House of Austrian History

  

   - darkometer rating: 4 -

  

A comparatively recent addition to Vienna’s wide portfolio of museums, namely one about contemporary history of Austria from 1918 to the present day. The permanent exhibition includes some very dark chapters of this history, not least the period after the “Anschluss”, i.e. incorporation of Austria into Hitler’s German Third Reich. In fact the “balcony” from which Hitler declared the “Anschluss” to a cheering crowd in 1938, and hence a significant landmark of dark history, is now part of the museum, though currently not accessible to the general public. The exhibition is indeed very contemporary, not only reaching up to 2018, when it was opened, but in its final section covers also more recent and even still ongoing events.

More background info: The location of the museum is a highly significant one: it’s housed inside the “Neue Burg” (literally ‘new castle’) part of the huge “Hofburg” palace complex right in the very heart of Vienna.

  

This palace complex was begun in the 13th century, though most parts are much younger, and served as the main seat of the Habsburg monarchy. The Neue Burg is the most recent of all parts – and by far the most pompous in design. This huge colonnaded semi-crescent-shaped pile facing Heldenplatz (‘heroes square’) was first planned (in large parts by the legendary Gottfried Semper) in the second half of the 19th century, but actually not finished until after WW1. This latter fact is somewhat ironic, given that the monarchy had ceased to exist with the end of WW1 and the declaration of the First Austrian Republic on 10 November 1918.

  

Less than two decades later, the Neue Burg became the iconic place from where Adolf Hitler on 15 March 1938 declared the “Anschluss”, i.e. incorporation of Austria into the German Reich. De facto this was an annexation really, but one that many Austrians welcomed. A huge crowd of jubilant followers of Hitler and the German Nazis had gathered on Heldenplatz to see and cheer their “Führer”. The crowd is estimated to have numbered around 200,000. Hitler and his rather large entourage, including several other leading German and local Nazis, appeared on the “balcony” above the main central entrance of the Neue Burg. Hitler’s prepared speech delivered from here culminated in the dictator’s screeched declaration of the “Anschluss”.

  

Strictly speaking, though, this isn’t a “balcony” but a terrace, or what in German architectural jargon is known as an “Altan”. Yet in informal common speech it became “Hitler’s balcony” ever since 15 March 1938.

  

The “Altan” of the Neue Burg had been used for addressing crowds before, both by the “Red Vienna” socialists and later Austria’s own “Austro-Fascists” under Dollfuß and Schuschnigg. But it was Hitler’s historic performance that forever tainted the “balcony”. After WWII it became something like a taboo – not properly acknowledged, ignored, “forgotten”. It took decades for the issue to be talked about again. But this taboo status still lingers today. The “balcony” belongs to the current history museum, and you can see on to it from the part used for temporary exhibitions, through a glass door, but it remains inaccessible to the public. But right next to the door to the “balcony” is an exhibit that invites visitors to voice their opinion about whether or not it should be made accessible in the future (see below) and if so suggestions for ways in which that could be done are invited too. So the discussion is ongoing.

   

The history of the “balcony” aside, given that the Neue Burg had partially been planned for showcasing the Imperial collections it’s a fitting home for museums today. And indeed it houses several already longer established exhibitions, such as ones of classical statuary, armoury, musical instruments and the adjacent ethnographic “Weltmuseum” (‘world museum’). The National Library also uses a part of the building.

   

The ideas for an Austrian contemporary history museum go back to as early as right after WW1, when some such suggestions were first floated. But they were only picked up again in earnest after WWII, under the initiative of Karl Renner, who was president of Austria at the time of the transitional government before the country became a sovereign state again in 1955 after ten years of Allied occupation/supervision.

   

But after Renner had died on New Year’s Eve 1950, the plans for the museum were no longer developed further, and terminated altogether by the 1960s. The exhibits already put together were distributed amongst other museums (including Vienna’s military history museum).

   

It wasn’t until the late 1990s that more concrete suggestions were developed, including a first “Machbarkeitsstudie” (‘feasibility study’). There was a certain pressure to come up with an Austrian equivalent of the successful “Haus der Geschichte” contemporary history museum in Bonn in Germany, which opened in 1994.

