The Natural History Museum in Vienna was designed by Gottfried Semper and Carl Hasenauer for Emperor Franz Joseph I. Work began in 1871, with excavation that fall, and the facade was finished in 1881. It opened on August 10, 1889. The dedication reads To the realm of nature and its exploration.
The article names the style as Historicism, with Renaissance elements. A bronze statue of Helios stands on the dome, and other materials are not stated. The building is about 558 feet (170 m) long and 230 feet (70 m) wide, and the dome is 213 feet (65 m) high. The exhibition area is 8,460 square meters (91,000 sq ft) in one place and 8,700 in another.
It is a museum and research institution with 39 exhibition halls. The article says admission at the 1889 opening was one florin on Tuesdays and gives no current hours or ticket prices.
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