Enjoying the Culture 183Literature
Following World War II, some authors continued writing in a
traditional vein, while others, like those in the ‘Vienna Group’,
were more avant-garde. One of the best known contemporary
authors is Peter Handke. The late Thomas Bernhard is another
popular author who wrote from the 1960s until his death in
- Elfriede Jelinek won the Nobel Prize for Literature in
- These authors have been joined by Johannes Mario
Simmel, Ingeborg Bachmann, Gerhard Roth, Peter Turrini
and Michael Köhlmeyer.
Museums
What should you do on Sunday with all stores and most
restaurants closed? Spend all day at one of the many
museums throughout the country! Entrance fees are not
cheap, so choose your museum carefully. Children have free
admission to Vienna museums such as the Natural History
Museum or the popular Zoom Museum. Students, teachers
and senior citizens pay a reduced fee. Many cities offer some
type of card that provides access to museums over a specific
period. In Vienna, you have the option of purchasing an
annual museum pass that lets you into many museums. If
you have guests and plan on seeing a number of museums
within 72 hours, purchase the Vienna Card which provides
unlimited access to public transportation and reduced rates
at certain museums, shops and restaurants.
Visiting a Museum
National museums are free twice a year: National Museum Day
on 18 May and Austria National Day on 26 October. Within
Vienna, certain municipal museums are free on Friday before
noon, excluding public holidays. Museums have different opening
times. A safe bet is that if it is a municipal museum, it will be
closed Mondays. Large, private museums are open every day.
Best to check the Internet under http://www.wien.at and look under
“museum” to find the accurate opening hours. Usually museums
will be open late one night a week and there is often a coffee
shop and restaurant in case you get hungry.