The “Horseman of Babunja,” a stunning 2,600-year-old bronze sculpture discovered near Apollonia (Fier), is now on display at the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, where it will remain until July 31.

This rare archaeological artifact, depicting an armed rider on horseback, is being exhibited for the first time before the Austrian scientific community and international scholars. It is showcased alongside the iconic Venus of Willendorf, one of the museum’s most prized pieces.

The exhibition was made possible through the initiative of the Albanian Embassy in Vienna, in collaboration with Albania’s Institute of Archaeology—part of the Academy of Sciences—and the Vienna Museum of Natural History.

In her opening remarks, Professor Katrin Vohland, Director of the Museum, highlighted that the exhibition marks a new chapter in the century-old collaboration between Austria and Albania in the fields of culture and scientific research. She recalled the pioneering archaeological work of Camillo Praschniker and Arnold Schober in Albania, first published in 1919 and still influential today.

Albania’s Ambassador to Austria, Fate Velaj, emphasized that each archaeological discovery is a vital event in both scientific and social life, enriching a nation’s cultural heritage and historical narrative.

The “Horseman of Babunja” was unearthed in 2018 in the ancient Illyrian city of Arnisa, located in the village of Babunja near Apollonia, as part of a joint Albanian-German archaeological mission.