25 YEARS OF MQ VIENNA // Looking back and into the future - 29.06.2026

Once controversial, now much loved—the MuseumsQuartier Wien is celebrating its 25th anniversary. For O&O Baukunst, this story began with the competition win in 1990. The arts and culture centre within the Baroque imperial stables called for an architectural design that carries a vision and provides form, even in the face of resistance.

O&O Baukunst’s architectural signature has shaped the MQ since its opening in 2001, always in a deliberate dialogue between the historic fabric and contemporary additions: the Leopold Museum, mumok, and Kunsthalle Wien, joined in 2020 by the MQ Libelle. The original concept also included the Leseturm. Following extensive public debate, however, it was never built.

From 29 June, the anniversary exhibition “Vision and Resistance. How MuseumsQuartier Changed Vienna” will trace the development of the MQ into one of Europe’s largest cultural districts. The exhibition includes sketches, models, and large-format chalk drawings, among other pieces.

And our work continues: With the House of Austrian History, we are shaping the next stage of the MQ’s development — a sustainable timber building that complements the listed historic fabric.


Further information on the MQ anniversary can be found at (in German only):
https://www.mqw.at/de/presse/25-jahre-mq-das-museumsquartier-startet-in-den-grossen-jubilaumsreigen/


Image: MQ Main Courtyard © MuseumsQuartier Wien, photo: Thomas Meyer