   

In Austria things dragged on longer … it took until 2014 for a decision to house the new museum in the Neue Burg to be reached, followed by the forming of a scientific council whose role it was to come up with detailed plans for a realization of the museum idea. In 2016 the legal foundations for the museum were laid, but due to reduced state funding the museum would be much smaller than originally envisioned, relegated to just one section of the mezzanine floor of the Neue Burg, plus some space on the first floor behind that historic “Hitler balcony”, to be used for temporary extra exhibitions.

  

The implementation of the permanent exhibition was begun in spring 2017, and it opened on 10 November 2018, exactly on the 100th anniversary of the day the First Republic had been declared in 1918.

  

One more note about the name of the museum. In the original German it is now officially called “Haus der Geschichte Österreich” (note: not "Österreichs", with a genitive <s>, as you would expect), abbreviated normally “HdGÖ” or “HDGÖ”, though the museum’s own website uses “hdgö”, all in lower case letters. The translation of the name into English, “House of Austrian History”, is not affected by such orthographic confusion.

  

  

What there is to see: The main “exhibit”, so to speak, is that “balcony” (actually “Altan” in architects’ speak) from which Hitler declared the “Anschluss” of Austria in 1938 (see above) … and it is in plain view even before you enter the Neue Burg and pay for your ticket – right in the centre, atop the main entrance of this grandiose pile. Thousands of people pass by every day, including most tourists visiting Vienna. I wonder how many of those are aware of this historic spot’s dark significance …

  

To see it up close you do have to enter the Museum of Austrian History (Haus der Geschichte Österreich – HdGÖ) and proceed upstairs past the main permanent exhibition and climb another set of flights of stairs to the upper level. This is where the museum hosts temporary exhibitions on varying topics related to its mission. For instance there was one about Maly Trostenets (an extermination camp where many Viennese Jews were murdered), and the latest one I saw (in October 2022) was about relics from the Nazi times, such as old emblems, medals, books, photo albums, and so forth, found e.g. in people’s attics. And the question is asked what to do with such jumble-room leftovers from those dark times … destroy them? Hide them? Display them? The museum does indeed owe quite a lot of its exhibits to donations from people who that way wanted to get rid of those relics. But by the time you read this there will be another temporary exhibition on.

  

And then there is that “taboo” place, the “Hitler balcony”. You can peek through the glass doors to see the perhaps surprisingly large area space of the “Altan” or terrace (rather than a “balcony” proper), but the door is locked. The space is all empty, save for a thin wire mesh fence of sorts that is presumably there to keep pigeons away from the facade.

  

Next to the door is an exhibit that displays some historic photos and interpretive texts provide a bit of background. Most importantly, though, the question of what to do with that historically tarnished area space is raised directly. In fact, there’s an interactive element where visitors can vote for or against making that space accessible to the public. The last time I visited the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of making it accessible (almost 9:1). It remains a sensitive issue, though. You don’t want idiots standing there overlooking Heldenplatz giving the Nazi salute and taking selfies. The question is how to prevent that.

   

The exhibit also asks for design suggestions from visitors, to address the question of how to commodify the “balcony” should it be made accessible. Visitors are encouraged to take part in an online collection of such suggestions (you can view them on this dedicated website: heldenplatz.hdgoe.at/ – most texts are in German only, though).

   

But now for the actual permanent exhibition. On the one side of the door to the exhibition proper is a large back-lit panel giving an overview of the different sections, on the other side of the door is a desk where a member of the museum staff is seated. This is where you can ask questions and pick up some leaflets.

  

Inside, the exhibition is subdivided both chronologically and thematically. There is no pre-specified route through the exhibition, so you are free to follow the timeline or dip in and out of selected subtopics, or both. All texts and labels are bilingual, in German and English. The English translations are mostly OK, although I spotted a few bits that made the translator in me balk. (E.g. where a photo of small kids in skiing outfits accompanied by the German expression “Skizwerge” this is translated literally and erroneously as “skiing dwarves”; but unlike “Zwerg” in German, English “dwarf” isn’t normally used to refer to children; so something like “little skiing tots” or so would have been a much better translation.)

