VIENNA · HIETZING · LAST WORKSHOP

Villa Klimt in Vienna

A hidden workshop in a villa, a reconstructed rose garden and the last creative years of Gustav Klimt: history of the place, works to connect and 2026 tour guide.

Know before you go. Gustav Klimt never knew the neo-baroque villa visible today. From 1911 to 1918 he worked in a small single-storey garden house, kept on the ground floor as a "house within a house".
Current north facade of Villa Klimt in Vienna
The current Villa Klimt in Hietzing. Official photo: © Klimt Villa Wien, file hosted in the Shopify media library.
1911 - 1918Klimt's last seven years of work in Feldmühlgasse.
50+ worksMore than fifty paintings associated with this last workshop.
6,000 m²A vast garden now partially reconstructed.
1:30Recommended time for workshop, exhibition and garden.
THE PLACE BEFORE THE LEGEND

What Klimt actually knew

In 1911, Gustav Klimt left his former studio at Josefstädter Strasse, which was slated for demolition. His friend the painter Felix Albrecht Harta helped him find a small garden house in Hietzing, then still very green. The address is Feldmühlgasse 9; it would later become number 11.

The building is modest: a single-storey Biedermeier pavilion, surrounded by fruit trees, flowers and rose bushes. Klimt installed large windows there to obtain more regular working light. He transferred his furniture designed by Josef Hoffmann, his Japanese prints, his Asian and African objects, his fabrics and his countless drawings.

This is not a family home in the usual sense. Klimt keeps his Viennese apartment and uses Feldmühlgasse as a work, reception and collection space. It is here that his late language opens up to more frank colors, backgrounds animated by patterns and compositions often left visible in their process.

The name trap. "Villa Klimt" is a convenient name, which became famous during the campaign to save the place. Historically, it is more accurate to speak of Klimt's last workshop, integrated after his death into a villa built in 1923.
SEVEN DATES

From the workshop to the museum

The place is not set in stone in 1918. Its history combines creation, architectural transformation, persecution, oblivion and heritage preservation.

1911Klimt settles down

The garden house becomes his last workshop.

1917Moriz Nähr photography

Exterior, reception and work room are documented.

1918Workshop freezes

Klimt died in February; several paintings remain unfinished.

1923The villa is completed

A neo-baroque residence envelops the old pavilion.

1939The Kleins flee

The Jewish family owner was driven out by Nazi persecution.

1957State redeems

After restitution, the family sold the villa to the Republic of Austria.

2012Reopening

The restoration makes the workshop in the villa readable.

ARCHITECTURE

A house within a house

Comparing the historical photograph and the current facade allows you to immediately understand why the term "Villa Klimt" needs to be explained.

Garden house and last workshop of Gustav Klimt in Feldmühlgasse photographed in 1917 or 1918
Before. The small garden house in Feldmühlgasse photographed by Moriz Nähr. There is a low building, very different from the current villa. Public domain /Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Shopify file.
Current southeast view of Villa Klimt in its garden
After. The neo-baroque villa completed in 1923 around the old workshop. Floor, porch and stairs modify the silhouette without removing the core of the ground floor. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
STRUCTURE PRESERVED

The core of the ground floor

The plan of the old pavilion was integrated into the expansion. It is this material survival that makes the place exceptional.

DOCUMENTED RECONSTRUCTION

The two major pieces

The reception and the work room were reconstructed using photographs, testimonies and samples of objects.

LATER ADDITION

The villa from 1923

The first floor, exterior volumes and living room belong to the history of the owners who lived here after Klimt.

Reconstruction of Gustav Klimt's last workshop in Feldmühlgasse
The reconstructed work room. Large north window, easels, seat and furniture evoke the environment documented by Moriz Nähr. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
RECONSTRUCTED WORKSHOP

Watch a method, not a movie set

The heart of the visit is the work room. The large window to the north illuminates without producing too violent contrasts. The easels remind us that at the time of the 1917 photograph, The bride and The Fan Woman were still visible in the workshop.

The furniture attributed to the circle of Josef Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte is not a simple luxury: it organizes circulation, seating, storage and presentation of objects. Klimt works surrounded by textiles, Japanese prints, Chinese paintings and ethnographic objects whose motifs migrate to his late portraits.

