The numerous palaces and museums in Vienna present the visitors of the city with a regal view of the past. While exploring these places, countless posters, statues, and museums bombard tourists with the history of the Habsburgs, especially the much loved and idolized empress Elisabeth, or Sisi. The Hofburg Palace, Schönbrunn Palace, and the Upper Belvedere offer a background on early Austrian history and culture and the Wien City museum provides visitors with a stylized version Vienna’s past, focusing on the artists that called the city home during the modern period. While viewing these displays in the city’s museum, a significant gap appeared from the 1930s until late the 1950s. The exhibitions in the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum had a similar appraisal of this time period as well. There were rooms dedicated to the military history of Austria involving the Ottoman Empire, Napoleon, and the life of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but the discussion of the First World War and the Second World War were limited to two rooms [ed. note: to be fair, the room dedicated to the First World War was under renovation]. Even the architecture of the city evokes images of the Habsburgs’ rule. Through the presentation of their city, the Viennese seem to exclude events that transpired after the fall of the Habsburg Empire, placing a strong emphasis on the royalty that once dominated their city. Vienna takes pride in the culture that stemmed from the Habsburgs as well as the art and music that was created during this time period.
Dear Kayla,
ReplyDeletethanks for your observations, which are very spot on and really valid. As a native Viennese, I'm aware that Austrians have a reputation of displacing their role in World War II, and with Adolf Hitler. I also guess that our view of the average tourist is that he/she prefers to be lulled by Vienna's glamorous Imperial past rather than being confronted with war and Nazi atrocities.
The Wiener Kuenstlerhaus staged a large exhibition about Degenerate Art during the Nazi Regime two years ago. It has taken a while for Vienna to take up this chapter of history. I'm not aware of a permanent exhibition. Oskar Kokoschka, for example, was labelled a 'degenerate artist' by the Nazis, and Vienna took decades to re-establish Kokoschka's reputation as an ground breaking artist.
If you want to learn more about 20th century history and art, visit the 21er Haus Museum for Contemporary Art (Fritz Wotruba), the Museum of Fantastic Realism, and the Museum for Applied Arts/Contemporary Art (MAK). For an overview of these and other museums, go to Vienna Museums.
I look forward to reading more posts from your visit to Vienna!
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reasoned and thoughtful reply. I certainly understand the Viennese tourist strategy, and with the amazing palaces and beautiful city center, it clearly works for the city. As someone who is much more familiar with Berlin -- a city whose complex and at times horrifying history is front and center -- Vienna's grappling with its past provides a very interesting comparison. I personally found the omission of the First World War and its associated issues somewhat puzzling, especially since this event destroyed the old empire at which Vienna functioned as the seat of power.
Despite this, we had a great time in your city and will be back in the next few years.
Thanks for the tips on the museums.
Mit freundichen Gruessen aus Wheeling, West Virginia,
WJU History Department