Universalmuseum Joanneum

Founded on 26 November 1811 by Archduke Johann with the aim of "making learning easier" and "stimulating the desire for knowledge", the Unviersalmuseum Joanneum is today the oldest and - next to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna - the second largest museum comples in Austria.

It is the task of the Universalmuseum Joanneum to present a comprehensive picture of the development of nature, culture and history of Styria. To achieve this, the Joanneum now has at its disposal  4.5 million collector's items - more than any other Austrian universal museum.

21 departments and installations structured into the sections "Nature", "History of Art and Culture", "Schloss Eggenberg" and "Folk Life" cover the wide range from fossil finds to modern painting, from old customs to new media.

The Universalmuseum Joanneum, bearer of the Council of Europe Museum Prize, is the leading scientific and cultural institution in Styria. It laid the foundation during the nineteenth century for important institutions, including the Montana Universtiy Leoben, the Graz University of Technology (now Erzherzog Johann University), the Styrian Provincial Archives and the Land Styria Library.