Haus der Musik

The Haus der Musik occupies the palace of Archduke Charles in the first district, where Otto Nicolai lived and where the Vienna Philharmonic was founded in 1842, and it opened in 2000 as a museum about sound rather than a collection of relics. The ground floors cover the Philharmonic's history including the New Year concert and the orchestra's own account of its conduct under the Nazi regime, which was published after long silence. Above, a floor on the physics and perception of sound uses interactive stations - a giant staircase piano, chambers exploring the sounds of the womb, and instruments to play. The composer floors cover Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss and Mahler in rooms each. The best-known station is a virtual podium where you conduct the Philharmonic on screen and it plays badly if you do.

What you actually see

• A virtual conducting desk - the Philharmonic on screen responding to your beat.
• The orchestra's own history - including its record under the Nazi regime.
• Sound physics stations - the staircase piano and perception experiments.
• Composer floors - Haydn to Mahler, a room each in the archduke's palace.

When to go

All year; late opening most evenings. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is interactive and noisy, aimed as much at children as adults. The conducting station queues. It is not a collection of historic instruments - manage that expectation.

Nearby

The Staatsoper, Stephansdom and the Ring are all a few minutes' walk.