With a smile

Funeral Vienna wants to take the seriousness out of dying

The sales hits: suntan lotion "For the real corpse pallor".(Bild: Bestattung Wien)

In Vienna, morbid humor is practically part of the cultural heritage. The city's funeral museum sums it up perfectly. 

Death should not only be discussed, but also viewed with a smile - this is the credo of the Vienna Funeral Museum. Underneath the Aufbahrungshalle 2, the traditional Viennese funeral service is honored as well as the peculiarities of the "Viennese cult of the dead", which has endured to the present day. More than 250 exhibits are on display across 300 square meters - from historic funeral carriages and mourning clothes to curious artefacts such as a "rescue alarm clock", which was intended to protect against premature burial.

Explain the process of funerals to children with clip-on building block sets.(Bild: © 2024 Harald Lachner)

Gym bag "I'll do gymnastics until the urn".(Bild: © 2024 Harald Lachner)

The humorously designed merchandise articles are an absolute bestseller and are known far beyond the country's borders. Jürgen Sild, Managing Director of Bestattung Wien: "With the controversial slogans and original articles, we are creating easier access to this sensitive topic. Teachers and parents particularly like to use the clip-on building block sets to explain the funeral process to children in a clear and playful way." This is not only popular in morbid Vienna. Sild: "Our ice scrapers are even sold as far away as Australia."