English Summary
Since almost two
decades, Austria
has been discussing
a project called "House of Austrian History".
By this is meant a museum of contemporary history which is
to
concentrate on the history of Austria and
its neigbouring
countries since about 1848.
All of
the recent
governments had pledged to at least plan
such a project. But nothing
had happened although a number
of expert papers were commissioned. For
the considerable sum of EUR 58,000 the
last of these papers was elaborated
by Haas/Lordeurop,
an
Austro-Canadian
consulting firm,
and delivered to
the government
in 2009 which
instantly
buried it
in
the drawers of
the Federal
Chancery.
It
was only in
early
2015 when the
present
Minister of Culture,
Josef
Ostermayer,
released
the ban by
publishing
the document on
the government
website:
https://www.bka.gv.at/DocView.axd?CobId=58747
He
followed up
with the idea
not to erect a
new building
but to
use around
3,000 square
meters
of
space
in the Vienna
Hofburg (Imperial
Castle) to
create the
"Haus der
Geschichte
Österreichs"
(HGÖ). This
floor space is
to be made
available by
re-organizing/reducing
the
Ethnographic
Museum and the
Collection of
Old Music
Instruments,
both commanding
ample
flights of
rooms
in he castle.
Subsequently,
the renowned
Austrian
historian Oliver
Rathkolb,
an expert on
contemporary
history, was
commissioned
to chair the
preparations for
creating the
HGÖ over the
next three
years - hoping
to open the
museum on the
Centennial
of the
founding of
the Republic
of Austria in
1918.
Mr. Rathkolb
secured the
assistance of
a scientific
advisory
council, consisting
of more than
30 Austrian
and
international
historians
and
museologists.
In
a kick-off
press
conference on
9th September,
2015,
Minister Josef
Ostermayer and
his
conservative
counterpart,
State
Secretary Harald
Mahrer,
presented the
complete
project which
is described
in detail
in the section
"Konzept".
The
time schedule
provides for creating
the HGÖ as a
"sister
institution"
of the
Austrian National
Library by
an
amendment
to the 2002
Federal
Museums Act
to
be passed by
Parliament
until the
end of 2015. Although
docking on the
National
Library,
the HGÖ will
be equipped
with its own
management and
its own
budget. Time
and cost plans
for the
project should
be ready by
November 2015. On
this
basis,
concrete
action can
begin in early
2016.
A steering
committee for
the project
has been
created
in which the
Castle
Administration,
the Federal
Real Estate
Company, the Monuments
Office,
the National
Library, the
Museum of Fine
Arts, the
University of
Vienna, the
Academy of
Fine Arts and
the Governor's
Conference as
well
as
the
Chancellery,
the Ministry
of Science,
the Finance
Department, the
Interior
and Defense
ministries
will be
represented. This working
party
will
elaborate plans
for
the entire
Heldenplatz
area which is
to be
freed of
automobiles by
means
of an underground
garage, providing
also
additional
storage rooms
for the
National
Library.
A small
scientific
advisory
committee
will accompany
the content planning.
The
future House
of Austrian
History will
have three
main functions,
to be
fulfilled
offline and
online:
-
to provide
a permanent
exhibition
elaborate
-
to initiate
tempory
showings
-
to act as
a discussion
forum for historical
and political
topics,
especially,
the
development of
Austrian
democracy.