Highest priority Vienna museums

I'll try to keep this within reason , but for me Vienna is an unending thing . The Secession Is worth the admission . The 1902 Beethoven Frieze and the explanatory material that accompanies it are more than worth the visit . In cluded is material that explains the technical issues surrounding the actual construction of the work . The Belevedere and the Leopold for Klimt and the Wiener Werkstatte . MAK - Again , Wiener Werkstatte and the original full size cartoon for Klimt's Palais Stoclet Frieze ( with his hand written notes for the tile execution ) . Also at MAK is the 1906 Gesso Panel by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh based on Maeterlinck's " Seven Princesses " This piece is quite unique ,made for the banker Fritz Waerndorfer who supplied the funding for the Werkstatte , it is as Secessionist as any of the Viennese artists . In 1901 the Secession invited Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret to a place of honor giving them a career boost that was never duplicated . This panel will blow you away . One other thing for now , Make sure you go out to the Otto Wagner Spital on the western edge of town and see Steinhof Church ( Kirche am Steinhof ) which Wagner built around 1907 . As much Viennese Nouveau as I have seen , nothing tops this !! Let me know if you need directions , it's a short bus ride from the Ottakring UBahn stop . In three parts on Youtube , this will put Mackintosh in context for you http://youtu.be/LNrV6vbu4os PS EDIT The church is , as I recall only open to visitors at about 3PM on Saturday and Sunday . Confirm the visiting hours .

One other very timely point . For anyone with an interest in this time in art and world history , this book IS A MUST !! " Fin De Siecle Vienna : Politics and Culture " by Carl E. Schorske . 1980 . This is a collection of essays ( Historical analysis and criticism ) of the period . While the whole work will greatly inform a deeper understanding and appreciation of turn of the century Vienna , most appropriate for the art lover is the chapter entitled " Gustav Klimt : Painting and the Crisis of the Liberal Ego " Read it and enjoy !!

bookmarking = thanks

One other point comes to mind - The conventional wisdom pertaining to the Belevedere is to skip the lower palace . Big mistake !! Special exhibitions are held there with magnificent art that is frequently difficult to get to see . Last fall , I saw a show in the lower palace that pertained to the Dekadent style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century . Currently there is a show devoted to Russian art of the Silver Age ( Czarist Russia during the final twenty or so years ) in Vienna . Looks great ! Check the museum's website for more complete information .

if you can , allow a full day to do justice to the place .

Thanks Steven. I read about the Wagner pavilion at the hospital and was considering whether it would be worth making the trip out into the suburbs.

I'll have to do a lot of calculating, I think, to determine whether Vienna Cards plus discounts for entry would be cheaper than getting the eight-day travel-only pass.

I'll second Steven's praise for the Beethoven frieze in the Secession building; I did quite enjoy that on my last visit and did not feel rushed by any crowds.