House of Austrian History

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Overview of Heldenplatz with the New Castle and the Outer Castle Gate. The New Castle will accommodate the HGÖ; the outer castle gate will also be used by the HGÖ.
Vienna Hofburg ( Neue Burg ): View from the roof of the Natural History Museum to the east. In the foreground the outer castle gate, which is available to the HGÖ. Behind it, in the east wing of the Neue Burg (left in the picture; optically under the construction crane and church tower), the House of History is housed.
 Interiors of the HGÖ, July 2016
Interior of the HGÖ in July 2016: Grand staircase in the Neue Burg ; in the background the "middle hunting plateau" (with upright piano)
Collection of old musical instruments
The collection of old musical instruments, the rooms of which were originally intended for the HGÖ
 Entrance to the HGÖ, current condition. There is an approx. 250 m2 terrace (arbor) above the entrance. The use of this terrace is the subject of intense discussion, as Adolf Hitler announced the "Anschluss of Austria" to the German Reich at this location - staged and documented on film by Nazi propaganda.
Entrance area of ​​the HGÖ, 2016. Above the portal there is an approx. 250 m 2 terrace (arbor), which is available to the HGÖ. The use of this terrace is the subject of intense discussion, since it was here that Adolf Hitler proclaimed the “Anschluss of Austria” to the German Reich in 1938 - filmed and documented by Nazi propaganda.

The House of Austrian History (abbreviated HdGÖ , proper spelling : hdgö ) is an Austrian contemporary history museum in the Neue Burg ( Hofburg ) in Vienna . The founding director is the historian Monika Sommer-Sieghart . It was opened on November 10, 2018 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Austria .

history

While elsewhere, for example in Germany (1994) with its contemporary history, which is just as complex compared to Austria , and at the European level in Brussels (2016) centers for the presentation and research of the respective contemporary history (s) had been built, in Austria it took until Realization of an Austrian house of history much longer.

The establishment of the HGÖ has been anchored in every government program of the federal government since 2000 and in 2000 also received international attention. At the European level, the Council of Europe recommended that its member states establish contemporary history museums based on the model of the German House of History in Bonn.

A compilation of numerous contributions to the “HGÖ” project can be read in the online archive of the former head of media research at ORF Peter Diem , who has been working for many years for the ORF journalist Traudl Brandstaller as part of their “pro austria” initiative Committed to building a house of history. This archive will be continued on the haus-der-geschichte.at website , which is intended as accompanying information during the construction phase.

The first attempt to establish an Austrian contemporary history museum after 1945 was made immediately after the end of the Second World War , when Federal President Karl Renner took the initiative to establish a “Museum of the First and Second Republic of Austria”. At that time, however, only a single showroom with 43 exhibits was realized in the Leopoldine wing of the Vienna Hofburg . After Renner's death, further work on his “favorite creation” was suspended and finally stopped under Federal President Adolf Schärf . The exhibits came into the possession of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum (HGM), where they have been integrated into the exhibition area "Republic and Dictatorship" since 1998.

The debate about the HGÖ, which ultimately led to concrete implementation, began in the second half of the 1990s:

