Prunksaal: the State Hall of the Austrian National Library

What it is

The Prunksaal, the State Hall, is the great Baroque hall of the former Court Library, on Josefsplatz, within the Hofburg complex. It dates from the 18th century, is almost 80 metres long and 20 high, and is crowned by a frescoed dome. It holds around 200,000 historic books. It was restored from July to December 2022, so the roughly 300-year-old interior looks like new again. You walk around inside, strolling between the shelves.

Tickets and prices

Tickets are bought in the National Library's ticket shop. Adults pay €12 and the reduced rate is €10 (students up to age 26, people with disabilities and other groups). With the Vienna City Card or a senior card, €10.50. Under-19s go in free. The website does not mention timed slots: with the ticket on your phone, you go in during opening hours.

Opening hours

From October to May it is closed on Mondays: it opens Tuesday and Wednesday 9:00 to 18:00, Thursday 9:00 to 21:00 and Friday to Sunday 9:00 to 18:00. From June to September it opens every day, with Thursday until 21:00. In December 2026 it also opens on Mondays (9:00 to 18:00); on 24 December, 9:00 to 15:00. Some one-off closures have been announced: on Wednesday 18 November it opens at 12:00, on Thursday 19th it closes at 14:00, on Wednesday 25th it closes at 17:00 and on Thursday 3 December it closes at 13:00.

Guided tours and audio guide

There are regular guided tours in English: you buy them in the ticket shop with the website set to English. The audio guide is available in Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Ukrainian. There is also a virtual tour on the website.

Photos and rules

The rules allow photographing and filming objects without artificial light or a tripod for private use. Backpacks and bags larger than 30 x 40 cm go in the cloakroom. Animals may not enter, except assistance dogs.

Accessibility and getting there

The hall has step-free access. It is at Josefsplatz 1, a step from the Hofburg courtyards: combine it with the Hofburg and the Sisi Museum and with St Stephen's Cathedral, ten minutes' walk away.