Money Museum and Collections of the Österreichische Nationalbank

The Österreichische Nationalbank has been at the hub of monetary affairs in Austria ever since its founding in 1816. Its Money Museum holds wide-ranging collections of bank notes, bank-note designs, bonds, securities, and coins. These collections of monetary history artefacts are valuable both materially and culturally, given that many of its oldest objects are unique and date back to the Bronze Age.

A representative selection of these items is on display in the permanent exhibition “Money in Austria,” which also includes a presentation of the banknote production process. Moreover, the Money Museum organises special temporary exhibitions, each highlighting a different money-related theme.

By presenting the development of money over a period of over 2500 years, the OeNB is maintaining its cultural obligations and opening up to the general public a view of the political issues of money as reflected in history.

In addition to offering free tours for groups of ten and more persons, the Money Museum has also designed a comprehensive programme catering especially for pre-school groups and schoolchildren. Work-and-play-shops such as “Euro, Pound & Co.”, “Have Fish – Seek Bread” and “The Adventurous Journey of a Gold Nugget” teach children how money, the monetary system and the economy work. A multitude of tactile objects helps children to find the answers to fun questions such as “What do T-shirts and banknotes have in common?”; “Why do we need money?” and “How does Mozart get onto a coin?”

Visitors also have a chance to view Europe’s biggest gold coin and then to test their strength by lifting a gold bar.