Mission Statement of the Education Team
House of Austrian History

Developed through a participative process (2024) by the hdgö education team.

As at: February 2025

What happened?
What does it mean for the present?

These are the central questions for educational activities at the hdgö. Education creates spaces for collective, constructive and critical engagement with Austrian contemporary history—in line with the hdgö’s legal mandate to serve as a forum for discussion. The education department is therefore embedded at the heart of the hdgö and plays a significant role in shaping the direction of the institution’s content and programming.

With a wide range of education programmes on offer at the museum, as well as in public and digital spaces, the education team creates as many different ways as possible of accessing the hdgö’s exhibitions and exploring topics in contemporary history. These programmes are aimed both at individuals and groups and are adapted to suit a range of visiting contexts, age groups and themes. The hdgö education team sees its educational mandate as a commitment to society as a whole. With a focus on democracy, fundamental rights, human rights, and tackling antisemitism and racism through education, as well as critical discussions of National Socialism and memory culture, of forms of discrimination and of the construction of images of Austria, the education programmes address current topics and build connections to present-day representations of history.

The education team develops and runs a range of discursive and interactive in-person learning programmes such as workshops, guided tours, exhibition talks, discussion formats and events. It also creates formats in different media to convey content. This includes collaborating on exhibitions, for example conceptual planning, working on exhibition texts and developing interactive displays, as well as creating formats for independent exploration such as audio guides and accompanying brochures. Audio and video clips, online workshops and digital tours likewise form part of the hdgö’s education programme.

The hdgö is a major centre for learning about Austrian history. The education team therefore offers a wide range of programmes for educational institutions—in particular schools—and is constantly evaluating and refining these programmes. By interacting in a way that is democratic and respectful, the team creates learning spaces that are as non-hierarchical as possible, in turn enabling discussions and critical explorations of history. The hdgö provides free materials for (school) classes, available online, which can be used independently of a visit to the museum. These tie in directly with teaching plans for the different grades and types of school. The education team runs training courses for teaching staff.

Through its work, the education team is instrumental in opening up the museum and breaking down barriers (built environment, financial, social, linguistic, etc.). It is committed to creating learning programmes that are free or as affordable as possible, and strives for inclusive exhibition and information design in order to boost the accessibility of the hdgö and the content it offers. Selected education programmes are offered in plain language or in several languages. Projects in public space aim to bypass or break down barriers.

The hdgö education team encourages the open exchange of ideas with and between visitors and moderates discussions. The team actively initiates conversations with visitors, respects their expertise, perspectives and emotional connections and, through the use of pedagogical approaches, seeks to empower visitors to engage independently with the content of the exhibitions on a deeper level. In the course of this work, the education team speaks up against discriminatory remarks or those that glorify violence.

The education team actively welcomes visitors in the foyer of the museum, offering information, help and guidance. Its members are available to discuss and answer questions on the content of the exhibitions, as well as questions about the museum and its work. Members of the education team are thus the central point of contact for visitors and represent the hdgö on site.

Members of the hdgö education team work on exhibitions and museum publications as part of curatorial teams together and on an equal footing with colleagues from other departments. They contribute particular expertise in how different media can be used to deliver content and in how visitors use exhibitions. In addition, they develop interactive and participative programmes for the exhibitions, overseeing and moderating these while the exhibition is on show.

Members of the education team are the experts when it comes to the perspective of visitors at the museum. The education team passes on visitors’ wishes, needs and feedback to the other museum departments and incorporates these into the development of education and exhibition programmes and operational decisions. The experiences and expertise of the education team are taken into account and acknowledged within the hdgö. Ideas are exchanged in a reflective and respectful manner within the institution.

The education team is convinced that engaging critically with the past matters for the present and future. The main educational objectives are to convey knowledge about the past while simultaneously making history visible as a process of negotiation rooted in the present, to raise new questions, to reveal power structures and to establish critical ways of thinking. This requires an analytical and multi-perspectival approach. The education team seeks to heighten awareness of the possibilities for action and influence that individuals had in the past or have in the present day. In doing so, the aim is to help strengthen civil society in a liberal democracy.

