Mission Statement
House of Austrian History

Developed through a participative process (2021/22) by the hdgö team with contributions from the Scientific Advisory Board. Updated as necessary.

Status: April 2024

The House of Austrian History (hdgö), under the auspices of the Austrian National Library, is the first federal museum of contemporary history. Taking questions relating to the present day as its starting point, the museum engages in a critical exploration of historical developments in their European and global contexts with the aim of making Austria’s recent history tangible.

Defined in the Federal Museums Act as a “forum for discussion”, the hdgö is a place for communicating and negotiating Austrian history and historiography. Through exhibitions, education programs, its collection, events, publications and other activities, the museum creates spaces that enable the active exchange of ideas with visitors and stakeholders. The museum is at once a source of information and a place for historical and political education, discussion and documentation. The hdgö has adopted the ICOM definition of a museum and understands itself as part of the international museum landscape.

In accordance with its mission as defined in the Federal Museums Act, the activities of the hdgö focus on collecting, exhibiting and communicating the history of Austria since the mid-19th century. The museum is constantly asking new questions of that history, in particular from the following thematic perspectives:

- development of democracy, civil society and dictatorships; shared responsibility for the crimes of National Socialism

- construction of an Austrian consciousness: the formation of ideas about what makes Austria and Austrians, and how these often contradictory ideas change over time

- fundamental and human rights: campaigns against marginalisation and discrimination of individuals or population groups

The actions of the hdgö are directed towards the present and future.

The hdgö provides a space in which to examine, critically, events and developments from the past—and to link these to the present and future. Strengthening individuals’ understanding of history is seen as a key element in promoting social coexistence today and tomorrow. In its programmes, the museum establishes connections to current lifeworlds. The hdgö is interested in processes of social change and current issues and is guided by the latest research findings. As a repository of knowledge, the museum documents and preserves histories and objects for future generations. In all its areas of work, the hdgö is committed to acting in ways that are sustainable and environmentally friendly and to using resources responsibly.

The hdgö has many voices.

The hdgö’s multifaceted programme, with its focus on society, offers space for many different—sometimes controversial—perspectives and voices. This programme presents and discusses both familiar and less well-known events and developments from the past. The museum seeks to make marginalised and hitherto underrepresented voices heard and therefore places great value on the use of fair, clearly understandable and precise language.

Visitors’ knowledge has a place at the museum: as part of discussions and discursive outreach formats, through participative digital and analogue exhibitions, and in work on the continually growing collection. The inclusion of many voices is also reflected in internal cooperation across all departments, which creates space for different forms of knowledge and feeds into programmes and exhibitions.

The hdgö sees itself as a forum for discussion.

The hdgö asks questions and invites the public to join it in exploring them. It provides a platform for open and multidirectional dialogue on historical connections and present-day developments. By combining easily accessible information with active outreach work, the hdgö aims to expand visitors’ critical skills and widen their scope for taking action.

The hdgö is public facing.

As an institution that serves society, the public is at the heart of all decisions made by the hdgö. The museum designs its work to be as accessible as possible and seeks to create a place where visitors feel welcome. As part of this, the hdgö invites the public to participate in museum work and contribute its own points of view.

The hdgö is (self-)critical and reflexive.

History is made: what is told about the past in the present day depends on the position and concerns of those doing the telling. The hdgö reflects on its own role and position, makes these reflections public and allows for contradictions. The museum fosters a reflexive approach to how history is expressed in language, objects and images. Its research is independent and analytical.

The hdgö is teamwork.

The hdgö has an organisational structure that is mindful of staff needs and fosters a respectful, appreciative and cooperative work culture.

The hdgö serves the general public. Its programmes are aimed at children, young people and adults of all ages—both those who live in Austria and an international audience. It is important to the hdgö to welcome as many different people as possible into the museum and it therefore also proactively approaches different groups. The hdgö makes a wide range of resources on Austrian history available online, not least to provide museum content to people who cannot or do not wish to come to the museum itself.

The hdgö has a duty to many stakeholders. As well as content for the general public, the hdgö creates new specialised programmes for a range of groups, institutions and networks. These include all types of educational and research institutions, specialist networks (regional, national and international), numerous cooperation partners (clubs, initiatives, organisations) and the media.

Exhibitions

The hdgö develops, presents and runs exhibitions in physical and digital space. In designing exhibitions, critical reflection and ongoing format development play a key role. This is reflected in certain standards set by the museum, for example with regard to materiality, texts and staging. Of particular importance in hdgö exhibitions are multi-perspectival and non-linear narratives, a focus on scope for individual and collective action, and objects that express the processual character of history (e.g. manuscripts). The hdgö understands its exhibitions as processes that emerge through the interplay of objects, communication, design and the public.

Outreach and Education

Outreach and education work that is open and well balanced, discussion-centred, and developed on the basis of research findings can help strengthen historical awareness in visitors. The questions raised in outreach work are therefore always directed towards the present day. With this in mind, the hdgö positions itself in public debates through its work, with statements on current questions of contemporary history, on memory culture and on the historical development of political culture. For both museum-based and online education formats, great value is placed on making the content and questions raised accessible and inclusive.

Collecting

The collection of the hdgö acquires, documents and preserves objects as witnesses of political, social and cultural processes and events with regard to their historical and current relevance and in light of possible future uses. Collecting is an activity structured through acquisition, dialogue with the giver, documentation, research, presentation and conservation. Collecting is carried out in the interest of and on behalf of the public: transparency, accessibility and present-day focus are therefore central principles for collecting as a process. The methods of rapid response collecting and documenting different narratives about objects are key means of achieving a multi-perspectival approach.

Overlapping Formats

The hdgö stands out for using a wide range of formats that blur the boundaries between personal and mediated, material and virtual, and analogue and digital debate / outreach work. This makes the museum as accessible as possible and many of its programmes are designed to be dynamic, flexible and processual. The content of physical and digital exhibitions and outreach activities is developed in tandem and presented in the most appropriate format.