Heritage in Motion 2014

ISSN: 1871-417X EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE REVIEW SUMMER 2014

EUROPA NOSTRA represents a rapidly growing citizens’ movement for the safeguarding of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. Our pan-European network is composed of 250 member organisations (heritage associations and foundations with a combined membership of more than 5 million people), 150 associated organisations (governmental bodies, local authorities and corporations) and also 1500 individual members who directly support our mission.

TOGETHER, • we form an important lobby for cultural heritage in Europe; • we celebrate excellence through the European Heritage Awards organised

by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Union; and • we campaign to save Europe’s endangered historic monuments, sites and cultural landscapes.

We are the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

THE REAL SOUND OF MUSIC AND MONUMENTS MEN ALONG THE SEMMERING RAILWAY AND THE DANUBE RIVER FREUD, HUNDERTWASSER AND KLIMT SWEET HERITAGE AND STRONG COFFEE TALKING HERITAGE WITH EU LEADERS JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO, ANDROULLA VASSILIOU AND JOHANNES HAHN...

AUSTRIA SPECIAL

CALL FOR ENTRIES* EUROPEAN UNION PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE/ EUROPA NOSTRA AWARDS 2015

The European Union Prize for Cultural

Outstanding heritage achievements will

Heritage was launched in 2002 by

be awarded in the following categories:

the European Commission as part of the implementation of the Culture

1. Conservation

Programme. Europa Nostra, the Voice of

2. Research and Digitalisation

Cultural Heritage in Europe, was selected 3. Dedicated Service by Individuals or to run this Awards Scheme on the

Organisations

basis of its long experience in publicly

4. Education, Training and Awareness-

recognising individual or joint excellence Raising in the field of Cultural Heritage at a European level.

Criteria for the assessment of entries include excellence in the work executed

The European Union Prize for Cultural

and preliminary research conducted,

Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards is

as well as respect for artistic, cultural

granted annually to identify and promote and social value, setting, authenticity best practices in the conservation of

and integrity. Entries can be on a

tangible cultural heritage, to stimulate

scale ranging from small to large,

the trans-frontier exchanges of

local to international, and should

knowledge and experience throughout

display a standard of work considered

Europe, to enhance public awareness

outstanding in a European context.

and appreciation of Europe’s cultural heritage, and to encourage further

The European Union Prize for Cultural

exemplary initiatives through the Power Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards of Example.

consists of two award levels. Up to seven entries will be awarded a Grand

Published by EUROPA NOSTRA

European Cultural Heritage Review (May 2014) ISSN:1871-417X President Plácido Domingo Executive President Denis de Kergorlay Secretary-General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović

Editor in Chief Wolter Braamhorst Concept TV Culture Articles written by TV Culture (except where noted) Special Thanks Österreichischer Burgenverein: Alexander Graf Kottulinsky Alexander Fürst zu SaynWittgenstein-Sayn Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović Text editing Roger Woodley Photography TV Culture Wiki Commons (except where noted) Photo editing Dorukhan Arslan

The ceremony will take place on 11 June 2015 at the Town Hall of Oslo, Norway

Prix, which includes a monetary award

For further information: EUROPA NOSTRA, Elena Bianchi: Heritage Awards Coordinator

of € 10 000. Up to twenty-five entries

T + 31 70 302 40 58 eb@europanostra.org

will receive an Award.

The Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe

CLOSING DATE : 15 OCTOBER 2014

Production MYRA, Istanbul, Turkiye myra.com.tr Design Supervisor Rauf Kösemen Coordination Damla Özlüer Periodical Design Tülay Demircan, Banu Y. Ocak Page Layout Gülderen Rençber Erbaş Technical Controls Harun Yılmaz Paper and Printing Druckerei Odysseus Himberg Philip Löffelmann

Download an entry form: www.europanostra.org * DISCLAIMER: Subject to the positive decision by the European Commission after the completion of the current selection process for the partner organisation responsible for the running of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage in the next 7 years period 2015-2021.

Websites europanostra.org myra.com.tr tvculture.nl odysseus-print.at

EUROPA NOSTRA INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT Lange Voorhout 35 NL - 2514 EC The Hague T +31 (0) 70 302 40 50 F +31 (0) 70 361 78 65 info@europanostra.org The printing of Heritage in Motion was supported by the European Commission representation in Austria

All rights reserved.

