The Third Man Museum

The Third Man Museum serves as a gathering space for cinema enthusiasts as well as an introduction to Vienna’s postwar history. In addition to a comprehensive collection of original exhibits on the film classic “The Third Man,” which was shot in Vienna in 1948, thorough documentation deals with the film’s historical context and displays originals from the occupied time in Vienna (1945-1955).

There are thirteen rooms with 2,500 original artifacts including Anton Karas’ video zither. His film music became famous across the world and sparked a zither craze in the 1950s. Four hundred playable cover versions of the “Harry Lime theme” demonstrate how popular the song was at the time.

In addition, the museum has original scripts, cameras used on set, and Hansel’s cap. One of the attractions is a 1936 movie projector that still works and plays back a brief film scene. In 1950, “The Third Man” was shown for the first time using such projectors. A video like no other that depicts Vienna as it was wrecked by war and taken by the Allies.

The private museum, located in the atmospheric Vienna Naschmarkt, illustrates everyday life in post-war Vienna with a remarkable collection of originals from all over the world, as well as the piece of cinematic history related with this film.

The Third Man Museum also hosts live zither concerts, in which artist Cornelia Mayer performs musical highlights from the famous film “The Third Man” on stage.