Join us for a bath - and bathe in the current arts at a former imperial bathhouse. The interior of Arnuf Rainer Museum is probably the most beautiful museum building that you will see for a long time!
The building of the Arnulf Rainer Museum is the only remaining bathhouse in the bath town of Baden reflected in the UNESCO World Heritage, where you can see the former bathing pools and changing rooms in their original form.
One of the leading architects of French classicism, Charles de Moreau, together with the Baden city architect Anton Hanti, designed the clearly structured building of the women's bath - Frauenbad - in 1821. However, probably the sulphur springs of the "Frauenbad" were already used by the Romans. The "Frauenquelle" was mentioned in a document in 1357. It arose under the high altar of the Gothic church "Zur seligen Jungfrau" built around 1260, hence the name "Frauenquelle" or "Frauenbad". These baths were built right next to the church. In 1531, Emperor Ferdinand I donated the bath to the city as compensation for the devastation caused by the Turks in Baden in 1529. Emperor Leopold I then decreed in 1697 that this bath should be reserved for the nobility alone.
The old Frauenbad was completely destroyed in the great city fire in 1812 and in 1821, the current "Women's Bath" was built by the architect Karl Ritter von Moreau. When the bath was remodeled in 1878, the old facade was left intact. After all municipal baths were closed after the opening of the central "Kurmittelhaus", the former "Women's Bath" building was used as an exhibition space. In 1993-94, the bath building was extensively renovated and given a new purpose.
Today, the Women's Bath houses the Arnulf Rainer Museum, with a changing exhibition of contemporary artists twice a year. The museum is a subsidiary of the Lower Austrian Cultural Economy (NÖKU) with more than 30 artistic and scientific institutions.
The museum is also a special place for a special occasion. Why don’t you give your wedding day an atmospheric touch? The Arnulf Rainer Museum is your place with rooms for up to 60 people.
Born in 1929 in Baden, Arnulf Rainer was an important figure in art history that is uncontested. He is the founder of Art Informel in Austria, and his ‘overpaintings’ from the 1950s, made him well know abroad, too.
The museum is fully accessible and there is an accessible loo at the entrance. The museum shop at the reception is well worth checking. There is no museum café but as you are in the heart of Baden bei Wien, feel free to check any of the cafés and restaurants in the centre, there is a lot of choice!
Arnulf Rainer Museum
Kaiser-Franz-Joseph-Ring 31, 2500 Baden
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