No part of either publication may be reproduced in any material form, including electronic means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Europa Nostra.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of old material.

Where these efforts have not been successful, copyright owners are invited to contact the editor.

EUROPEAN HERITAGE CONGRESS VIENNA, 2-6 MAY 2014 Under the Patronage of H.E. Dr. Heinz Fischer, the Federal President of the Republic of Austria W it h t h e K i n d C o o p e rat i o n a n d S u p p o r t o f :

C o n g re ss C o - O rga n i s e r s :

C o n g re ss S u p p o r t e r s :

C o n g re ss A ss o c i at e s :

W it h S p e c i a l T h a n k s t o :

M e d i a Pa r t n e r :

Official Carriers:

EUROPA NOSTRA ANNUAL CONGRESS 2014 VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 2 – 6 MAY 2014 Under the Patronage of H.E. Dr. Heinz Fischer, the Federal President of the Republic of Austria

COMMITTEE OF HONOUR H.E. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna Werner Faymann, Federal Chancellor of Austria José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission Mag. Othmar Karas, M.B.L.-HSG, Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr. Josef Ostermayer, Federal Minister of Art, Culture, Constitution and Public Affairs Mag. Sebastian Kurz, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Integration Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Dr. Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy Dr. Hannes Swoboda, President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Chryssoula Aliferi, Designated Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic in Austria, representing the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU Dr. Michael Häupl, Mayor and Governor of Vienna Dr. Erwin Pröll, Governor of Lower Austria Mag. Wilhelm Molterer, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank Karel Schwarzenberg, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ewald Nowotny, Governor of the Austrian Central Bank Dr. Franz Fischler, President of the European Forum Alpbach Dr. Erhard Busek, Chairman of the Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe Mag. Richard Kühnel, Head of the European Commission Representation in Vienna Dr. Barbara Neubauer, President of the Bundesdenkmalamt Karl Habsburg-Lothringen, President of the Association of National Committees of the Blue Shield Doraja Eberle, Chairwoman of the Board of the ERSTE Foundation Martin Böhm, Managing Partner of Dorotheum Alexander Kottulinsky, President of the Austrian Castles Association Elisabeth Gürtler, Managing Director of the Spanish Riding School Maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Conductor Sunnyi Melles, Theatre and film actress Dr. Georg Springer, Chief Executive Officer of the Bundestheater Holding Dr. Thomas Angyan, Intendant of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien Dominique Meyer, Intendant of the Vienna State Opera

Welcome from the President It is such a pleasure to welcome you to Austria and especially to Vienna, one of my favourite cities in the world. How can I capture this unique city in just a few words? How can I do justice - in just few lines - to this ancient capital which has brought me decades of joy and inspiration? This city of Mozart, of Strauss, of Schubert, Beethoven, Haydn, Schönberg and of so many other musicians and artists so close to my soul and my heart, breathes culture and art.

Its heritage is my oxygen, its music my language. Ever since 1967, when I made my debut in Vienna, this has become one of my home cities: I performed here 240 times as a singer and 44 times as a conductor! I sang in all possible concert places, from the Staatsoper, the Volksoper, the Theater an der Wien to the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus, as well as in the open air in front of the Rathaus and in Schönbrunn, at the Hofburg, in the Messepalast, the Austria Center, the Stadthalle and even the Ernst Happel Stadion... Salzburg with its world famous Festival is, of course, another favourite place of mine in Austria. Both in Vienna and in Salzburg I have so many great memories, so many unforgettable experiences for which I am deeply grateful.

The choice of Vienna for this year’s annual congress, as well as the ceremony for the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards, is therefore full of meaning for me personally and also for Europa Nostra. This amazing city, proudly located in the heart of Europe, shows us where cultural heritage belongs in the European project: in its very centre. In all our cities and towns, our countryside, everywhere, cultural heritage offers opportunities for our society and for our economy that will help to keep Europe together and to make Europe flourish against all odds.