   

The first room kind of sets the scene: new beginnings in 1918, after the end of the monarchy following defeat in WW1. Topics such as new voting rights, fundamental rights, and how to deal with the legacy of the monarchy are presented here. Several individuals and their contribution to those momentous years are picked out, but I presume those names will be largely unfamiliar to international visitors.

   

It is interesting to note that as early as just after WW1 there were already German nationalist calls for an “Anschluss”, for unity with Germany. Some constituents parts of the country even attempted referenda on this question, but as that was against the WW1 peace treaty of 1919 nothing came of this. Another territorial question concerned a part of Carinthia that was also claimed by Yugoslavia. Here a referendum held in 1920 ended in favour of Austria. Displays include campaigning materials from both sides.

   

After all this you enter a large hall that is subdivided only by clusters of exhibits but only one dividing wall halfway through. So it’s quite roomy, yet also feels a bit cluttered as if too much has been crammed into the available space. (This is the result of the premises given to the museum having been cut down from the original ambitions, together with its budget – see above). But overall the museum curators have done their best to use the space sensibly.

   

The whole wall on the right-hand side features numerous posters from the different periods covered in the museum as well as several photo collections from those times. This is a kind of thread that runs through the entire length of the main part of the exhibition. To the left of this are the various thematic subsections.

   

The first of these is about economic and social crises in the young republic. A precursor of the later collapse of the fragile democracy was the burning of the Palace of Justice in 1927, following a demonstration that was violently crushed by police. A few years later this was indeed followed by the takeover of power by what the right-wing Nationalists called “Ständestaat” (ca. ‘corporate state’) but the left referred to as “Austro-Fascism”. Its symbol was the “crutch cross”, modelled on and used like the German swastika, yet deliberately designed to be closer to a Christian, more precisely Catholic cross. Several specimens of this are on display.

   

The Austrian quasi-dictatorship of the 1930s was first led by Engelbert Dollfuß until his assassination by German Nazis in 1934, then by his successor Kurt Schuschnigg. Artefacts on display in this section include various kitschy items, a mug, a cigarette box, etc. with the image of Dollfuß on them and a little Dollfuß bust. A particularly remarkable object is a device with which Nazis shot out little paper swastikas as confetti. Particular attention is also given to the so-called “Februarkämpfe”, the street battles in February 1934 in Vienna.

   

And then in March 1938 came the real “Anschluss” by which Hitler incorporated (well, annexed) Austria into his German Reich. Numerous items from that time are on display, especially noteworthy perhaps is a radio microphone into which Schuschnigg (allegedly) spoke his last speech as chancellor of independent Austria which ended in the historic line “Gott schütze Österreich” (‘God protect Austria’). He didn’t.

   

The Nazi period and WWII are covered with numerous artefacts, from propaganda material including war games like the “Bomben auf England” (‘bombs on England’) board game. And of course the various crimes of the Nazis feature, from the concentration camps (see esp. Mauthausen) to the medical “euthanasia” campaign (see T4 and especially Hartheim). Relics from the Holocaust include Austrian items like coins, combs and mugs found in mass graves at Maly Trostenets, where many Jews from Austria were murdered (indeed you find the name of that camp on many of those little bronze “Steine der Erinnerung” memorial squares set into the pavements – see under Vienna). A poignant item on display here is also an armband from the “Volkssturm”, from when towards the end of the war the Nazis even drafted teenagers and older men to fight against the inevitable defeat. Amongst the many photos on display an especially remarkable one is what is said to be the only photo taken of a death march towards the end of the war, taken surreptitiously, of course, at great risk.

   

After the end of WWII came hardship, disorientation and in many cases migration. What I missed in the coverage of the immediate post-war period was more on the Allied occupation and division of Austria into four zones for the four Allies (see also under Third Man Tours). Yet the support from the USA is illustrated, e.g. with the display of one of the famous C.A.R.E. parcels sent to European recipients in need.

