Bundesmobilienverwaltung
The Bundesmobilienverwaltung is a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy that manages movable properties which passed from court ownership into the ownership of the Republic of Austria after the end of World War I.
Its collection includes not just furniture as it is narrowly understood today. Rather it comprises actually “movable” property: furniture and fixtures that could be and were moved – from chamber pots to curtain rods. Their sheer variety offers a detailed glimpse of the public and private life of the imperial family and the domestic situation of the court in Vienna.
Staff members of the Agency are also responsible for overseeing and caring for the historical tableware kept at the Vienna Hofburg Silver Collection – centrepieces, crockery, cutlery and table linen.
To ensure that its large collection of artistically and culturally valuable objects will remain in pristine condition, the Agency operates its own restoration workshops of joiners, upholsterers, gilders and a locksmith.
Given the great variety of items and their different materials, the Agency’s work keeps several artisanal skills alive, not least by the training of apprentices.
In its activities the Agency contributes to preserving the tangible as much as intangible cultural heritage of Austria.
Additional Information
Contact
Bundesmobilienverwaltung
Mariahilferstraße 88, 1070 Wien
Telefon: (+43) 1 523 42 40
bundes@mobilienverwaltung.at