The President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso has demonstrated courage and determination by putting culture and cultural heritage on the top of the European Agenda with his recent initiative A New Narrative for Europe, in which Europa Nostra actively participates. You will learn more about it in this magazine from the President himself in conversation with our Secretary General. Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou from Cyprus – who has been a true friend of Europe’s cultural heritage and a true ally of Europa Nostra – shares with us her convictions and commitments for culture in Europe. Commissioner Johannes Hahn from Austria also offers to our readers his vision on sustainable regional development with cultural heritage as its key resource.

A century after the outbreak of World War I, we realize that Europe’s often troubled past offers important lessons and urges us to work every day for a better present and future, based on dialogue instead of conflict, sharing instead of dividing, building instead of destroying. Our cultural heritage is at the heart of this complicated but essential dialogue with our history. However, our heritage is not just our past, it is the key to Europe’s future. It is indeed at the heart of the New Narrative for Europe initiative and at the heart of Europa Nostra’s values and ideals.

In this Austria Special of our magazine, you will (re)discover many gems of Europe’s heritage treasury; from family castles to stunningly beautiful lakes, from green alpine meadows to snow topped mountains. Wonderful places that will capture your heart and challenge your mind. You will also meet inspiring champions of Europe’s heritage; from the Monuments Men who saved Europe’s art from the Nazis to Josef Schöffel who saved the Vienna Woods, from artists who created their own magical world to composers who left their mark on so many generations of Europeans and also on people coming from other parts of the world. I hope that the many interesting stories and interviews published in this Austria Special will delight, surprise and inspire you. We are very grateful to the European Commission representation in Austria for financially supporting the printing of this issue of our magazine.

Monuments and sites, like music and art, are rooted in local circumstances and local history. The ‘sound of place’ can be heard in its music and the ‘spirit of place’ can be felt in its art and architecture. But our heritage is also inspired by cultural influences from other, more distant communities and territories. It is our shared heritage, our shared story, our shared narrative for Europe.

Vienna is one of those magical places where one can feel so strongly that we belong to a European community, to a European family and that we are all part of this on-going European story. Welcome to Vienna, welcome to Austria, welcome to Europe!

Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra

03

Star Heritage 24 Five Discovering the Sacher, Austria’s most famous hotel

Elegance 28 Capital The restoration of the City Palace of the Liechtenstein family

Beauty.

48 Legendary Along the Traun river with poet Richard Monckton Milnes

the other Viennese 66 Among A short story by Claudio Magris

SHORT STORY

CULINARY

52 The Sweetest Heritage

COUNTRY DREAMS

CITY DREAMS

44 Klimt’s Studio

HERITAGE IN DANGER

under threat

LIVING HERITAGE

16 Sidetracked Austria’s favourite railway

SPECIAL MENTION

the harmony of many lies the strength” 08 “In The life and legacy of Archduke John of Austria

LIVING HERITAGE

CONTENTS

132

Exclusive interview with European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou

140

A Bright Future for the Past: Austrian Castle Association

Exclusive interview with European Commissioner Johannes Hahn

The Nature of Things: The Wonderful

Still Smoking Hot... The tobacco

World of Hundertwasser / 12

factory in Linz / 76

The Home of Id and Oedipus / 20 Treasure Hunt The real story of George Clooney’s Monuments Men / 32 The Art of MQ / 36 Along the Danube River / 40 Saving the Vienna Woods / 56 Then & Now / 60 Panorama Austria / 72

Strong Coffee / 80 Klosterneuburg / 84 Favourite Things The story behind the Sound of Music / 86 Dorotheum Auction house / 90 A House for All Seasons: Ernst Fuchs Museum / 94 “I wander lonely in this world” The world of Empress Sisi / 98

PARTNER

136

PARTNER

Europe is a State of Mind Interview with José Manuel Barroso

PARTNER

126

TREASURE

Treasure Trove: Kunstkammer Vienna

PARTNER

106

The Slalom of Alpine Conservation / 102 Natural Partners: Thayatal / 110 Peace of Mind: Bertha von Suttner / 114 Rest in Peace / 118 The ideals of ERSTE Foundation / 122 Saving the Jewel of the Taferlberg / 130 The 7 Most Endangered 2014 / 144

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LIVING HERITAGE

08

It is difficult to find someone more fascinated by the world around him than Archduke John of Austria (1782 – 1859). He is the personification of the power of example and his legacy can still be found everywhere in Austria, not only through the people who are directly descended from him, but also through the many institutions, businesses, collections and museums he left behind.

