The Kunsthistorisches Museum is among the great picture galleries of the world. Built by Emperor Franz Joseph to house the Habsburg art collection, it opened in 1891 across from the matching Naturhistorisches Museum on Maria-Theresien-Platz. The interior — domed central hall, marble staircase, ceiling frescoes by Gustav Klimt — is as impressive as the collection.
The painting gallery alone holds the largest Bruegel collection in the world, plus Vermeer's 'The Art of Painting,' Velázquez, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Titian. The Kunstkammer of imperial curiosities is a separate marvel; the Egyptian collection is one of Europe's best. Closed Mondays except in summer. U-Bahn: Museumsquartier or Volkstheater.