STORIES your GUIDE won’t tell you about VIENNA Funded by the City of Vienna This publication was made for WIENWOCHE 2012 Gefördert aus Mitteln der Stadt Wien Entstanden im Rahmen von WIENWOCHE 2012 www.wienwoche.org
Research and mediation: Karin Schneider Thanks: Photos and texts: Tal Adler Dr. Willi Urbanek, Bezirksmuseum 1090 English editing: Rod Pritchard-Smith Reg.Rat Felix Czeipek, Bezirksmuseum 1040 Print: Rema print, Vienna Ina Markova Dr. Martha Keil, Institut für jüdische Geschichte Österreichs ISBN: 978-3-9503456-1-2 Wolfgang Scheyer, SOLA © Tal Adler Yuval Kedem, GALILEO Pablo Farassat The works in this publication are from the projects: Sheri Avraham, Maria Muhar, Andreas Nader, Anna Szöke, • Leveled Landscapes by Tal Adler Lukas Wagner, Osama Zatar • Dispersed Fragments by Tal Adler and Karin Schneider produced in the frame of the FWF project “MemScreen” at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Further information: www.memscreen.info
Austrian Science Fund: AR 96-G21
STORIES your GUIDE won’t tell you about VIENNA
Let us go on a short trip through the the stories of why some stories are Austrian capital, Vienna. A beautiful, never told. lively city full of culture, and a rich These are the stories that need to be history awaits us, visitors and locals told. alike, everywhere. Curious? Let’s go! This illustrated guided tour will take you to some very ordinary and not- so ordinary places. Each place is con- nected, and will lead you to the next one. This guide will tell you the stories about these places that most guides ignore. These are the stories behind the stories most guides tell. These are the stories of how most guides’ stories are constructed and told. These are
St. Stephen‘s Cathedral (Stephansdom)
With 5.2 million visitors per year, St. bombings during WWII air raids. after catching fire caused by local Stephen‘s Cathedral is Austria’s most The Stephansdom was made a sym- plunderers. visited site and is known as THE bol for two fundamental Austrian most recognized symbol for Vienna mythic conceptions. The one is that and Austria. It is also a good place to the Austrians were the victims of the start our tour as it demonstrates, like “German” Nazi regime, and the other many other Austrian symbols, how is that Austrians were the victims of history and memory are construc- the Allied forces. In both cases, myth ted in Austria. masks the role Austrians played as It is common knowledge that the ca- partners in the same regime, victimi- thedral was destroyed in April 1945 zing themselves and others. These by Allied forces’ bombings. In fact, myths conveniently relieve them of generations of Austrians have learned any responsibility. this from history books at school. Some new, updated history school- Images of the cathedral in ruins ap- books tell a different, less heroic sto- pear regularly in the context of the ry. The Stephansdom was destroyed
ErinnerungsBunker Museum of Vienna’s 9th district (Bezirksmuseum Alsergrund)
Just around the corner from the mu- gether with students from the Erich seum of Vienna’s ninth district (Alser Fried High School and the Vienna grund), there is an air raid shelter Pedagogical Academy, have created a from the Second World War. It was concept for an exhibition inside the built to protect the civilian populati- bunker. With the help of Kunstschu- on from the bombings of the Allied le Wien art school, they have ins- Forces. Not enough shelters of this talled a remarkable and unique exhi- kind were built for civilian use. The bition, as it puts the story of WWII Nazis didn’t only fail to take greater bombings in a broader context than effort to protect the civilian popula- usual in Austria. Instead of the re- tion. They had huge Flak Towers peated Austrian “we were the victims” built within civilian population cen- myth, they elaborate on the reality ters and dispensed smoke in the city before, during and after the war, ex- 9th district museum: during air raids. This made it harder hibiting racism, anti-Semitism, Aus- Währingerstraße 43, 1090 Vienna for Allied Bombers to bomb only mi- tro-fascism, the Holocaust, violence To order a guided tour in the bunker by litary targets and avoid civilian ones. in culture, children in this context students of the Erich Fried High School: Alsergrund’s district museum, to- and more. Dr. Willi Urbanek, +43 (0) 676 7221933
