The Imperial Silver Collection in Vienna’s Hofburg offers a fascinating look behind the scenes of everyday life at the Habsburg court. The collection is about much more than silverware: you can also see porcelain, crystal glassware, kitchen utensils, and elaborate table decorations once used for imperial dinners, state visits, and formal banquets.
The Imperial Silver Collection is being redesigned. The collection has been closed since April 2023 for an extensive refurbishment and will return as part of the renewed Hofburg visitor experience together with the expanded Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments.
What is the Imperial Silver Collection?
The Imperial Silver Collection, known in German as the Kaiserliche Silberkammer, contains objects once used by the imperial household. Despite its name, the collection includes far more than silver. You will find porcelain, glassware, gilded tableware, serving pieces and practical objects from the former imperial kitchens.
Together, these objects tell the story of how the Habsburg court lived, entertained, and presented itself. At the imperial court, a beautifully laid table was not simply about food. The tableware, decorations, and elaborate centrepieces were also expressions of wealth, status, and political power.
You do not need to be interested in antique tableware to enjoy the collection. Its real appeal lies in the scale, extravagance and stories behind the objects, which reveal just how complex and luxurious everyday life at the imperial court could be.
What can you see in the Imperial Silver Collection?
The collection contains objects used for everything from everyday meals to formal receptions, state banquets and imperial journeys. Different residences and occasions often required their own tableware, while some services were commissioned specifically for members of the imperial family or received as diplomatic gifts.
The 30-metre Milan Centrepiece
One of the highlights is the spectacular Milan Centrepiece (Mailänder Tafelaufsatz). Created in 1838 for the coronation of Emperor Ferdinand I as King of Lombardy-Venetia, the complete arrangement could extend to around 30 metres in length.
The enormous centrepiece illustrates the scale of major imperial banquets. It was designed to dominate a formal dining table and impress important guests long before the first course was served.
Porcelain, crystal, and imperial tableware
Throughout the collection you will find elaborate services made from porcelain, crystal, silver and other precious materials. Some were used regularly, while others were reserved for prestigious occasions and official visitors.
There are also personal items connected with individual members of the imperial family, offering a more intimate glimpse into life behind the ceremonial side of the Habsburg monarchy.
Life behind the scenes at the Hofburg
Not everything in the collection is made of gold or silver. More practical objects from the former court kitchens help explain the enormous amount of organization required to keep the imperial household running.
This contrast between spectacular state tableware and ordinary working equipment is one of the reasons the collection is so interesting: it shows both the public image of the monarchy and the machinery behind it.
A redesigned Imperial Silver Collection
The Imperial Silver Collection has been closed since April 2023 and is being completely redesigned. The renewed presentation forms part of a wider transformation of the Hofburg visitor experience, which also includes an expanded Sisi Museum.
One of the most important changes is a new presentation of the famous Milan Centrepiece. The renewed exhibition aims to make the story of imperial dining culture clearer and more accessible to modern visitors.
Which part of the Hofburg should you visit?
Focuses on the life, personality and public image of Empress Elisabeth.
Walk through the former rooms used by Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.
Explores court life behind the scenes, from formal banquets and tableware to the workings of the imperial household.
Visiting the Imperial Silver Collection
Tickets and prices
The Imperial Silver Collection forms part of the wider Hofburg visitor experience together with the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments. Ticket prices and the exact visitor route may change as the renewed exhibition opens, so it is worth checking the latest official information before your visit.
Is the Imperial Silver Collection worth visiting?
The Imperial Silver Collection may sound like an attraction mainly for people interested in porcelain or antique tableware, but that description does not really do it justice. The collection is much more interesting as a window into how the imperial court functioned.
You begin to understand how much staff, equipment and organisation was required to run the Habsburg household, and how important ceremony and presentation were at official dinners and state occasions.
When combined with the Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments, the Silver Collection adds useful context to a visit to the Hofburg. Instead of only seeing where Franz Joseph and Elisabeth lived, you also get a sense of the huge organisation that operated behind the scenes.
Everything About Vienna tip
Once the redesigned Imperial Silver Collection is fully open, we will revisit it ourselves and update this guide with our impressions, practical tips, highlights to look out for and how much time you should allow for the complete Hofburg route.