Imperial Treasury or Silver Collection
Updated September 18, 2026
Verdict
If you have one hour and one ticket, take the Treasury: the crown of the Holy Roman Empire is the single most significant object at this address. The Silver Collection is already on your palace ticket, so it costs you nothing but ten minutes.
The operator gets asked whether these are the same thing often enough to answer it in its FAQ, and the answer is no. The Silver Collection is the court's dining inheritance, on the ground floor of the palace museum route and included in the EUR 20 ticket. The Imperial Treasury is the regalia of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire, in the Swiss Court, on a EUR 16 ticket from the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
| Criterion | The Imperial Treasury | The Imperial Silver Collection |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | Regalia of two empires, crowns, the Holy Lance | Around 135,000 objects of court tableware |
| Where | The Swiss Court, the oldest part of the palace | Ground floor of the palace museum route |
| Ticket | EUR 16 online, own operator | Included in the EUR 20 palace ticket |
| Operator | Kunsthistorisches Museum | The palace operator |
| Closed | Tuesdays, and 16-27 February 2026 | Open whenever the palace route is |
| Time | About an hour | Ten to twenty minutes |
The operator's own answer
Asked "But isn't the Imperial Silver Collection the same thing as the Imperial Treasury?", the palace operator replies: "No. The Imperial Treasury Vienna is also in the Hofburg (in the Swiss Court), but houses the regalia of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire." The names are the problem: Schatzkammer and Silberkammer, treasury and silver room, two chambers a few minutes apart holding entirely different things.
What each is actually for
The Treasury is about legitimacy: objects made to say who had the right to rule, kept because that claim outlived the men making it. The Silver Collection is about logistics: how a court fed several hundred people to a standard, with the porcelain, the centrepieces and the napkin fold to prove it. One is a statement, the other a system.
Doing both in a morning
They sit about five minutes apart across the courtyards. The usual order is the palace route first, which ends with the Silver Collection behind you, then the Treasury before lunch. Remember the Treasury closes on Tuesdays, when the palace route does not, and admits nobody in the last 30 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Imperial Silver Collection the same as the Imperial Treasury?
No. The Silver Collection is court tableware, included in the EUR 20 palace ticket. The Treasury holds the imperial regalia in the Swiss Court and costs EUR 16.
Which is worth more of my time?
The Treasury, if you only have an hour. The Silver Collection is already on your palace ticket and takes ten to twenty minutes.
Are they in the same building?
Both are in the Hofburg, about five minutes apart, but they are run by different operators on different tickets.
Sources