Museum of the 4th district (Bezirksmuseum Wieden)
Not all district museums in Vienna Viennese mayor between 1897 and In 2012, the city of Vienna renamed can be proud of confronting the poli- 1910, who was admired in Vienna Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring (part of the tics of memory and history in such a perhaps more than the Austrian Em- Ringstrasse) to Universitätsring. The mature manner as the 9th district mu- peror himself (Franz Josef I). One of question of renaming is still open for seum. A visit to the museum of the the reasons for this exceptional ad- Lueger Square which displays a statue 4th district (Wieden) challenges infor- miration was Lueger’s explicitly crude of the former mayor, as well as hund- med visitors to question the museum’s anti-Semitism. Founder of the anti- reds of other dedications to him, all policies of commemoration. Semitic Christian Social Party, he is over the city. The museum is located in a former considered by historians a key inven- public shower house and exhibits tor of modern, populist anti-Semi- some of the old showers and facili- tism. Adolf Hitler regarded him as ties. It boasts a wonderful, highly his teacher. maintained collection of historic From a speech he held at Parliament, objects from daily life, artworks, do- 1890: cuments, photographs and more. “Anti-Semitism is synonymous with the One of the center installations is a fight against the parasitic overgrowing, Redesign Lueger’s monument art corner dedicated to Dr. Karl Lueger, suffocating and corrupting big capitalists”. project: http://en.luegerplatz.com
St. Leopold’s church (Leopoldskirche)
The same Lueger we met earlier, Arnezhofer himself was active in the admired and was inspired by his own operation that took place during role models. In 1906 he named a street 1670/71. After the successful expulsi- after Johann Ignaz Arnezhofer, who on, the church that replaced the syn- was the first priest of St. Leopold’s agogue was named after St. Leopold church in Vienna’s 2nd district. This (flattering Emperor Leopold I as well), church replaced a synagogue, fol- and the district was named Leopold- lowing the mass expulsion of the Jews stadt (Leopold’s city). Arnezhofer be who lived in this area – the former came the head of the church. Jewish ghetto. Emperor Leopold I ex- Church visitors today find a statue of pelled the Jews after receiving an of- St. Florian outside the church. He is ficial plea from the mayor and city depicted putting out a fire consuming assembly, begging him to get rid of a house. St. Florian is very popular in the Jews. In return they promised to Austria and is the patron saint of fire about Arnezhofer and street renaming give him 10,000 gulden as compen- fighters. An ironic popular song goes: initiative (German): sation for the loss of the “protection “O holy St. Florian, spare my house, burn http://www.gedenkdienst.at/index. tax” (Schutzgelder) Jews had to pay. others”. php?id=599
Vienna’s giant Ferris wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)
Leopold’s total expulsion of the Jews citizens. It was the Nazis who gave the years between 1938 and 1944 wasn’t the only one in Viennese his- the Riesenrad the status of pro and the tragic stories of the original tory. It followed the expulsion of the tected monument and landmark. owners. Jewish community in 1420/21 and Gabor Steiner initiated the building preceded the Holocaust (which star- of the Riesenrad in 1896 to celebrate ted in 1938 in Austria). the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz In all cases, together with expulsion Josef I. In 1919 Eduard Steiner (not and murders, all property was taken related to Gabor) bought the Ferris from Jews by both state and local re- wheel. Both Steiners were Jewish, sidents. and were later persecuted by the Such is the untold story of the fa- Nazis. Gabor Steiner fled to the USA mous Viennese giant Ferris wheel, and died there in 1944. Eduard the Riesenrad. It is Vienna’s land- Steiner, the owner of the Riesenrad, mark and one of the most visited sites was murdered in Auschwitz, presu- Monument for the “Aryanisation”: in Austria. It was one of the first ob- mably also in 1944. www.martinkrenn.net/projects/39.htm jects of “Aryanisation” – the Nazi term On the website of the Riesenrad, its Riesenrad’s website: for the organized robbery of Jewish history is told in detail, leaving out http://www.wienerriesenrad.com
