You might think that the whole of Vienna is an exhibition as you stroll through the city. For Vienna is not only home to world-famous museums, but also an impressive open-air gallery. The public areas are adorned by many works of art, street art makes Vienna more and more colorful.

Examples of urban art can be found everywhere in the capital. Out walking or peering out of the window of a bus, tram or subway – all kinds of outdoor artworks reveal themselves beneath the Viennese sky. Often highly imaginative, and usually colorfully designed, a number of the city’s walls, facades and building entrances – as well as the odd subway station – are works of art in their own right. Numerous initiatives have helped outdoor art to flourish in Vienna.

Since its foundation back in 2004, KÖR Wien – an institution dedicated to the promotion of art in public spaces – has initiated and supported close to 300 temporary and permanent artistic projects, including a great deal of street art. Making contemporary art accessible for everyone and encouraging public discourse in the process. The Wien Museum on Karlsplatz, which is scheduled to reopen at the end of 2023 after a major refurb project, offered up the fence surrounding the construction site for street art in 2021 and 2022.

And then there’s the Vienna Wall project: backed by the city, selected walls throughout Vienna have been made available for anyone to use artistically since 2005 – participating locations are clearly marked with Wiener Taube plaques featuring a pigeon symbol. The Danube Canal is undoubtedly the epicenter of street art in the city. Running through the city center, this offshoot of the River Danube is a veritable outdoor exhibition space. Here, the walls, railings and archways are covered with layer upon layer of spray paint. It is also where one of Europe's largest open-air galleries, known in the scene as the Hall of Fame, was created in recent years.