Collection of Anatomical Pathology in the Madhouse Tower

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Halloween: a scary day in Vienna

"Death must be Viennese," asserted the Viennese composer and poet Georg Kreisler. And he wasn't so wrong about that. After all, the Viennese soul was without doubt born with a big portion of all things morbid. We present the scariest places in Vienna for a perfect Halloween:

Halloween in the Prater

The Grim Reaper is waiting on almost every corner in the Prater: witches and monsters make their ghostly rounds on one of the many ghost trains. Other terrifying adrenalin attractions include Black Mamba, Tornado, and Magic Rotor. The Prater is a special tip for Halloween: on October 31, a big Halloween parade runs through the Prater from 6.30 pm.

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Video: Coffins, Cemeteries and Skulls | VIENNA/NOW

A tower of creepiness

The Madhouse Tower is a five-story circular structure that impresses on the outside with its architectural refinements. Inside, it is the human anatomy that gets you shuddering. The pathological-anatomical collection on display here is rich in exciting exhibits with the goosebump factor and an absolute must on the list of tips for a scary day in Vienna. Originally built as a sanitarium for people with mental and neurological disorders under Emperor Joseph II, it is now the place to see four real skulls, prepared human parts and many other ghoulish exhibition items.

Idyll and goosebumps

If you'd rather strain your step counter than your nerves, then you'll hit the mark with an extended walk across the extensive Central Cemetery in Vienna. It surprises with idyllic paths, between which countless Viennese have their final resting place. People who have remained famous beyond their death can also be visited here, including deceased presidents of Austria, the composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the music legend Falco. Things get particularly obsolete in the northern section of Vienna Central Cemetery, home to the wonderfully overgrown Jewish cemetery. This is an especially mystical place when wisps of fog drift between the enchanted gravestones.

Black humor to take away

Vienna Central Cemetery is also home to the Funeral Museum. Highlights for everyone blessed with gallows humor: trying out lying in a casket and the museum shop. Gym bags with sayings on them such as "Ich turne bis zur Urne" ("I'm exercising to death") can be purchased in the latter. Quirky LEGO figures in the form of crematoria, graves and undertakers – which are mainly intended to help children process death more easily – can also be bought here. In other words, a to-do for a scary day in Vienna that couldn't be more Viennese.

Dessert with the creepy factor

A long day with goosebumps is followed by the final shock: the sugar shock! We're talking about the 'Scheiterhaufen', or funeral pyre. Feared by alleged witches in days gone by, it is now loved by everyone in the form of a dessert: apple bread pudding. The cult dish is served in places such as Café Diglas. After this scary day in Vienna, your adrenalin levels can also slowly restore themselves there.

Prater

Prater
1020 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • 15 March to 31 October
      Main season
    • daily, 12:00 - 20:00
    • Weather permitting

  • Accessibility

    • Car parks Main entrance
      • Parking spaces for people with disabilities
        at Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel) and Schweizerhaus (Waldsteingartenstraße)
    • Further information
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Wheelchair-accessible restrooms: Messegelände / Parkplatz, 1.-Mai-Strasse (in the middle), Calafattiplatz.

Collection of Anatomical Pathology in the Madhouse Tower – NHM

Spitalgasse 2, Narrenturm
1090 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -25%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Entry: Standard ticket price 8€, reduced price 6€ / no discount on guided tour (4€)

  • Prices

    • Visitors under 19: Free admission
  • Opening times

    • We, 10:00 - 18:00
    • Th, 10:00 - 15:00
    • Fr, 10:00 - 15:00
    • Sa, 12:00 - 18:00
    • Closed on public holidays.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Special offers for people with disabilities

      Show collection and study collection wheelchair-accessible, Exhibition collection and study collection accessible barrier-free, special guided tours for people with disabilities and special needs on request, Questions or appointment requests: +43 1 52177-606 or pas@nhm.at

    • Comments

      Assistance dog allowed in the exhibition area.

Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof)

Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, Tor 2
1110 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • 03 November to the end of February
      • daily, 08:00 - 17:00
    • March
      • daily, 07:00 - 18:00
    • April to September
      • daily, 07:00 - 19:00
    • October to 02 November
      • daily, 07:00 - 18:00
    • From May to August, the cemetery is open every Thursday until 8 pm.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • no steps
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Honorary tombs: Main Entrance (2nd Gate, access by car possible on the blue paths), free with ID. One can apply for the access card at the Infopoint (2nd Gate). Wheelchair-accessible restroom accessible with "Euro-Key" near Hall 3, in the cemetery church and at the cemetery office (ramp), gravel paths.

Funeral Museum at Vienna's Central Cemetery

Simmeringer Hauptstraße 234, Tor 2
1110 Vienna
  • Vienna City Card

    • Benefits of the Vienna City Card: -22%

      Additional information on the offer:

      Standard ticket price: 9€

  • Opening times

    • Th, 10:00 - 16:00
    • Guided tours are not possible on Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved exclusively for guided tours (10:00 and 13:00 by appointment for groups of 15 or more). Fixed guided tours every 1st Saturday (10:00 and 13:00), except on public holidays.

  • Accessibility

    • Main entrance
      • 12 Steps (Double swinging doors )
        Ramp: 6 % incline with intermediate landings of 120 cm length, wall opening of 160 cm and a passageway opening of 144 cm (from railing to railing);
    • Further information
      • Seeing eye dogs allowed
      • Wheelchair accessible restroom available.
    • Comments

      Alternatively to the ramp: 12 steps 14.66 / 35 cm, wall opening 160 cm, handrail on both sides 144 cm, passageway opening 144 cm;

Café Diglas

Wollzeile 10
1010 Vienna
  • Opening times

    • Mo - We, 08:00 - 22:00
    • Th - Fr, 08:00 - 22:30
    • Sa, 09:00 - 22:30
    • Su, 09:00 - 18:00
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