What Kunsthistorisches Museum does

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM) is a federal Austrian museum institution operating under public law through the KHM-Museumsverband, headquartered in Vienna. Founded in 1881, it operates 7 museums and 10 collection sites across Vienna and Innsbruck, including Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Weltmuseum Wien, Theatermuseum, Kaiserliche Schatzkammer, Kaiserliche Wagenburg, and Schloss Ambras Innsbruck. Its collections span 5,000 years of cultural history, anchored by masterpieces from Bruegel, Rubens, Dürer, Velázquez, Tizian, and Arcimboldo, with the Theatermuseum alone holding approximately 2 million objects.

The institution generates revenue through a diversified mix of streams: individual ticket sales, Jahreskarte annual passes covering 7 museums, venue rental for corporate events and weddings (up to 700 persons in Cupola Hall), exclusive catering partnerships with Gerstner and any.act, e-commerce via shop.khm.at, B2B tourism distribution through booking.khm.at, image rights licensing, donations including an Adopt-a-Masterpiece program, and educational programming. Its technology layer centers on the KHM Stories multilingual app (German, English, Turkish, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian), a searchable online collection database, and a TMS (collection management system), with distribution partnerships through Google Arts & Culture and traditional press relations. Federal supervision under the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport provides structural governance, while the institution is the only Austrian federal museum operating under a collective bargaining agreement.

KHM serves a hybrid customer base spanning general public visitors, families, tourism operators, and corporate event clients. Marketing and distribution run through social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify), newsletters, B2B partner channels, and a dedicated press office. The institution has pursued sustainability infrastructure investments (photovoltaic installation at the Central Depot producing approximately 334,718 kWh annually) and strategic partnerships with WienTourismus and academic institutions, positioning the museum as both a cultural custodian and an active commercial and tourism operator within Austria's federal cultural sector.

Name

Kunsthistorisches Museum

Legal name

KHM-Museumsverband, scientific institution under public law

Website

https://khm.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a federal Austrian museum institution operating 7 museums and 10 collection sites across Vienna and Innsbruck, serving general public visitors, tourists, families, and corporate event clients with collections spanning 5,000 years of cultural history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum & Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Art museum services
• Cultural heritage exhibitions
• Museum educational programs
• Art collection management
• Historical museum venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Individual admission fees for visitors to Kunsthistorisches Museum and other KHM-Museumsverband sites
2. Annual Pass (Jahreskarte): 365-day passes granting access to all 7 museums of the KHM-Museumsverband
3. Venue Rental & Events: Rental of museum spaces for celebrations, gala dinners, receptions, concerts, seminars, lectures, and weddings
4. Catering Services: Exclusive catering partnerships with Gerstner (imperial court purveyor) and any.act for events
5. Reproductions & Image Rights: Digital and analog image materials, photo and film permissions for collections
6. Museum Shop: Online and physical retail of exhibition catalogs, souvenirs, replicas, and merchandise
7. Corporate Sponsorship: Partnership programs for tourism operators and corporate sponsors
8. Donations & Fundraising: Support donations, Adopt a Masterpiece program, and legacy gifts
9. Educational Programs: Guided tours, workshops, private tours, and educational programs

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kunsthistorisches Museum operates a federal art museum complex in Vienna and Innsbruck, preserving and exhibiting collections spanning 5,000 years of cultural history across 7 museums and additional collection sites. Core offerings include public museum admission, temporary and permanent art exhibitions, guided tours and educational programs in multiple languages, an interactive mobile application (KHM Stories) with audioguide functionality, a searchable online collection database, museum venue rental for events and weddings, an e-commerce shop for catalogs and merchandise, and a B2B booking portal for tourism partners.

Product overview

The Kunsthistorisches Museum operates as a comprehensive cultural institution offering physical museum experiences combined with digital access to its collections spanning 5,000 years of cultural heritage. The core product portfolio includes the KHM Stories interactive museum app (available on iOS and Android with tours in multiple languages), the searchable online collection database, and in-person offerings such as guided tours and audioguides. Additional revenue streams include museum venue rentals for events and weddings, B2B booking services for travel partners, and an e-commerce shop. The institution also maintains a presence on Google Arts & Culture and offers free contemporary art exhibitions at the Theseustempel. The KHM-Museumsverband encompasses 7 museums and 10 locations in Vienna and Innsbruck, including the Weltmuseum Wien, Theatermuseum, Kaiserliche Schatzkammer, and Schloss Ambras.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KHM Stories: Interactive museum app providing tours, audio guides, and digital collection access in multiple languages
• Kunstschatzi
• A Bite of Art