Archduke John 1849 © Fritz und Julie Vogel, Frankfurt am Main

“In the harmony of many lies the strength”

Insurance company entrance

The Legacy of Archduke John of Austria

09

To follow in the footsteps of this extraordinary man we follow those of one of his great-grandchildren, Count Franz HarnoncourtUnverzagt (b.1937). Like his older brother, conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Franz Harnoncourt is a direct descendant of Archduke John, the 13th child of the Emperor Leopold II and brother of Holy Roman Emperor Franz I. Harnoncourt - a lawyer and former President of the Board of Grazer Wechselseitige Insurance in Graz, a company which was started by the Archduke in 1828 is very proud of his ancestor. His insurance company celebrates a history of 180 years and is active in 13 countries. It is certainly not the only successful undertaking of the multidisciplinary John of Austria to have survived to the present day.

After a military career, John developed a great interest for nature, technology and agriculture. He collected minerals, was interested in agriculture

and botany and was an avid alpinist and hunter. He founded the Joanneum Museum in 1811 as well as the predecessor of Graz University of Technology.

He started the Styrian State Archive, the Styrian Society for Agriculture and educational institutions such as the Berg- und Hüttenmännische Lehranstalt

and the Landesoberrealschule. He strongly believed that important things could be accomplished if people just work together in harmony for the greater good.

“In the harmony of many lies the strength, which results in good. It is the task of every one to contribute to it,” he is quoted as saying in 1846. The city of Graz with its beautifully restored centre is very much still his city. But also, outside Graz, we can still see the result of his vision. His routing for instance of the Austrian Southern Railway from Vienna to Trieste over the Semmering is still celebrated today through its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List (see also elsewhere in this magazine). John may have been a traditionalist who had a fondness for history, but his open character and great curiosity made him a sort of naturally born liberal. He found himself often in conflict with the Habsburg court, especially after he had fallen in love and, in 1829, married, Anna Maria Plochl - she was considered below his rank.

Stainz castle courtyard Entrance Joanneum Museum

10 LIVING HERITAGE

we find the personal papers of Archduke John and other family members. Harnoncourt’s own papers are part of this collection.

His ancestor’s letters are written in a neat hand and reveal his interest in machinery and technology.

Detail Archduke John’s handwriting

The Universalmuseum Joanneum in the centre of Graz is a museum for everybody. To enter the Archduke’s large collection we take an escalator down below the central square, an example of architecture which is in harmony with its historic surroundings.

In the large stately rooms and the display cases filled with the wonders of the world, you can still feel the spirit of the man with the thousand hobbies.

Franz Harnoncourt in front of his ancestor

Franz Harnoncourt-Unverzagt, dressed in his dark green Austrian loden jacket and his traditional felt hat with several hunting badges decorating the back, takes us to the archive located in the

Karmeliterplatz in the centre of Graz. His tracht is something that John would have approved of. He himself was famous for wearing the traditional Styrian clothes. In the beautifully restored archive

Harnoncourt’s mother is Ladislaja, Countess of Meran and his direct relatives are still living in Schloss Stainz, not far from Graz. The former Baroque monastery was purchased by Archduke John in 1840. He was an experienced and enthusiastic hunter - another trait he shares with many of his descendants - and spent 40,000

11 Stainz castle exterior

guilders on the castle to use it as a hunting lodge. Stainz castle has stayed in the family ever since his death in 1859 and the present Count of Meran still lives there.

Harnoncourt still remembers vividly playing as a child on the grounds of this imposing castle in the middle of the sleepy village of Stainz where John was once mayor. It is a magnificently located fortress which still has the feel of a monastery. The rich and ornate 16th century Baroque church with extensive stucco decoration is still in use today. The large reception rooms of the castle are now the home of two of the Archduke’s historical collections; 2006 saw

Hunting Museum

the opening of the Styrian Hunting Museum, in which contemporary technology is combined with historic equipment, weapons and animals to explore the historical, sociological and anthropological history of hunting. It was followed in 2009 by the Museum of Agriculture and Forestry displaying collections of rural Styrian folk culture.