What to observe

  • window size and orientation, essential for model light;
  • proximity to paintings, drawings and objects, far from a perfectly ordered workshop;
  • the difference between documented elements, faithful reconstructions and educational staging;
  • the relationship between collectibles and funds Friederike Beer or of The Fan Woman.
RECEPTION ROOM

Receive templates and sponsors

The reception room reminds us that Klimt did not work isolated from the world. Models, collectors and sponsors entered a carefully composed environment: geometric furniture, carpets, works on paper and Asian objects.

This piece allows you to read late portraits as the result of a Viennese network. A Wiener Werkstätte dress, a family commission, a collected object and the freedom of the painter meet in the same image.

Not to be confused. The visit does not replace the Belvedere to see a large collection of original paintings. Its interest lies elsewhere: understanding where and how the works were thought of, received and sometimes left unfinished.
Reconstructed reception room of Gustav Klimt's last workshop
Reception room reconstructed from Moriz Nähr's photograph and documentary elements. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
WORKS BY FELDMÜHLGASSE

Eleven paintings to connect to the place

The first seven belong directly to the last period of the workshop. The four gardens extend the visit by showing how Klimt transforms flowers, paths and foliage into almost textile surfaces.

KLIMT GARDEN

Roses, fruit trees and reconstruction

The current garden should not be presented as an intact setting from 1912. It is a documented evocation, carried out from photographs, of the beloved plants of Klimt and surviving ancient rose bushes.

Coffee tables in the current garden of Villa Klimt
The current garden, with its large trees and seasonal café. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
Historic rose grown in the garden of Villa Klimt
The "Villa Klimt rose", recreated from surviving ancient rose bushes. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
6,000 m²Real breathing

The vast garden explains why Klimt described the place as a countryside on the outskirts of Vienna.

22Replanted roses

The official website reports twenty-two plants resulting from the work of spreading the historic rose.

1 tableA plausible connection

Orchard with rose bushes is the canvas most directly associated with the private garden of Feldmühlgasse.

May-seven.Seasonal coffee

The café opens on weekends in good weather, usually from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Klimt Lost exhibition in Villa Klimt
Klimt Lost. The permanent exhibition links missing works, dispossessions, restitutions and the lives of collectors. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
MEMORY OF THE PLACE

The Klein family and history after Klimt

The 1923 villa also belongs to the history of the Klein family, a Viennese Jewish family who acquired the property during the work. In 1939, the Kleins had to flee Austria under Nazi persecution. After 1945, the villa and part of the looted land were returned, but the family did not return to settle there. She sold the property to the Austrian state in 1957.

The exhibition Klimt Lost expands this story to the destiny of collectors and works: paintings stolen, returned, destroyed or still missing. It avoids a purely decorative visit and reminds us that Klimt's global fame was built in the midst of human and heritage losses.

The place then served as a school, then remained empty. At the end of the 20th century, the threat of sale or demolition provoked a citizen campaign. The restoration of 2011 -2012 finally made the studio accessible and readable without erasing the later villa.

FIRST FLOOR

The living room belongs to the 1923 villa

The large living room on the first floor is not a room where Klimt painted. It belongs to the transformation of the house carried out after his death. This distinction is essential: the museum does not seek to make people believe that the entire interior is "authentic Klimt".

The living room tells the story of the owners' domestic life in the 1920s and the neo-baroque architecture that envelops the old workshop. The doors help divide the space, while the exterior staircase and porch give the villa its current silhouette.

Living room on the first floor of Villa Klimt built after the painter's death
First floor living room: a space in the villa completed in 1923, not a room used by Klimt. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
VISIT 2026

Timetables, tickets and access

Information verified on the official website on July 23, 2026. Museums can change timetables, prices and guided tours: always check the official page before departure.

OPENING 2026

Wednesday - Sunday

From January 7 to December 30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., as well as public holidays.

Check schedules →
TRANSPORT

U4 or tram 10

U4 Unter-St.-Veit then about 3 minutes on foot; tram 10 Verbindungsbahn then about 100 meters.

Vienna.info sheet →
ACCESSIBILITY

Accessible villa and garden

Access without steps, adapted toilets and assistance dogs accepted.

