Explore the birthplace of psychoanalysis: Here’s why it’s worth visiting this authentically preserved apartment of history’s most famous psychologist, which is now a museum

Yara Völker

 –  editor

 ·  July 23, 2026

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Located in the heart of Vienna’s 9th district is the apartment where psychoanalysis was founded. Since 1971, the doors of these historic roomsat the Sigmund Freud Museum Vienna, located at Berggasse 19, have been open to the public. Here, visitors are given not only a glimpse of the former doctor’s office, but also a deeper insight into the family’s private life.

Virtual furniture and historic practice rooms

In the permanent exhibition, you can explore the original, preserved room layouts that depict authentic daily life before the family was forced to flee in March 1938. Although the legendary couch is missing from the famous treatment room, this empty space was intentionally designed as a memorial to the expulsion. As a result, visitors can virtually project the piece of furniture onto the room using a 3D AR installation on their smartphones.

Although the main exhibit is missing, the practice provides tangible facts about the “Talking Cure” through rare first editions and inscribed copies. In addition, photographs by Edmund Engelman from 1938 show how the rooms were originally furnished. Finally, in Anna Freud’s private rooms, you’ll also encounter the educational materials she developed together with Dorothy Burlingham.

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Dream Interpretation, Home Videos, and Conceptual Art

As you walk through the former bedroom, the seminal work *The Interpretation of Dreams* takes center stage. There, you can listen to original texts at special audio stations, read by renowned actors such as Birgit Minichmayr. Equally interesting is the former kitchenette, where you can watch private home videos from the 1930s.

In addition, the permanent exhibition “Hidden Thoughts of a Visual Nature,” which was launched back in 1989, awaits you on the mezzanine level. Here, 12 conceptual artworks—by artists such as John Baldessari and Franz West—engage in a direct dialogue with the building’s history. Consequently, instead of the couch, you’ll see a raw, welded metal counterpart that critically references its former function. Summer hours are in effect daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through September 30.