  • In 1998 two feasibility studies were commissioned by the government: one for a “House of Tolerance” (the commission was given by Research Minister Caspar Eine to university professor Anton Pelinka ); the second feasibility study for a “House of the History of the Republic of Austria” was commissioned by Minister of Education Elisabeth Gehrer to the university professors Stefan Karner and Manfried Rauchsteiner . Ultimately, neither of the two projects for which different locations were being discussed was implemented.
  • 2000: The Schüssel I government advocated an exclusively virtual internet museum (State Secretary Franz Morak and University Professor Roman Sandgruber ).
  • 2002: In preparation for the anniversary celebrations in 2005 ("Year of Thought": end of the Second World War , independence of the second Austrian republic in 1955, accession to the EU in 1995 ), the Austrian federal government set up a historians' commission, which includes university professors Wilhelm Brauneder , Stefan Karner and Manfried Rauchsteiner , as well as the former President of the Vienna City School Council, Kurt Scholz, were members. The concepts presented at the time led to numerous protests by historians, especially by contemporary historians.
  • In 2005, the Austrian federal government proclaimed the “year of thought”, which was marked by three contemporary historical exhibitions: “The new Austria” ( Belvedere , Vienna), “Austria is free” ( Schallaburg , Lower Austria ), “Now it is evil, the Tennenbaum “( Jewish Museum, Vienna ). On the initiative of Hannes Androsch , Herbert Krejci and Peter Weiser , the three exhibitions were to be merged and form the nucleus of the HGÖ. This initiative also failed.
  • In March 2006, Minister of Education Gehrer again commissioned a working group of historians to create a concept for the HGÖ, to which Günter Düriegl, Manfred Jochum , Stefan Karner, Herbert Matis and Christian M. Ortner belonged. The concept “Implementation Strategy (Roadmap) for a House of the History of the Republic of Austria” was ready for implementation in June 2006. Three alternative locations were proposed: the “Research Gallery” of the Academy of Sciences in downtown Vienna, the Vienna Künstlerhaus and the Vienna Arsenal (Object IV on the site of the Military History Museum ), with the “ Arsenal ” location being shortlisted . Due to the National Council election in autumn 2006 , which led to a surprising change of government, this project was also not implemented.
  • January 2007: The Austrian federal government under Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer is committed to a "House of History" for which a new concept is to be developed and for the first time commissioned an independent company to plan the HGÖ (Claudia Haas on behalf of Lord Cultural Resources, Canada ).
  • March 2014: Announcement by Lower Austrian Governor Erwin Pröll to set up a “House of History” in the State Museum of Lower Austria (today: “Museum Niederösterreich”) in St. Pölten , among other things to strengthen the “regional identity” ( Pröll ). The project is being implemented under the scientific direction of University Professor Stefan Karner, and the time for the opening was given as 2017.
  • November 2014: Announcement by Minister Josef Ostermayer that a House of Austrian History will be set up at federal level.
  • September 2015: The implementation strategy for the House of History is presented jointly by Federal Minister Josef Ostermayer and State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy Harald Mahrer .
  • October 2016: Announcement by Minister Thomas Drozda that the financing of the HGÖ has been secured, but for budgetary reasons the HGÖ will only be reduced to 1870 m² in the garden rooms of the Neue Burg in the mezzanine under the Corps de Logis (in which the Weltmuseum is located). The HGÖ is to remain there until a new building can be built for the HGÖ. The "Collection of Old Musical Instruments" should initially remain in the rooms where it is currently located and not cede it to the HGÖ.

Location search

Until 2015, only the location of the HGÖ in Vienna was politically undisputed. However, until 2015 there was heated debate about the location in Vienna where the HGÖ should be built. In addition to new buildings in urban expansion areas that were dropped because of problematic visitor numbers (including the Vienna “ UNO City ” or the site of the former Vienna Südbahnhof ), a. the following places under discussion:

The decision by the Austrian Federal Minister for Art and Culture, Constitution and Media Josef Ostermayer to set up the HGÖ in the Hofburg ( Neue Burg ) in 2014 put an end to the location debate. However, there was sustained media criticism of the fact that this decision is also in the expansion opportunities Neue Burg settled World Museum (the ethnological museum in conjunction with the Kunsthistorisches Museum restrictive) and, moreover, a reorganization of the "Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments" (SAM) of the Kunsthistorisches Museum necessary make. These logistical problems were solved in October 2016 by redimensioning the HGÖ, which leaves the "Collection of Old Musical Instruments" in place.

In November 2014, the then Austrian Federal Minister for Art and Culture, Constitution and Media, Josef Ostermayer, announced that the museum project anchored in the current work program of the Austrian federal government would be implemented in conjunction with the Austrian National Library . With the development of a concept for the new museum, an international scientific advisory board was set up on January 25, 2015, chaired by Oliver Rathkolb (Institute for Contemporary History, University of Vienna ). In July 2018 Eva Blimlinger (Academy of Fine Arts) and Gerhard Baumgartner (DÖW) resigned from the advisory board and complained about the lack of an overall concept.

