Museum secrets Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a treasury of antiquities and weaponry collected by the royal family known as the Habsburgs – a dynasty that ruled much of Europe for 500 years. In this episode, we visit the crypt that entombs many generations of the Habsburg royal family, then meet a geneticist who is attempting to discover how inbreeding led to their demise. We go hunting with falcons to discover how one Habsburg emperor’s hobby lay the foundation for modern science, then recreate the alchemical experiment that led another emperor to believe that silver could be transmuted into gold. While learning the proper way to do the Viennese waltz, we discover how a dance craze impacted European history, then recreate a strange piece of ancient armor to find out how and why it was designed to explode. And finally, we meet a detective who takes us on the trail of a thief who purloined the museum’s most valuable treasure.
Primary Title
- Museum secrets
Secondary Title
- Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Date Broadcast
- Saturday 29 September 2012
Start Time
- 18 : 30
Finish Time
- 19 : 30
Duration
- 60:00
Series
- 2
Episode
- 13
Channel
- BBC Knowledge
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a treasury of antiquities and weaponry collected by the royal family known as the Habsburgs – a dynasty that ruled much of Europe for 500 years. In this episode, we visit the crypt that entombs many generations of the Habsburg royal family, then meet a geneticist who is attempting to discover how inbreeding led to their demise. We go hunting with falcons to discover how one Habsburg emperor’s hobby lay the foundation for modern science, then recreate the alchemical experiment that led another emperor to believe that silver could be transmuted into gold. While learning the proper way to do the Viennese waltz, we discover how a dance craze impacted European history, then recreate a strange piece of ancient armor to find out how and why it was designed to explode. And finally, we meet a detective who takes us on the trail of a thief who purloined the museum’s most valuable treasure.
Classification
- Unknown
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
- Art objects--Austria-Vienna.
Genres
- Art
- Documentary
- History
Hosts
- Colm Feore (Narrator)
Contributors
- Kensington Communications Inc. (Production Unit)
- Stephen Milton (Producer)
- Kenton Vaughan (Director)
- Kenton Vaughan (Writer)
Subjects
- Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
- Art objects--Austria-Vienna.