Coffee houses and grand ideas.
Discover carefully curated public lectures, author talks, debates and intellectual events in Vienna, Austria — selected by The Mindful City editorial team.
Last updated: September 20, 2026
Timothy D. Snyder · University of Vienna · September 21, 2026
Historian Timothy D. Snyder examines contemporary threats to liberal democracy in Europe and North America, drawing on historical precedents. The talk closes with a Q&A on civic re…
Slavoj Žižek · Sigmund Freud Museum · September 21, 2026
Philosopher Slavoj Žižek brings psychoanalytic theory to bear on current political crises and ideological formations. The talk examines how unconscious structures influence public …
Mary Beard · University of Vienna · September 21, 2026
A public lecture by the British classicist exploring how ancient empires shape contemporary urban identities and public spaces. The talk will include Q&A and is aimed at a general …
Mary Beard · Kunsthistorisches Museum · September 21, 2026
Classicist Mary Beard explores how ancient Roman public life continues to shape urban culture and museums today. The lecture will pair close readings of material culture with refle…
Marina Abramović · Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vortragssaal · September 22, 2026
Marina Abramović reflects on the role of the body in contemporary art and the changing relationship between performer and audience. The talk includes a short illustrated history of…
Timothy D. Snyder · Wiener Vorlesungen (City of Vienna) · September 22, 2026
Historian Timothy D. Snyder examines the erosion of democratic norms across Europe and the role of historical memory in defending civic institutions. He will discuss practical less…
Daniel Kehlmann · Wiener Vorlesungen (City Series) · September 22, 2026
Novelist Daniel Kehlmann explores how digital media reshape storytelling, authorship, and the relationship to readers. He offers examples from his own work and broader reflections …
Elizabeth Kolbert · Museum of Natural History Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) · September 22, 2026
Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Elizabeth Kolbert explores historical mass extinctions and what they teach us about current biodiversity loss. She will link scientific evidence with …
Mary Beard · Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien · September 22, 2026
Classicist Mary Beard traces how artists across centuries have reinterpreted classical antiquity to speak to contemporary concerns. The lecture will include visual case studies fro…
Naomi Klein · Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vortragssaal · September 22, 2026
Journalist and activist Naomi Klein links climate justice debates to questions of cultural preservation and public policy. A moderated panel of museum curators and climate scholars…
Brian Greene · Museum of Natural History Vienna — Great Hall · September 22, 2026
A public lecture surveying developments in theoretical physics and cosmology, written for a general audience. Greene will weave together scientific insight and the cultural signifi…
Adam Phillips · Sigmund Freud Museum · September 22, 2026
Psychiatrist and essayist Adam Phillips discusses psychoanalytic ideas in contemporary cultural debates and their relevance to everyday life. The talk will consider case examples a…
Atul Gawande · Museum of Natural History Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) · September 22, 2026
Surgeon and public-health writer Atul Gawande links biodiversity loss and emerging disease risks, arguing for integrated responses across ecology and medicine. He will propose prac…
Simon Schama · Kunsthistorisches Museum · September 22, 2026
Simon Schama examines court portraiture and historical painting as instruments of political authority in early modern Europe. The talk includes a guided look at works in the museum…
Judith Butler · University of Vienna · September 22, 2026
Philosopher Judith Butler presents a public lecture on gender theory, political anger, and the possibilities for coalition politics today. The event includes time for a moderated a…
Marina Abramović · Kunsthistorisches Museum · September 22, 2026
Marina Abramović discusses long durational performance and the relationship between artist, audience and institution in a special illustrated lecture. The program will be followed …
Elfriede Jelinek · Burgtheater · September 22, 2026
Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek presents a selection of new and recent texts, followed by a conversation about language, censorship, and theatre. The evening explores the intersect…
Mary Beard · University of Vienna — Public Lectures · September 22, 2026
Classicist Mary Beard explores how ancient Rome negotiated public debate, spectacle, and civic identity and what that legacy tells us about today's public discourse. The lecture wi…
Marina Abramović · Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna · September 22, 2026
Legendary performance artist Marina Abramović reflects on endurance art, the body in performance, and her recent projects. The talk includes images and a moderated Q&A about art, r…
Stefan Rahmstorf · Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (Museum of Natural History Vienna) · September 22, 2026
Oceanographer Stefan Rahmstorf presents the latest science on sea-level rise, its regional impacts, and the expected timelines. Attendees will learn how models are improving projec…