In October 2018, the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, and the Chancellery Minister for Culture, Gernot Blümel, announced that the building would be detached from the National Library and linked to Parliament ; then a renaming should take place (working title House of the Republic ). The scientific advisory board of the house spoke out against a renaming and a change of the previous work order. In January 2019, a five-person team of experts was presented to develop a concept for the future of the House of History. The team consists of Barbara Glück , Hans Walter Hütter , Constanze Itzel, Hannah Lessing and Hans-Peter Wipplinger .

business

The House of Austrian History was opened on November 12, 2018, the centenary of the proclamation of the Republic . In 2019 the House of History was nominated for the European Museum Academy Awards of the European Museum Academy . In the first year of its existence, 116,000 people visited the museum, the website of the house recorded 151,000 visitors in the same period.

Content concept

The first concept on which the current project is based was presented in 2009 by Claudia Haas on behalf of the Austrian federal government. In 2015, on the basis of this concept, the "Implementation Strategy for the House of History Austria" was developed by a scientific advisory board chaired by Oliver Rathkolb , Professor at the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of Vienna , on behalf of the Austrian Federal Government . The members of the scientific advisory board are scientists from Europe and the USA.

The implementation strategy developed by the scientific advisory board of the HGÖ was jointly presented in September 2015 by Josef Ostermayer and the State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Science, Research and Economy Harald Mahrer . It forms the basis for the amendment to the Federal Museum Act (BMG 2002), which was issued in 2016 and on the basis of which the HGÖ is established.

Following the concept of content, the HGÖ is intended to convey the history of Austria from the middle of the 19th century to the broadest possible audience with a special focus from 1918 to the present in its European and international context. Chronological narratives are to be linked with thematic focal points that reflect the plurality of Austrian society . For example, images of history, identity debates and gender relations since the Enlightenment , possibly also in the form of historical “deep drilling” that go far beyond contemporary historical research (the term “deep drilling” was originally used by Claudia Haas, Lord Cultural Resources, Canada, in her study for the HGÖ 2009 coined). Where scientific research and public awareness have not yet reached a consensus on the assessment of historical events and there are therefore open questions and controversial answers, these should be documented.

A member of the scientific advisory board, the historian Heidemarie Uhl , specified the role of the HGÖ in her text "The unrepresentability of history and the necessity of the House of History Austria" as an "antithesis to the 'identity machine' of the national museum in the tradition of the 19th century. "According to Heidemarie Uhl, the HGÖ should be a place of" critical self-questioning and potential self-insecurity (...) "and, like a" seismograph ", make the constantly changing social value orientations visible.  

organization structure

The implementation strategy for the HGÖ, which also includes the organizational structure, was developed with the support of an international scientific advisory board set up in 2015 and comprising 31 members and chaired by university professor Oliver Rathkolb .

The legal basis for the organizational structure was established in 2016 as part of the amendment to the Federal Museum Act 2002 (BMG).

According to the BMG, the HGÖ is set up as a professionally independent museum under the umbrella of the Austrian National Library and is managed by an academic directorate that is not subject to specific instructions and was appointed by the National Library in January 2017 following a public tender. 13 people applied for the founding management. In January 2017, historian Monika Sommer-Sieghart from the National Library was entrusted with the management on the basis of a three-way proposal by the HGÖ's scientific advisory board .

A scientific advisory board consisting of six members has been set up to advise the directorate: In addition to the directorate of the Austrian State Archives , two members from the Austrian Federal Chancellor, two members from the Federal Minister for Science, Research and Economy and one member from the Austrian authorities for a period of three years Posted to federal states.

See also

  • The Lower Austrian House of History as part of the Museum of Lower Austria in St. Pölten was opened on September 9, 2017.

