Artistic Designs for Monument at the Altan of the New Castle in Vienna Spark Debate

The House of Austrian History (hdgö) aims to provide food for thought in the commemorative year "80 Years of the Second Republic" on how to deal with such burdened places.

The enthusiasm that prevailed at Heldenplatz during the dictator's speech and the radicalization against Jewish citizens was suppressed after 1945, recalled hdgö director Monika Sommer on Tuesday at a media event: "The balcony was locked, it is at least uncommented from the outside." The fact that the State Treaty was signed on May 15, 1955, not in the Hofburg but in the Belvedere, and was presented by Leopold Figl there on a balcony, overshadowed the other balcony scene. The balcony remained unchanged - "and thus appropriable from all political sides" (Sommer) - and an inaccessible, symbolically charged place.

Glass Ceiling Against Self-Exaltation

In cooperation with the University of Art and Design Linz, artists were invited to address the void on the balcony. Three models of designs are now on display in the foyer of the hdgö until November 23. The works were deliberately not restricted by budget, statics, or monument protection. They are intended to encourage engagement, inspire new impulses for dealing with this place, and open fresh perspectives on the culture of remembrance in public spaces.

The designs differ fundamentally in material and artistic approach. Ramesch Daha, Fabian Antosch, and Philipp Oberthaler propose a spatial intervention with "Balcony, Suspicion": A glass ceiling, with a thickness of 80 centimeters, installed at a height of about 1.75 meters, blocks the possibility of using the place as a stage for power and self-exaltation.

"Good Riddance" for the Balcony

The model by Gabriele Edlbauer is titled "Good Riddance," best translated as "And goodbye," according to Karin Harrasser, professor at the University of Art and Design Linz. It envisions turning the balcony inward into the Hofburg. "It is not made to disappear but is musealized," explained Harrasser. The Alma Rosé Plateau would be pushed onto Heldenplatz through the rotation and serve as a place of remembrance for the Jewish violinist from Vienna who perished in the concentration camp.

The raw stone mass in Franz Wassermann's idea "Vigil" embodies the politics of death of National Socialism: the murdered and tortured of the camp system. The block represents "the soon-to-be no longer among us eyewitnesses," according to the professor.

The hdgö has been intensively dealing with the history and present of the balcony since its founding - among other things in the form of digital exhibitions, interactive mediation formats, and debates on state history politics. "We are convinced that in a time when democracies are increasingly under attack, a sign is needed," said Sommer.

(APA/Red)

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