Salzburg’s superb museum of modern Austrian art comes as a contemporary change after the city’s relentless Baroque charm. It has two branches: the Museum of Modern Art Mönchsberg (Museum der Moderne am Mönchsberg) and the Museum of Modern Art Rupertinum (Museum der Moderne Salzburg Rupertinum).

The Mönchsberg museum of modern art perches above the city on the rocky crag of Mönchsberg, one of five steep hills that form part of the city’s skyline; it was designed by Munich architects Friedrich Hoff Zwink following a competition launched in 1998 and has a series of light-filled, airy galleries tucked behind its ultra-modern white-marble façade. The four-floor museum opened in 2004 and holds exhibitions of contemporary painting, installations and temporary exhibitions from contemporary Austrian artists as well as open-air displays on the surrounding terraces. The neo-Gothic 19th-century Amalie Redlich Water Tower that stands next to MDM Mönchsberg has been incorporated into the gallery and hosts workshops and other events. The museum’s award-winning M32 restaurant has a panoramic terrace for views across Salzburg and the River Salzach; it is one of the city’s most popular summer dining spots.