   

In 1955 Austria was finally released into independent sovereignty, with the State Treaty signed at the Belvedere Palace. On display here is a lovable little scale model of the signing ceremony, one of the cutest items in this museum. The exhibition also points out that socially the post-war period in Austria was characterized by a desire for unity and the idyll – and an unwillingness to talk about the dark years of the Nazi period (in which, after all, countless Austrians were willing collaborators). Indeed this has changed only very recently. When I first moved to Austria it was still a more or less moot point. But that’s no longer the case, and this very exhibition testifies to this powerfully.

   

The next thematic section addresses the question of what constitutes “Austrian-ness”. Unsurprisingly, skiing is a big thing here – visitors can even sit in a mock-up of a ski lift and take selfies against a touristy image of Alpine scenery. Fashion and football are also featured, as is music, especially the characteristic “Austro-Pop”, which, as the saying goes, is “in Österreich weltberühmt” (‘world-famous within Austria’). The newest artefact in that subject area is the outfit worn the bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst during the winning performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014.

   

But back to the darker bits: the beginnings of a tentative protest culture in the 1960s gets some coverage, but generally it was far less notable than in neighbouring Germany or France. But that gradually began to change. One milestone was the opposition against the nuclear power station in Zwentendorf or against too much military. Speaking of the military, one object on display here is a plastic model kit of the Saab Draken fighter jet plane in Austrian colours. These Swedish-made planes were indeed the pride of the Austrian air force until the (not uncontroversial) switch to Eurofighters.

   

A particularly well-documented political crisis was the “Waldheim Affair”, when Kurt Waldheim, who had already served as Austrian foreign minister and then as Secretary-General of the UN from 1972-1981, ran for the Austrian presidency in 1986. In that context questions about his actions during the Nazi era were raised and it was found that he had indeed been a member of the Nazi organization SA, a fact he had conveniently omitted in his autobiography. Despite all this he won the election and served until 1992, but was internationally somewhat isolated (especially the USA declared him unwelcome). The topic is given the very largest of all the exhibits in this museum, “Waldheim’s Horse” – a large wooden horse-shaped structure covered in protest graffiti. The horse is a reference to the fact that Waldheim had been in a mounted SA corps.

   

A little known story told on the side is that of the “Unterolberndorfer Papers”, named after a village in Lower Austria. Here, on neutral ground, members of the anti-dictatorship resistance movement of Uganda met in 1985 to work on fundamental principles of a new and just form of government in their country. They did indeed succeed in toppling the dictatorship in their country (if only temporarily). Nine years after the meeting in Austria, one of the men returned as president of Uganda on a state visit. On that occasion he also presented a signed Ugandan flag to the landlady of the tavern where the meeting had taken place. She later donated this unique artefact to the museum.

   

Another thematic section is about the economy and consumerism, also covering the “industrialization” of the Danube River with its numerous hydroelectric power stations, locks and flood protection measures.

  

After that the exhibition turns to the thematic section about borders. Austria has plenty of borders and there are areas where territory is contested, especially along the southern border with the former Yugoslavia. In Carinthia there are pockets of Slovenian speakers and there’s been a long drawn out political dispute about whether the area should be bilingual, e.g. in terms of place names.

   

The most important border in Austria’s modern history, however, was the Iron Curtain, which ran along the country’s eastern and partly northern and southern borders. The dismantling of a stretch of the border fence between Austria and Hungary in 1989 was an important event in the beginning of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and its communist regimes. Amongst the displays about all this are cutters used in breaking down the fence as well as another lovable scale model, this time of an intact stretch of the Iron Curtain.

   

Opposite the last stretch of the installations on the right-hand wall entitled “Neue Zeiten, alte Ängste” (‘new times, old fears’) is the last thematic section about “Equal Rights?”. The refugee crisis of 2015 is a particular subject here. On display are, for instance, a hi-vis vest specifying a helper’s three languages, and a small “refugees welcome” sign. The environmental movement concerned by climate change also gets coverage as does the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The latter already indicates that the museum’s exhibition goes beyond 2018, the year in which it opened. It is obviously a continuing work in progress.