literature

  • Andrea Brait: Memorial Site of the National Historical Museum - an analysis with special consideration of the debates about the establishment of new museums in Germany and Austria. Dissertation at the University of Vienna, Faculty of History and Cultural Studies, 2011
  • Günter Düriegl (Hrsg.): House of History of the Republic of Austria - Implementation Strategy (Roadmap). Without publisher , Vienna 2006
  • Linda Erker, Alexander Salzmann, Lucile Dreidemy, Klaudia Sabo (eds.): Update! Perspectives in contemporary history. StudienVerlag, Innsbruck-Vienna-Bozen 2012
  • Renate Goebl, Claudia Haas: A house of history (s). Last chance?. In: Museums create identities, proceedings for the 20th Austrian Museum Day Linz 2009. Published by Museum Association Austria and ICOM Austria, Vienna 2011
  • Suzanne Greub, Thierry Greub (Eds.): Museums in the 21st Century - Concepts, Projects, Buildings. Prestel, Munich-Berlin-London-New York 2008
  • Claudia Haas: House of Austrian History - Concept . Without publisher, Vienna 2009
  • Bettina Habsburg-Lothringen: House of Politics of the Republic. An interim report on the “House of Austrian History” , in: Zeithistorische Forschungen 16 (2019), pp. 118–127.
  • Stefan Karner, Manfried Rauchsteiner: Feasibility study for a "House of the History of the Republic of Austria (HGÖ)". Without publisher, Vienna 1999
  • Georg Kreis (Ed.): Europe as a Museum Object - Basler Writings on European Integration No. 85 . European Institute of the University of Basel, Basel 2008
  • Museum of Austrian Culture (Ed.): Building blocks of the Republic of Austria - nevertheless a contribution to the commemorative year 1988, exhibition catalog for the eponymous show . MÖK, Eisenstadt 1988
  • Stephan Neuhäuser: The House of Austrian History in the field of tension between history, politics, architecture and urban planning. An opportunity for the city of Vienna. Policy Paper for momentum 13 - Progress # 3: Art, History and Politics, 2013
  • Anton Pelinka: Feasibility study for a "House of Tolerance" . Without publisher, Vienna 1999
  • Oliver Rathkolb, Richard Hufschmied (Ed.): Turned several times. A historical artistic collage from the key years 1918/38/45/55 and 1995. Booklet for the exhibition of the same name in the presidential office on October 26, 2008. Presidential office, Vienna 2008
  • Dirk Rupnow, Heidemarie Uhl (Ed.): Exhibiting contemporary history in Austria. Museums - memorials - exhibitions. Böhlau Verlag, Vienna-Cologne-Weimar 2011
  • Martin Wassermair, Katharina Wegan (eds.): Rebranding images, a contentious reading book on history politics and the culture of remembrance in Austria . StudienVerlag, Innsbruck-Vienna-Bozen 2006
  • Thomas Winkelbauer (Ed.): House? History? Austria? Results of an inquiry about the new historical museum in Vienna. new academic press, Vienna 2016