As Harnoncourt looks out over the wineries which cover the hill of the Stainz Castle, his eyes suggest a slight feeling of nostalgia. In this late afternoon sun you can easily see the resemblance to his ancestor, that great legendary moderniser who became an example of Austrian’s strength of community and a symbol for Austrian’s cultural heritage.

OPINION

12

The Nature of Things:

The Wonderful World of Hundertwasser

Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna

Kuchlbauer tower in Abensberg

Hundertwasser in 1998

At the end of a typical Vienna street, lined with grey 19th century houses, we encounter what at first sight seems a colourful do-it-yourself experiment that has gone nuclear, as if the builders of new council flats had suddenly started to imitate Antoni Gaudi - a notion far less removed from the truth than we may think.

These buildings dating back to the 1980s are the result of the difficult cooperation between Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) and Vienna’s city council architect Josef Krawina.

The apartment complex is as overwhelming as it is controversial.

Chinese tourists have their pictures taken by tourists from Brazil and vice versa. It looks like a spontaneous international gathering in a Viennese suburb.

There is a lot of enthusiasm and laughter. It is clear that the assembly of colourful buildings are striking an emotional chord with

the visitors. Normally this part of Vienna is an oasis of peace and quiet on a rainy Sunday morning, but here in front of the Hundertwasserhaus nine o’clock is already rush hour.

Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (1928-2000) was born Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna. As result of his experiences during the Nazi regime, he early

on developed an anti-totalitarian sensitivity which would become the emotional centre of his artistry. He loved spirals and natural forms and abhorred straight lines which he described as ‘the devil’s tools.’ His work combines bright colours with organic forms and an enthusiastic use of tiles. He even changed his name to an eco-friendly and peaceloving version; Peace-rich Rainy

13

OPINION

14

Saw mill in Lower Austria

Day Darkly Colourful Hundred Water. It is easy to see the influence of the Vienna Secession, Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt in his work. Hundertwasser focusses more on the response of the viewer than on the artist making a statement, in a sense it is a form of altruistic architecture.

Hundertwasser’s commercial success came in the 1950s with an exhibition of his brightly coloured paintings in Vienna. He slowly became much more than just an artist and his work became a reflection of his life, his ideas, his ideals. He was an activist and an environmentalist who campaigned against nuclear power and to protect the oceans and the rain forests. He was also a designer of flags, stamps, coins, posters and even clothing, but it was his architecture that would eventually make him world famous.

The Hundertwasserhaus apartment building is a colouring book of stone and tiles, with grass on the roofs, trees growing out of the walls and uneven floors to create ‘a melody to the feet.’ Hundertwasser did not ask for money as he believed

that preventing another ugly building being constructed was a good enough investment. He saw himself as an ‘architecture doctor’ and the ‘doctor’ was very clear about what he thought was the best medicine. He strongly believed that the rational modernist ideas in the tradition of famous Austrian architect Alfred Loos (1870 - 1933) lead to an ‘imprisoned, enslaved, standardised man’ and demanded creative and individual forms of architecture. Human misery was partially the result of sterile and monotonous architecture and he called for a complete boycott of this style of building.

The city of Vienna decided to take up the challenge and invited him to create an apartment building.

Because Hundertwasser was more an artist than an architect the City of Vienna partnered him with Josef Krawina to translate his conceptual drawings into practical building manuals. And, as success has many fathers and failure is an orphan, the international sensation the building stirred up also stirred up a legal problem about the precise ownership of the design. In the end

it was decided that Hundertwasser was the spiritual creator of the Hundertwasserhaus and Krawina was a co-creator of equal standing and the royalties should be split in half.

But despite the usual practical and legal problems that are unavoidable in any architectural project Hundertwasser managed to create and inspire some remarkable buildings. They somehow manage to bring a smile to the face of most vistors and tourists, from the saw mill in the Waldviertel in Lower Austria to the Markthalle in Thal in Switzerland, the Green Citadel of Magdeburg or the Kuchlbauer Tower in Abensberg in Germany (both completed after his death). In the 1970s Hundertwasser acquired a large property in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand where he worked on realising his ideal of a completely sustainable life with roofs of grass and solar panels in harmony with the abundant natural surroundings.