Members of the education team have an in-depth understanding of contemporary Austrian history, alongside theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the fields of pedagogy, didactics and teaching. Members of the education team come from a range of academic disciplines and practical backgrounds. The education team roots its work in theory, works on the basis of academic findings, and positions itself in the field of historical and political education. In developing its educational concepts, the team also draws on principles and concepts from history didactics.

The programmes offered by the hdgö education team actively invite all stakeholders to join in with discussions on questions relating to history, memory culture and the present day. The education team strives to communicate with visitors in a way that is respectful, accessible and transparent and is aimed at their particular needs without assuming any previous knowledge. The programmes and formats seek to connect with a range of real-life situations and address current socio-political issues. The programmes are designed to be discursive and questioning, with the aim of initiating dialogue. The education team rejects grand narratives and approaches that moralise or overwhelm.

The content of all education programmes follows a well-developed concept with clearly structured delivery. When put into practice, members of the education team always respond to participants and the situation at hand. For example, they might adapt the activities, main themes, wording and linguistic expression to the group in question. Unexpected developments or detours are part of productive educational processes. The team reflects on these experiences and, where appropriate, uses them in professional development and training.

Museums are not neutral spaces but are shaped by the perspectives of the people who work there, among other factors. Staff work independently of party political interests. In its programmes, the education team reflects on the museum’s interpretive authority and calls attention to gaps in its displays or narratives. Visitors are helped to understand that exhibitions are the result of decisions taken by staff. The education team invites visitors to ask critical questions about exhibitions and to discuss them. Through their work, members of the education team make different perspectives on the themes of the exhibitions visible. Likewise, they reflect on their own role and make their viewpoints and opinions recognisable as such. In doing so, members of the education team are transparent about the limits of their own knowledge.

The education team not only uses language as a means of communication but recognises its role in the construction of reality. The team avoids reproducing violent or discriminatory language, images and stereotypes, or signposts and contextualises them in moderated educational situations. Conscious of the diversity of genders in the past and present, these genders are made visible and audible in the language used by the education team.

A guiding principle for work undertaken with visitors and stakeholders is the recognition of the equality of all people. This means actively opposing anti-democratic views, ideologies of hate, fascism, and any form of hostility such as racism, antisemitism, classism, sexism, queer and transphobia, and ableism.

Education work is of central importance to the museum. Consequently, sufficient space, staff and funding is made available for the education team to carry out its work. The education team has its own budget to convey content and run education projects delivered face to face and using a range of different media. The work of the team is not subject to any pressure to make commercial gains. The director of the hdgö ensures that the education team has a stable and secure working environment. All members of the education team are employed. The terms of employment vary in extent (above and below the marginal earnings threshold). Responsibilities and expectations of employees also vary depending on the number of hours worked. There is a long-term goal to transform marginal employment relationships into part-time or full-time positions that provide social security.

Work on quality assurance in the team is ongoing through formats that allow for exchange of ideas and feedback, through peer consulting and reading circles; these also create opportunities for learning from each other and for professional growth. The development of new programmes and training sessions for new colleagues and new formats take place during paid working hours. The team has access to relevant specialist literature on the field of work. Members of the education team regularly take part in internal and external training and conferences as part of their work in order to develop their expertise and methods. As staff of an academic institution, members of the education team are also active in research and contribute to the theory of history education in museums. They share their documentations and findings with colleagues and interested members of the public through discussions, academic lectures and publications.

The hgdö education team is characterised by a collaborative approach based on mutual appreciation and respect within a flat hierarchy. Projects are developed in working groups and are reviewed by several people. A key requirement for collaborative working is transparent and responsible communication that avoids hierarchies of knowledge. Management decisions are ideally taken in consultation and discussion with the team. This is ensured by regular team meetings and digital channels of communication. The team’s concerns and needs are heard.