (formerly a warehouse, not open to the public). In ancient Greece, this term referred first to a marketplace, later to a public space where the population gathered to vote and discuss political matters. In the Agora of the Austrian Parliament, school groups mingle with domestic visitors and foreign tourists.

All information is in German and English. You will learn, for example, that Austria has changed its state form five times since 1848, or that 740 windows, 600 historic doors and 500 chandeliers had to be renovated during the reconstruction…

In a side room, called the Forum, life-sized Austrian politicians will answer your questions from multimedia panels. There is also the Agora Cafe (open during the aforementioned opening hours of Parliament) and the Parliamentary Library. The foundation of the library consists of 6,000 volumes from the period after the opening of the Imperial Council. However, today it is the largest library in Austria with specialized political literature (300 thousand books).

The interior of the parliament includes several permanent art installations – in the vestibule, you can admire large round mirrors by Eva Schlegel, suspended on 17-meter-long steel cables.

2. Sit at lunch or with a cup of coffee like an Austrian deputy

When you enter the visitor area after security, on the right, there is a (free) cloakroom and on the left, you can take the elevator or stairs to the third floor where you can visit:

Restaurant Kelsen – A la Carte restaurant (not cheap), named after Hans Kelsen, the author of the federal constitution.

Opening hours:

Monday – Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Canteen – to have lunch together with members, workers and visitors of the parliament (prices €10 – €16). Salad buffet, vegan dishes.

I chose lentils, my meal was €3 more expensive than the vegetarian dish because it contained meat – the two slices of bacon. 🙂

Opening hours:

Monday – Friday: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The canteen is usually full; we also had to wait about 10 minutes before a table became available.

Bistro – breakfast, small dishes, desserts, coffee and other drinks.

Opening hours:

Monday – Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

If you go here, do not miss the wonderful view of the Hofburg and other buildings of the historic center of Vienna from the terrace in front of the door to the canteen.

3. Guided tour of the parliament

Tours are free; mostly in German, less so in English. They take place from Monday to Saturday and last 55 minutes, the last tour at 3.45 pm. lasts 85 minutes. There is a lot of interest in the tours, so you need to register well in advance. You must register for the tour on the main (German) website of the parliament: here

The Parliament is actually like a small city, there are up to 1,600 rooms, but do not worry, you will not have to see them all during the tour. 🙂

What will you visit during the tour?

Columned Hall: the most expensive part of the Parliament, originally planned as a throne room for the emperor, with the size of 30 normal apartments! 24 impressive monolithic marble columns, made directly in the quarry in Salzburg. Their transport to Vienna took three weeks. First, each column was loaded onto a wagon pulled by 36 horses to Hallein, from where they continued their journey by rail to Vienna. The pillars are 10 meters high and weigh 16 tons (like three elephants).

Theophil Hansen designed not only the building but also all the furniture and paintings. The most important painting is located above the door to the Columned Hall. It depicts a female figure – the personification of Austria – on the throne.

Former House of Representatives Chamber: unchanged since the time of the monarchy. The Imperial Council was the first form of multinational parliament in the world. It consisted of 516 deputies of 8 nationalities, from 17 crown countries, from 30 political parties and groupings, speaking 11 languages…

The tables are made of oak wood, there used to be inkwells on them. The deputies used to throw them at each other while quarrelling (that is why the parliament got the nickname “Tintenburg” – Ink Castle). Or they banged the lids of their tables or brought cooking spoons, pots or even musical instruments for that. However, it was really a breeding ground for future politicians – Tomáš Masaryk, later the first President of the Czechoslovak Republic, also started his career here.

The gallery is supported by male and also female figures of caryatids – at that time, the only women in this room, because women were not allowed to vote or be elected.

The space between the columns is filled with marble statues of emperors, politicians and statesmen of ancient Rome and paintings. Hansen is also immortalized on the one above the door.

Today, this splendid room is used only on special occasions, such as the inauguration of the new Austrian president or on May 5th to commemorate the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp.

When you walk out of this historic hall, do not forget to notice the original cigar ashtrays on the walls!

Reception Hall: for receiving official visitors. Interesting are the four paintings by Heimo Zobernig – blue, indigo, turquoise and violet – created with effective paints from thin layers of crystal plates. Each painting is 270 x 480 meters, which is the usual size of a living room wall.

Hansen also planned a piano in this room. During my first visit, there was still a debatable golden piano here, for which the parliament paid €3,000 a month rent. On my second visit, this super expensive piano was no longer there.

Federal Council Chamber: before the reconstruction, the budget committee met here and the room was not open to the public. The Federal Council has 61 members, directly elected from the nine federal states.

Huge bronze chandeliers, original, one weighs 1 ton. 17 coats of arms of the provinces of the former empire are depicted on the ceiling.

National Council Chamber: three bombs fell on the parliament during World War II. They damaged two columns in the Columned Hall and demolished the entire National Council Hall. This was then restored in the style of the 50s.

There is an original eagle on the front wall, but the attributes of the emperor have already disappeared, replaced by the hammer and sickle as symbols of the most numerous strata of the population. The broken chain symbolizes the liberation from Nazism.

The style of the hall, in which 183 members of the National Council hold their meetings, was preserved even after the reconstruction, but of course, it is equipped with new accessories and modern technology. However, the most interesting thing is the new glass dome with a diameter of 28 meters, which now allows a view of the sky and the statue group with a horse-drawn carriage on the roof of the parliament. The light transmission varies according to the weather.

The dome replaced the old copper roof, from which the Austrian Mint minted 300,000 coins.

Work on the roof, October 2018 (c) Parlamentsdirektion/Herta Hurnaus

On the top floor, there is a visitor’s gallery, from where you can observe the developments in the chamber.

Now a question: do you know where the word parliament comes from? From the French word parler – to talk. Parliament is therefore a place where there is talk. However, do not worry, today there is no longer any danger that MPs’ speeches will last for several hours as they used to because after 20 minutes, the red light starts to signal that the time is up…