Hundertwasser died aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 aged 71 and was buried in his adopted country of New Zealand.

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THE NETHERLANDS AND TURKEY: 400 YEARS OF POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RELATIONS Alexander H. de Groot

TURKEY AND EUROPE - AN EXAMPLE Alessandro Missir di Lusignano THE TURKISH AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE AND THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF WASHINGTON, D.C. Skip Moskey, Caroline Mesrobian Hickman, John Edward Hasse AYDIN DOGAN INTERNATIONAL CARTOON COMPETITION ALBUMS 30 YEARS OF AN INTERNATIONAL CARTOON COMPETITION 2012 A YEAR TO REMEMBER: The Celebrations of the 400th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between Turkey and the Netherlands

www.myra.com.tr

16 HERITAGE IN DANGER

Semmering Kalte Rinne Viaduct, photo by Christian Schuhbรถck

Sidetracked UNESCO Semmering Railway under Threat

17

The great age of the railways saw the construction of tens of thousands of kilometres of track which - like capillaries of iron brought the necessary oxygen to the industrial revolution. Hitherto unaccessible parts of Europe were suddenly unlocked for trade and industry, for new ideas and new business. We could now travel in style from Paris to Istanbul, from Moscow to London, from Rome to Berlin. The different peoples and cultures of Europe were starting to connect for the first time.

One of the greatest feats of railway engineering and pioneering can be found in the mountains of Austria. The Semmering Railway slithers like a large mechanical snake through a stunning cultural landscape, roughly between

Vienna and Graz in Lower Austria. Built between 1848 and 1854 it is a Gesamtkunstwerk of harmony between nature, culture and technology. The Semmering Railway represents an outstanding technological solution to the physical problems in the construction of early railways resulting in a cultural landscape of the highest quality. No wonder this attractive industrial and natural heritage was an early contestant to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Austria was relatively late in signing the UN treaty as politicians feared that signing could hinder powerplant development. Only after political pressure from the organization for landscape protection Alliance for Nature, Austria finally signed in 1993, more than twenty years after the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention.

Immediately Alliance for Nature suggested the Semmering Railway,

threatened by the Semmering base tunnel, as a potential World Heritage site. The submission took UNESCO in Paris completely by surprise. So far only historical monuments and city ensembles were considered to be eligible.

Finally in 1998, Semmering became the first railway to be included in the World Heritage list, with an area of about 8,800 ha, including the mountain railway itself and the surrounding cultural landscape.

The 41 kilometres of rail track, with high standards in both tunnels and viaducts, have ensured the continuous use of the line up to the present day. The spectacular mountain landscape dotted with historic villages, rivers and stunning natural sights is a major tourist destination.

A perfect example of heritage preservation for the rest of Europe and the world, one would think.

But for some years now tricks have been used, on several levels, to build a new double-tube tunnel

Semmering Krausel-Klause Viaduct

HERITAGE IN DANGER

18

Semmering rail road landscape

with a length of 28 km between Gloggnitz (Lower Austria) and Mürzzuschlag (Styria), well within the protected UNESCO World Heritage site.

UNESCO had included the Semmering Railway on the basis that the rail track and its surrounding cultural landscape were equally important and equally valuable. It was the unique combination of the two that made the Semmering Railway stand out as World Heritage. But politicians and officials are now proposing a bit-by-bit dismantling of the Semmering Railway.

Not by confrontation but by shrewd manoeuvring the door is slowly pried open to build a new Semmering base tunnel (SBTn) which will result in large-scale interventions within the protected area. The cultural landscape has already been reduced to

approximately one third of its original size through a step-bystep approach. Some officials are of the opinion that only the 156 ha of the core zone of the Semmering Railway is World Heritage.

