The Herbarium of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (W), established in 1807, houses approximately 5.5 million specimens of plants, fungi and algae, representing one of the most important botanical collections in Central Europe. Its holdings date back to the late eighteenth century and include material derived from scientific expeditions of the Austro-Hungarian imperial period, as well as extensive collections from Europe, the Mediterranean region, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Part of the historical collection was destroyed during the Second World War and was subsequently rebuilt and expanded through acquisitions, exchanges and research activities.
The herbarium includes collections associated with the Austrian Scientific Expedition to Brazil (1817–1821), organized on the occasion of Archduchess Leopoldina’s marriage to Dom Pedro of Braganza. Naturalists such as Johann Baptist Emanuel Pohl, Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and Johann Christian Mikan participated in this expedition, contributing to the knowledge of Brazilian flora. The collection also includes material associated with Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher, who was involved in the early stages of the Flora Brasiliensis alongside Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. The collection is especially rich in type specimens, with approximately 200,000 types.

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Natural History Museum, Vienna - Herbarium W.

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