Spread across two locations, this museum traces the long and often tragic history of Jewish life in Vienna with intelligence and care. The main building in the Palais Eskeles on Dorotheergasse hosts rotating exhibitions alongside a permanent collection covering everything from religious artifacts to the vibrant interwar cultural scene that produced Freud, Mahler, and Schnitzler. The second branch at Judenplatz sits above the excavated remains of a medieval synagogue destroyed in the 1421 pogrom — a powerful underground space that makes the history visceral. Together, the two sites offer an essential counterweight to the imperial grandeur that dominates most Vienna itineraries. Allow at least two hours for both.