4.8(599)out of 5 on Google
🏛️ Attraction · museum
Austrian National Library — State Hall
The Prunksaal of the Austrian National Library — one of the most beautiful library halls in the world, and still part of a working national library inside the Hofburg.
Emperor Charles VI commissioned it as the court library. Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach drew the plans, and after his death his son Joseph Emanuel built the hall in the 1720s. It is nearly eighty metres long, lined floor to ceiling with walnut bookcases, and rises to a central oval dome painted by Daniel Gran with an allegory glorifying the emperor. Under the dome stands a statue of Charles VI, surrounded by the roughly 15,000 volumes of Prince Eugene of Savoy's library, bought by the emperor after the prince's death. In all, the hall holds around 200,000 books printed between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Checked on onb.ac.at in September 2026: adults €12, reduced €10, audioguide €3. The entrance is on Josefsplatz, the quiet square between the Augustinian Church and the Spanish Riding School — easy to miss. The hall regularly hosts exhibitions in its side cabinets, and opening hours vary by season, so check before you go.
Honest advice: it takes 30 to 45 minutes and is rarely as crowded as the palace apartments, which makes it a good fit for a tired afternoon. Look up, then walk the length of the hall slowly. More in Vienna's palaces.
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Frequently asked
What are the opening hours at Austrian National Library — State Hall?
The hours published on Google are: Monday: 09:00–18:00; Tuesday: 09:00–18:00; Wednesday: 09:00–18:00; Thursday: 09:00–21:00; Friday: 09:00–18:00; Saturday: 09:00–18:00; Sunday: 09:00–18:00. Check the venue's own site before a special trip — holiday and seasonal hours often differ.
Where is Austrian National Library — State Hall?
The address is Josefsplatz 1, 1010 Wien, in Innere Stadt (Vienna's 1st district).
Is Austrian National Library — State Hall worth visiting?
It holds 4.7 out of 5 from 552 Google reviews — a strong score for a attraction in Vienna. Treat the rating as a starting point, not a verdict, and read a few recent reviews too.