Products and services

• Individual Museum Admission Tickets Per-visit admission tickets granting access to the Kunsthistorisches Museum and other KHM-Museumsverband sites for general public visitors and tourists.
• Jahreskarte (Annual Pass)
• KHM Stories Mobile Application Interactive museum guide app available for iOS and Android with 15+ tours in German, English, Turkish, and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, offering 360-degree building navigation, digital audio guide, video content, and permanent ticket storage via Apple/Google Sign-In.
• Online Collection Database
• Audioguide Digital audio guide service in German and English for self-guided tours of the museum collections.
• Museum Venue Rental
• Wedding Services
• KHM B2B Booking Portal
• Guided Tours and Educational Programs
• Online Shop (shop.khm.at) E-commerce platform selling exhibition catalogs, books, souvenirs, replicas, and museum merchandise including Canaletto & Bellotto exhibition items, books, notebooks, keychains, bags, and stationery.
• Image Rights and Reproductions Service
• Theseustempel Contemporary Art Exhibition Annual contemporary art exhibition presented jointly with Weltmuseum Wien in the Theseus Temple in Vienna's Volksgarten since 2012, featuring a single important work of contemporary art with free admission.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WienTourismuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Partnership for 'A Bite of Art' program, part of VIENNA BITES - Küche, Kultur, Charakter initiative, starting February 2026. Joint cultural and culinary experience combining art and gastronomy.
• Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Academic research symposium on ancient female portraits, international scholarly collaboration in art historical research.
• Caritas WörkereiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Social enterprise partnership for converting exhibition advertising banners into reusable bags, providing employment opportunities for young people.
• Google Arts & CulturecoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital platform partnership enabling global access to museum collections through Google's cultural heritage platform.
• Gerstner (Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive catering partner for Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna events, providing traditional imperial court quality cuisine.
• any.actcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive catering partner for Weltmuseum Wien events, known for creative, sophisticated cuisine and customized menus.
• Mystery MakersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam-building events company offering mystery hunts through Collection of Classical Antiquities and Kunstkammer.
• Bundesmuseen & Universität für BodenkulturminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCO2 footprint assessment cooperation with Austrian federal museums and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The National Gallery, London: UK publicly funded national art museum with a Western European masterworks collection directly overlapping KHM's holdings. Comparable as a free-to-enter (with paid exhibitions) public art museum with membership programs, venue rentals, and a Google Arts & Culture partnership.
• Rijksmuseum: Dutch national museum in Amsterdam with a globally recognized digital strategy including a flagship app and online collection. Comparable as a state-funded art museum with strong digital engagement, annual memberships, and B2B tourism partnerships.
• Louvre: The world's largest and most-visited art museum, anchoring the global art-museum category. Comparable as a publicly operated art museum with ticketing, annual memberships, venue rentals, multilingual digital guides, and Google Arts & Culture content, but at far greater scale and brand reach.
• Museo del Prado: Spanish national art museum in Madrid housing Old Masters comparable in period and quality to KHM's Picture Gallery. Comparable as a state-operated fine-art museum with ticketing, membership programs, and event rentals competing for European art-tourist itineraries.
• Uffizi Galleries: Italian state museum in Florence with Renaissance masterworks that overlap KHM's Titian, Rubens, and Dürer holdings. Comparable in collection period, public-institution status, and ticketed venue-rental model targeting cultural tourism.

Direct peers

• Belvedere: Austrian federal museum in Vienna housing the world's largest Gustav Klimt collection (including The Kiss). Directly comparable as a Vienna-based federal art museum with ticketed exhibitions, an annual pass, event rentals, and a museum shop competing for the same tourist and local visitor base.
• Naturhistorisches Museum Wien: Austrian federal natural-history museum located directly opposite KHM on Maria-Theresien-Platz. Operates as a sister federal museum with parallel ticketing, shop, event-rental, and Jahreskarte integration, sharing the same institutional governance framework.
• Albertina: Vienna federal museum with one of the world's largest graphic-arts collections and major impressionist holdings. Directly competes with KHM for tourist dwell-time, annual-pass holders, and Vienna B2B tourism operator partnerships.

Regional players

• Alte Pinakothek: Bavarian state art museum in Munich housing Old Masters from the same Rubens, Dürer, and Titian schools represented at KHM. Comparable as a publicly funded regional art museum competing for Central European art-tourist circuits, particularly German-speaking visitors.

Others

• Google Arts & Culture: Digital platform partner of KHM that aggregates collections from the world's major museums. Relevant as an ecosystem enabler and indirect comparator for digital reach, virtual-tour delivery, and online collection monetization strategies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/KHMWien
• Facebookfacebook.com/KHMWien
• Instagraminstagram.com/kunsthistorischesmuseumvienna
• Xx.com/khm_wien
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heathdale-christian-college-limited

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Kunsthistorisches Museum