Imperial Treasury Vienna (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien)

The Imperial Treasury in Vienna is located inside the Hofburg Palace and holds the secular and ecclesiastical treasures of the Habsburg emperors. As the name suggest, you can see lots of crowns and jewellery. The most notable pieces include for example, the imperial crown of Austria and the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor. 

While those are worth seeing, there are also curious and more unusual pieces worth checking out.

For example, you can find the Spear of Longinus, also known as the Holy Lance or the Spear of Destiny. Yes, that’s the spear that the Roman Centurion Longinus used to piece Christ’s side as he died on the cross. (No, it did not come from Evangelion). There is a legend that whoever holds the lance would have supernatural powers to rule the world. It is alleged that Hitler’s annexation of Austria was to possess the Holy Lance…

The Treasury also holds a piece of the True Cross. i.e. a piece of wood from Christ’s crucifix. Is it real? I don’t know. Apparently, someone looked at all the pieces of wood that claimed to be true cross and ended up with more wood to fill a ship. This piece, however, is special because it is the piece with a nail hole. So presumably it is soaked in Jesus’s blood.

Real or not, these objects have special meaning to some visitors. I saw people praying to it. It was obviously a moving experience for them.

The museum is not overly large, but it will take you a couple of hours. Consider getting a combined ticket with other museums to save money (https://shop.khm.at/en/tickets). I got an annual ticket that included unlimited entries to 7 other museums, include the Kunsthistorisches Museum (one of the top must-see art museums in Europe), which is massive and needs more than one visit. If you are in Vienna for a week, that may be the most cost effective.