Prater amusement park (Wurstelprater)
The Riesenrad wasn’t the only attrac- anthropologists conducted studies and - “We have to represent savages, sir, tion in the Prater, once the hunting measurements at some of the shows. Africans…” “…In Africa we couldn‘t grounds of the emperors, opened for The African “Ashanti Village” was dress like that. Everyone would laugh…” the public in 1766. shown during 1896/97 in the zoo, “…Nobody lives in such huts. We use During the 19th century, people who attracting thousands of visitors daily. them for dogs...” “…They want us to were considered “abnormal” were Peter Altenberg, one of the famous represent animals…” “…the clerk says: exhibited there as curiosities. Later on, Viennese writers of the early moder- ‘hey, Europeans we have enough. What “exotic” or “ethnographic” shows were nism wrote in his book “Ashantee”: do we need you for?! Of course you have to put on in large areas such as the “Ro- stay naked’.” tunda” or in the zoo. Groups from va- -“It‘s cold and humid, Tíoko. Puddles rious countries outside Europe were everywhere. You are naked…” staged in “authentic settings”. Among - “We’re not allowed to wear anything, the many “Ethnographic shows” from sir, no shoes, nothing. We even had to 1873 to 1910, one could see Chinese, take the head cover off… ‘Take it off’ said Indians, Samis, Nubians, Sinhalese, the clerk. ‘Maybe you want to represent a Native Americans, Africans tribes, lady?’” Bedouin and many others. Viennese - “Why doesn‘t he allow it?”
Vienna City Park (Wiener Stadtpark)
A very different African Village was argument. Seibane was a Mauritanian memory at the Village was malicious- shown in Vienna’s City Park in 2003. physicist living in Austria since 1996. ly set on fire. The “African Culture Village” was or- He gave tours and drumming work- Only after an amateur video docu- ganized by the local African commu- shops at the Village. The other person menting the killing of Seibane was nity. Conceived as an intercultural who was involved in the argument discovered, a legal process started meeting, it advocated coexistence and called the Police and an ambulance. against the police and medical team. tolerance. It offered workshops, mu- Upon arrival, the police shackled and Most of them were acquitted with sical performances and different pro- pinned Seibane to the ground with his one policeman and the doctor recei- ducts and artworks. Unfortunately, face down. They kicked him, shouting ving only light conditional sentences. the peaceful intentions didn’t suffice. racist slurs at him, and some kneeled Unfortunately, Seibane isn’t the only A week after the opening of the Villa- and stood on him, squeezing his chest African killed by Austrian police. ge, it was maliciously set on fire. In to the ground. The ambulance’s doc- spite of the damage, the Village con- tor injected Seibane with a strong tinued its activities. psychiatric drug and the medical team On the night of July 15th, 2003, Seibane stood by without interfering. Wague, the Village’s night watchman Seibane died that night. A week later, that night, was involved in a loud the memorial that was built in his
Subway station Karlsplatz (U-Bahn Station Karlsplatz)
Racism towards foreigners in Vienna papers, firmly searching his bag and has a long history and continuity. This pockets. He seems intimidated and guide’s last station brings you to cur- embarrassed as other passengers stare rent time, Vienna 2012. You are at the at the sight. A few minutes later they Subway (U-Bahn) station. Suddenly, leave him and continue searching the a large group of police officers (men station. and women), maybe 50 strong, some In July this year, journalists followed uniformed, fully armed, some in civi- police on one of their police raids at lian clothing, flock to the station. Pas- the Subway. They reported a practice sengers become alarmed and con- of “Ethnic Profiling”. The police see- cerned. Maybe something is wrong, med to stop and search only dark- maybe there’s danger. The police look skinned people. The police deny such around, searching for something. practice, but dark-skinned people They look at you briefly and pass you who live in Vienna can verify this. by. A few of them walk swiftly towards The police always seem to have a one of the passengers. They stand in keen interest in them. front of and behind him, asking for