Known in German as the Kaisergruft, the Imperial Crypt has served as the Habsburg dynasty's primary burial place since 1633, and it's a striking contrast to the grandeur found elsewhere in imperial Vienna — the Capuchin order that maintains it is a mendicant order associated with simplicity, and the church above the crypt is correspondingly plain from the outside.
What's inside
The vault holds the remains of 12 emperors and many more archdukes, empresses and other family members, in tombs ranging from austere to extravagantly baroque — Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Franz Stephan share arguably the most elaborate double sarcophagus in the crypt, while others are far simpler. Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") and Emperor Franz Joseph are both here too, making this a natural follow-on stop if the Hofburg's Sisi Museum caught your interest.
The Habsburgs' unusual burial tradition
For centuries, a Habsburg funeral involved splitting the body three ways: the body itself came here to the Imperial Crypt, the heart went to a chamber in the Augustinian Church, and the entrails went to the catacombs beneath St. Stephen's Cathedral — a detail that surprises most visitors on first hearing it.
Local tip
The Imperial Crypt is a short walk from the Hofburg and the Albertina, making it easy to fold into a Ringstrasse-and-Old-Town day without a special trip — but it's a fairly compact site, so budget well under an hour unless you're particularly drawn to the history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is buried in Vienna's Imperial Crypt?
More than 100 members of the Habsburg dynasty, including 12 emperors, among them Empress Maria Theresa, Empress Elisabeth ('Sisi') and Emperor Franz Joseph.
Is the Imperial Crypt the same as St. Stephen's catacombs?
No — they're different sites connected by the same Habsburg burial tradition, which split the body, heart and entrails between three separate locations across the city.