The Weltmuseum Wien in Vienna’s Hofburg holds one of the most disputed objects in any European museum: the Penacho, a feathered headdress made of 450 quetzal feathers and gold that is believed to have belonged to the Aztec emperor Montezuma II. Mexico has been formally requesting its return since 1991. The museum says it is too fragile to transport. Whatever you make of that, the object is extraordinary, and it is on display here. The broader collection runs to about 200,000 objects from cultures across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas, assembled over centuries of Habsburg diplomatic and scientific expeditions. The museum occupies the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg, reopened in 2017 after a major renovation, with its own entrance facing Heldenplatz. Tickets are around EUR 16 for adults; combination tickets with the Kunsthistorisches Museum are available. Thursday to Tuesday, 10:00 to 18:00.
museum in Vienna City
Weltmuseum Wien
The Weltmuseum Wien in the Hofburg holds what is arguably the most politically contested object in any Austrian museum: the Penacho, a feathered headdress believed to have belonged to the Aztec emperor Montezuma II, made of 450 quetzal feathers and gold, and one of only two surviving Aztec feather objects in the world.
- Type
- museum
- Destination
- Vienna City
- Cost
- Paid entry
- Founded
- 2017
- Era
- Contemporary
- Address
- Heldenplatz, 1010 Wien, 1010 Vienna
- Coordinates
- 48.2049, 16.3639
- Official website
- Visit website