   

Another post-2018 topic featured is the so-called “Ibiza Affair” of 2019, when Austria’s right-wing vice-chancellor HC Strache was secretly filmed making (fake) Russian oligarchs promises that would have amounted to corruption. The result was a collapse of the coalition government and basically the end of Strache’s political career. On display is the USB stick on which the incriminating videos were saved and then channelled to the press (before it was donated to the museum it was damaged to be unreadable now, as was required because it also had other sensitive data on it).

   

Another very recent historical chapter covered briefly in the museum is the Covid-19 pandemic, which isn’t even properly over yet. On display is a jocular Covid-19 bench in which the middle section is cut out to guarantee users keep their distance …

   

A change that’s also very recent is the decision of the Austrian village formerly named Fucking to be renamed Fugging from the beginning of 2021. Alllegedly this spelling change better reflects the local pronunciation of the name. But the real reason was that too many town signs had been stolen over the years and/or triggered dubious tourist behaviour. One of the original town signs is now on display in this museum.

   

Finally, there’s an “interactive” section of sorts right at the end where visitors are invited to write down their answer to the question “what do you think it is worth fighting for?” on little post-it notes to be pinned on a wall. It was interesting to study some of these. While many chose grander, and more predictable concepts like “peace” or “freedom” others were much more specific, putting e.g. “Ukraine” or “Taiwan”!

  

All in all, small as this museum may be size-wise, it does cover an astounding amount of ground and that includes not just the better known aspects of modern Austrian history, but also more obscure ones (I never knew about that Ugandan link, for instance). So it’s highly educational. Especially foreign visitors will learn a lot that they were previous oblivious of or only had a vague idea about. So the museum does live up to its mission to “fill an important gap in Austria’s museum landscape”. It certainly does that. If you’re in Vienna and have more than just a passing interest in modern Austrian history do go and see it. Recommended.

  

  

Location: inside the “Neue Burg” part of the Hofburg Imperial palace complex in the middle of Vienna, opposite Heldenplatz.

  

Google Maps locator: [48.2054, 16.3649]

  

  

Access and costs: easy enough to locate; not too expensive

  

Details: The museum could hardly be in a more prominent location, inside one of Vienna’s premier sights, the grand Neue Burg palace on Heldenplatz, the very heart of the formerly Imperial city, and now “tourist central”. Yet while the Neue Burg is so imposing and so central that’s almost impossible to miss, the museum’s exact location has to be known, as it isn’t particularly prominently advertised outside.

   

Take the main entrance in the central part of the semi-crescent structure and inside head right, where you find the museum’s ticket desk and shop. Once you’ve purchased your ticket, you need to head upstairs in the excessively palatial interior. It’s helpful that there are signs to the museum in this otherwise a bit labyrinthine set of staircases. Don’t be surprised to see classical statues and the like on the way. These belong to another museum (“Ephesos Museum”, which partially shares its space with the HdGÖ). Once you’ve found the actual entrance it’s easy to navigate the main permanent exhibition – there’s also an overview map next to the doorway.

  

To get to the temporary exhibition space – and that “balcony”, see above – you need to tackle another set of flights of stairs to get to the upper level. But for those with mobility issues there is also a lift.

  

Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays open late till 9 p.m., closed Mondays; last admission half an hour before closing time.

  

Admission: 8 EUR (some concessions apply)

  

  

Time required: I spent almost an hour and a half in the permanent exhibition alone, but if you want to read everything and watch and listen to all the interactive stations’ content you could probably spend twice that time. Allow extra time for the temporary exhibition if it is of interest. That can add another 30-45 minutes.

  

  

Combinations with other dark destinations: see under Vienna in general.

  

The nearest other dark attraction featured on this website is the Imperial Crypt, but the catacombs underneath St Stephen’s Cathedral are not far either. The DÖW exhibition (about Austrian resistance in the Nazi era) is also within walking distance.

  

  

Combinations with non-dark destinations: It couldn’t be simpler: step outside the Neue Burg and you’re right in “tourist central” of Vienna, the Hofburg complex, which also features a host of yet more museums and exhibitions. And many other prime sights, such as St Stephen’s Cathedral, are also just a short walk away.