Austrian working group for urban history research

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The Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research is a scientific association that conducts research into the history of cities and markets in Central Europe, but especially in Austria . Until its closure in 2011, he was a co-sponsor of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research. The seat of the association is in Vienna .

Tasks and main areas of work

  • Organization and coordination of research in the field of comparative urban history
  • Promotion of urban history research and dissemination of its results through publications
  • Organization of scientific conferences
  • Scientific exchange of views and cooperation with relevant scientists and scientific institutions at home and abroad
  • Creation of a city bibliography

Foundation and history

On July 3, 1969, on the initiative of the director of the Linz Archives, Wilhelm Rausch , the constituent assembly of the Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research met in the Linz City Archives . Wilhelm Rausch was elected chairman of the working group. The working group moved into its first office in 1970 in the Haus der Technik, Stockhofstrasse 32 in Linz, where the Upper Austrian Museum Association was also based.

Also in 1970 the board of directors decided to set up a scientific advisory board, which should advise the working group on scientific questions.

In 1975, after years of efforts, a Ludwig Boltzmann research center for city history was founded under the direction of Wilhelm Rausch. The working group was a co-sponsor of this institution. The working group's secretariat was also located there for a long time.

At the beginning of 1977 the research center was upgraded to an institute for urban history research of the Ludwig Boltzmann Society. The main focus of work was the Austrian city bibliography, the Elenchus fontium historiae urbanae and documentation of the printed documents on the city's history.

At the beginning of July 1977 a branch of the institute was founded in Vienna under the direction of Felix Czeike . The focus of work is the Austrian City Atlas and the Historical Atlas of Vienna. The branch is located in the Vienna City and State Archives .

The Linz Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research and the Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research moved in 1983 to the revitalized property Römerstrasse 14 in the area of ​​the Linz Castle.

In 1985 the magazine “ Pro Civitate Austriae ” was launched as an activity report for the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research and the Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research.

On November 24th, 1988 the prize of the foundation "Pro Civitate Austriae", established by Wilhelm Rausch, was awarded for the first time.

At the end of June 1990, Wilhelm Rausch resigned as head of the working group after more than two decades. Felix Czeike took over the chairmanship for a short time. In November 1993 Fritz Mayrhofer , Director of the Archives of the City of Linz, was elected chairman of the working group.

At the end of 1994, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research in Linz was closed. From now on the Vienna branch was continued as an institute. The working group continued to run the institute library as a public library.

At the end of 2002, the working group had to move to Pfeifferstrasse 22 in Linz-Urfahr due to the expiry of the lease. The city history library was taken over from the archive of the city of Linz in the library there.

In 2008 Fritz Mayrhofer resigned as chairman, his successor Walter Schuster , director of the Linz City Archives since December 2004, was chairman until the end of 2011. With the relocation of the working group's headquarters to Vienna, Andreas Weigl took over from the Vienna City and State Archives this office.

Pro Civitate Austriae Foundation

The association administers the “Pro Civitate Austriae” foundation, the aim of which is to promote scientific research in the field of city history. Every two years the foundation awards the “Pro Civitate Austriae” prize, which is awarded for outstanding scientific work. Since 2008, together with the Austrian Association of Cities, the “Tuition Fund for Urban History Research” has been awarded, with which outstanding university theses are awarded. The award ceremony takes place during the annual general assembly of the working group in Vienna.

Board

The current composition of the board is available on the association's website.

Employees and honorary members

The founder Wilhelm Rausch is honorary chairman of the working group. The employees of the working group who do the work of the association are historians who mainly conduct urban history research. Among the appointed honorary members of the working group are prominent historians, including Peter Johanek , Heinrich Koller and the long-time chairman Fritz Mayrhofer. According to its statutes, supporting members of the working group for urban history research are those who support the association's activities primarily through membership fees. The board of directors decides on admission as an employee or supporting member.

Publications

One of the purposes of the association is to issue relevant publications.

  • In the series “Contributions to the History of the Cities of Central Europe”, volumes are published that present the results of conferences.
  • The magazine “Pro Civitate Austriae” has been published since 1985.
  • The series “Research on the History of Cities and Markets in Austria” was Austria-related, in which a total of 6 volumes appeared between 1978 and 2002.
  • The Austrian City Atlas , edited by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research, is part of the European City Atlas . As a historical-topographical map, the atlas includes redrawn and reproduced original maps, a scientific commentary and a thematic map on the development of the respective city's settlement.

The publications, including the table of contents, are available on the working group's website and can also be ordered directly.

City Bibliography

Following the recommendations of the “ Commission Internationale pour l'Histoire des Villes ”, the Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research together with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban History Research published the “Bibliography on the History of the Cities of Austria” in 1984.

For the thirtieth anniversary of the working group (1999), the “Bibliography on the History of the Cities of Austria” was updated, placed in a database and published on CD-ROM.

The database, which is now available online, is kept up to date by at least an annual update. It contains over 53,000 entries.

literature

  • Wilhelm Rausch: Twenty Years of the Austrian Working Group for Urban History Research. In: Pro Civitate Austriae. No. 9, 1989, pp. 7-38.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gerhard Winkler , Kurt Holter : Upper Austrian Museum Association. Association report for 1970. In: Yearbook of the Upper Austrian Museum Association. Volume 116b, Linz 1971, p. 19 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
  2. ↑ a b Pro Civitate Austriae. In: stadtgeschichtsforschung.at. Accessed April 30, 2020 .
  3. ^ Contributions to the history of the cities of Central Europe. In: stadtgeschichtsforschung.at. Accessed April 30, 2020 .
  4. ^ Research on the history of cities and markets in Austria. In: stadtgeschichtsforschung.at. Accessed April 30, 2020 .