Federal Pathologic-anatomical Museum

The museum is housed in the so-called Narrenturm, the Fool’s Tower. The Narrenturm was built in 1784 under Emperor Joseph II. Planning architect was Isidore Canevale, but the ideas of the hospital director Dr Joseph von Quarin were also integrated.

The building was the first psychiatric hospital ever to be built.

It was closed  as such in 1866 and the round tower was used as a nurses’ home, physicians’ apartments, and a storage facility for the university clinics and workshops.

The Federal Pathalogic-anatomical Museum has been housed in the Narrenturn since 1971. The entire building has been used as a museum since 1993. The Narrenturm is a protected building and owned today by the University of Vienna.