Web links

Commons : House of History Austria  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The House of Austrian History - place of negotiation and discussion forum. Presentation of the museum. In: hdgoe.at . Retrieved November 17, 2019
  2. ↑ Monika Sommer-Sieghart is the HGÖ director. In: ONB.ac.at. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017 .
  3. ^ Foundation House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany: Bonn. In: hdg.de. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  4. ^ House of European History. In: europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved November 14, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Government program 2000–2003 (for the XXI legislative period): “Merging the two present concepts for a house of the history of the Republic of Austria and for a house of tolerance” (p. 100);
    Government program 2003–2006 (for the XXII legislative period): “Preparation of the special exhibition '50 Years of the State Treaty '[…] On the basis of the parliamentary resolution and the preparatory work, a concrete project for the construction of a' House of History 'will be created. The funds required for this are raised by public and private sources. ”(P. 34);
    Government program 2007–2012 (for the XXIII legislative period): "Responsible handling of the past: Based on the roadmap presented by the working group for the construction of a house of history, a detailed concept is to be drawn up in the second quarter of 2007." (p. 159) ;
    Government program 2008–2013 (for the XXIV. Legislative period): "House of History Austria: The planning and further work for the implementation of the House of History will be carried out quickly as planned." (P. 230);
    Government program 2013–2018 (for the XXV legislative period): “Goal: Expansion of cultural mediation. […] Mediation activities for the commemorative year 2018 - project 'House of History', commitment to restitution and an active culture of remembrance. ”(Pp. 49–50).
  6. ↑ Report by Martti Ahtisaari, Jochen Frowein, Marcelino Oreja, September 8, 2000, also: “Report of the Wise Men” on the participation of the right-wing national FPÖ in the Austrian federal government, page 18, paragraph 59: “The government is planning in this area [ promoting the recognition of human and minority rights ... as well as combating xenophobia and discrimination against foreigners] also some new initiatives, such as a new museum for Austrian contemporary history ("House of the History of the Republic of Austria"), a dissemination of documents about National Socialist Terms, programs to heighten public awareness of the integration of minorities ("looking instead of looking the other way") and working on international proposals to enforce the criminal prosecution of National Socialist propaganda that is spread over the Internet. "
  7. ^ Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: Recommendation 1283 (1996) "History and the learning of history in Europe". In: Recommendation "History and the learning of history in Europe". Council of Europe, January 22, 1996, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  8. ^ Project House of History - Pro Austria. In: members.aon.at. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  9. ^ Richard Hufschmied: Regardless of party membership and other controversy - The neverending story of Karl Renner's Museum of the First and Second Republic (1946-1998) . In: Dirk Rupnow, Heidemarie Uhl (ed.): Exhibiting contemporary history, museums - memorials - exhibitions . Böhlau Verlag, Vienna 2011, p. 58 .
  10. ↑ Renate Goebl, Claudia Haas: A house of history (s). Last chance? Ed .: Museum Association Austria and ICOM Austria. Museums create identities, proceedings for the 20th Austrian Museum Day Linz 2009. Vienna 2011.
  11. ↑ Stephan Neuhäuser: The House of Austrian History in the field of tension between history, politics, architecture and urban planning - an opportunity for the city of Vienna . Hallstatt 2013.
  12. ↑ Lord Cultural Resources. 2016, accessed on September 11, 2016 .
  13. ^ Lower Austrian regional correspondence: LH Pröll: 38 million for "Museum NÖ" and "Galerie NÖ". 2014, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  14. ^ Kurier: World Museum for 27.5 million euros: Ostermayer takes the brakes. 2015, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  15. ↑ a b c Oliver Rathkolb, Elisabeth Heimann, Richard Hufschmied, Manfried Rauchsteiner, Heidemarie Uhl: Implementation Strategy for the House of Austrian History - Ideas and Drafts of the International Scientific Advisory Board. (PDF; 1.8 MB) In: hdgoe.at. September 4, 2015, archived from the original on September 16, 2016 ; accessed on February 26, 2018 .
  16. ↑ "House of History" in Neuer Burg - wien.ORF.at. In: wien.orf.at. Retrieved September 13, 2016 .
  17. ↑ "House of History" comes in a reduced form in 2018. In: derstandard.at. October 20, 2016, accessed November 7, 2016 .
  18. ↑ Drozda wants House of History from 2018. In: wien.orf.at. Retrieved September 11, 2016 .
  19. ↑ House of History: Experts leave the orf.at Advisory Board , July 7, 2018, accessed July 7, 2018.
  20. ^ "House of History" is to become "House of Republic" . Article dated October 24, 2018, accessed October 24, 2018.
  21. ↑ orf.at: Disagreements about the House of the Republic . Article dated October 24, 2018, accessed October 24, 2018.
  22. ↑ orf.at: team of experts for the House of History . Article from January 4, 2019, accessed on January 4, 2019.
  23. ↑ Meret Baumann: Austria is finally getting a national museum In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung of November 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ House of History nominated for an award. In: wienerzeitung.at. July 11, 2019, accessed August 29, 2019 .
  25. ↑ 116,000 visited Haus der Geschichte in the first year. In: orf.at November 12, 2019, accessed on November 12, 2019.
  26. ↑ Downloads | HGÖ. (No longer available online.) In: hdgoe.at. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016 ; accessed on September 24, 2016 .
  27. ↑ a b Advisory Board | HGÖ. (No longer available online.) In: hdgoe.at. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016 ; accessed on September 24, 2016 .
  28. ^ Claudia Haas: Concept for a House of Austrian History. (No longer available online.) 2009, archived from the original on September 17, 2016 ; accessed on September 17, 2016 .
  29. ↑ Heidemarie Uhl: The unrepresentability of history and the necessity of the House of History Austria . In: Thomas Winkelbauer (Ed.): House? History? Austria? Results of an inquiry about the new historical museum in Vienna . new academic press, Vienna 2016, ISBN 978-3-7003-1965-8 , p. 83 ff .
  30. ↑ Federal Museum Act. 2002, accessed September 11, 2016 .
  31. ↑ Monika Sommer-Sieghart is the HGÖ director. In: ONB.ac.at. January 26, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017 .
  32. ^ House of History is ceremoniously opened. In: ORF .at. September 9, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017 .

Coordinates: 48 ° 12 '19.4 "  N , 16 ° 21' 53.8"  E