Official details →
€12Adult, smartphone audio guide included.
€10Seniors according to museum conditions.
€8Students, pupils, civil service and disability card.
0 €Children up to 13 years old.
-20%Discount announced with the Vienna City Card.
Sculpture by Gustav Klimt casting his shadow on the facade of Villa Klimt
Erwin Kastner's sculpture, installed in 2022, projects Klimt's drawn shadow onto the facade. Photo: © Klimt Villa Wien.
HALF DAY IN HIETZING

A simple and coherent itinerary

Villa Klimt is off-center from the major museums in the center. Take the opportunity to build a half-day in the neighborhood rather than making a quick return trip.

01

10 a.m. · Villa Klimt

Start at the opening. Browse the introduction, reception room, workshop and Klimt Lost without crowds.

02

11:30 a.m. · Garden

Compare roses and paths to Orchard with rose bushes. In season and in good weather, take a break at the café.

03

12:30 · Hietzing

Walk around the neighborhood and reach Schönbrunn Park. The contrast between artist's withdrawal and imperial decor is instructive.

04

Afternoon · Cemetery

If you wish to extend the biography, Hietzing Cemetery preserves Klimt's grave. Check directions and times.

Rain alternative. After the Villa, take the U4 towards the center and continue to the Belvedere or the Leopold Museum. You will then move from the workplace to the original paintings.
FAQs

Twelve questions before the visit

Is Villa Klimt the house where Gustav Klimt lived?

No. Klimt did not live there as in a main residence: he rented and used the small garden house as a workshop from 1911 to 1918. The neo-baroque villa visible today was built around and above this workshop after his death.

Did Klimt know the villa in its current state?

No. The current building was completed in 1923. Klimt experienced a low garden house, on one level, photographed by Moriz Nähr in 1917 -1918.

What do we actually see inside?

The route shows in particular the reception room and the workshop reconstructed from photographs by Moriz Nähr, descriptions and original samples. The place also explains the models, sponsors, lost works and history of the house.

Are there any original paintings by Klimt in the Villa?

The Villa is first and foremost a place of memory, a workshop reconstruction and a documentary exhibition space. For a large collection of original paintings, the Belvedere and the Leopold Museum are more suitable. Check the temporary exhibition before your visit.

How many works did Klimt create in this workshop?

Villa Klimt indicates more than fifty paintings, and several institutional sources give the figure of 51. Adèle Bloch-Bauer II, Friederike Beer, The Bride, Adam and Eve and The Woman with the Fan belong to this last period.

Is the garden what Klimt knew?

This is an evocation and partial reconstruction, not a garden that has remained intact since 1918. Ancient rose bushes have survived and been used to recreate the "Villa Klimt rose".

When to visit Villa Klimt in 2026?

The official page announces an opening from January 7 to December 30, 2026, Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. As times may change, check the official website before traveling.

How to get to Villa Klimt?

The address is Feldmühlgasse 11, 1130 Vienna. The official website recommends metro U4 to Unter-St.-Veit, then about a three-minute walk, or tram 10 to Verbindungsbahn.

Is Villa Klimt wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The official website indicates that the Villa and the garden are accessible without steps, with adapted toilets. Assistance dogs are allowed.

How much time to allow?

Allow approximately 1 hour 30 minutes for the Villa, workshop and garden. Add 30-45 minutes if you're taking a guided tour, take time to read the Klimt Lost exhibit, or enjoy seasonal garden coffee.

Why is the Klimt Lost exhibition important?

It places the works in the lives of their owners, often persecuted by the Nazis, and deals with spoliations, restitutions, disappearances and losses. It prevents the place from being reduced to a simple artist's decor.

Can we combine the Villa with Schönbrunn?

Yes. Both sites are in Hietzing. Half a day can combine Villa Klimt, Schönbrunn Park and, depending on the time available, Hietzing Cemetery where Klimt is buried.

See the latest Klimt differently

The Villa is neither an intact palace nor a large picture gallery. Its strength is more subtle: it makes visible the space where the late work took shape, then tells what the history of the 20th century added, destroyed and saved.

Discover the works of Klimt →

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