The cultural landscape of great natural beauty of more than 8,500 ha, once at the very heart of the UNESCO World Heritage submission, is now slowly degraded to a so-called buffer zone. ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), which had evaluated the site for UNESCO, had stated that the railway as well as its surrounding landscape fulfilled the criteria of outstanding universal value – on an equal ranking. But now Austrian politicians, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, are quoted in leading newspapers as claiming that “the landscape has never been part of the World Heritage.” The 156 ha constitutes a reduction of the original area by 98%. Other sites across the globe which have reduced the protected area to that

extent have been deleted from the World Heritage List. If the Republic of Austria continues with the dismantling of the Semmering Railway UNESCO World Heritage site it will - according to par.165 of the UNESCO Guidelines - have to prepare a new submission based on the 156 ha. This nomination would not stand much chance of being viewed in a positive light.

If the plans to replace the historic Semmering Railway with a new tunnel succeed, it could lead to the shutting-down and potential decay of this important mountain and landscape railway. A masterpiece of human creative genius may be lost forever.

Much of the factual information in this article was based on a court expert statement on the Semmering Railway by Christian Schuhböck. In 2002 HRH the Prince Consort of Denmark, then President of Europa Nostra, decorated Schuhböck with the Europa Nostra Medal for his work as Secretary-General of the Austrian Alliance for Nature organisation. Christian Schuhböck is a landscape ecologist and laureate of the Austrian state prize for environment protection and the author of many books, including one on Semmering Railroad.

Stainz castle exterior

COOPERATION BUNDESDENKMALAMT, WIKIMEDIA ÖSTERREICH AND WIKIPEDIA The online encyclopedia Wikipedia spreads knowledge and sees itself as a global education project without commercial interests. It gathers knowledge and preserves it in digitalized form.

Digitalization projects should create open access to our cultural heritage. But what exactly is meant by open access, and what form might it take?

The Bundesdenkmalamt (BDA, Federal Office for the Protection of Monuments) and Wikimedia Austria have responded to these questions with free licenses for digital data, images, and documents.The contents can be used by anybody, but also modified or incorporated into other platforms. These subsequent users are obliged to refer to the source and license of any document they use.

Readers or viewers are thus able to establish the original source.

Wiki Loves Monuments A strong collaboration has emerged between the BDA and the authors of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The Austrian Wikipedia community has set itself the task of providing photos and geodata for objects on the BDA’s monument list; no small task when faced with 37,208 protected monuments. Within the framework of our co-operation a special Austrian category has been created within Wiki Loves Monuments, the world’s largest photo competition. This forms part of Heritage Day, offering generous prizes that are handed out in a ceremony every November at the Hofburg in Vienna. The result is thousands of high-quality photos of cultural monuments, which not only illustrate the relevant Wikipedia article but are also available to everybody under free license.

Digitalization of historical literature With the help of two large-format scanners sponsored by Wikimedia, work has also begun on a pilot project to digitalize the nineteenth-century holdings of the BDA library. The material will then be made freely available via the media archive Wikimedia Commons.

The Home of Id and Oedipus

TREASURE

20

Entrance to the museum

Ornamental staircase

Entering Berggasse 19 you can easily imagine the anxiety the patients and even some colleagues must have felt, walking up the ornamental staircase to the stern-looking door inscribed with the name Docent Dr. Sigm.Freud.

The Freud Museum not only tells the history of the ideas and research of Sigmund Schlomo Freud (18561939) but has also recreated the atmosphere of Freud’s house as it was in 1938 when he left Vienna for London. The Berggasse was Freud’s home for more than 45 years and his spirit has somehow never left the premises. His hat and cane, his furniture and the typewriter he used for The Interpretation of Dreams are still here. His famous couch is in London.

The Sigmund Freud Foundation, responsible for Freud’s legacy in Vienna, has added hundreds of square feet to the original apartment over the years. Freud’s reception rooms are relatively small and sober. A collection of ancient artefacts are displayed next to a large, tiled heater in the same way as can be seen on old photographs. This is in a very real sense the place where psychoanalysis was born. Since 1902 a small group of followers have come together here every Wednesday to discuss psychology and Freud’s theories. From humble beginnings his ideas started to get noticed in universities and scientific societies across the

globe. And progress was quick.

Within ten years psychoanalysis had taken the world by storm.

As the movement conquered the world, Freud was lauded as a prophet leading the way into mankind’s inner workings.

Journals and magazines filled with Freud’s research and case studies flourished. His books were translated into many languages.

By 1911 Freud had travelled to the USA, where his theories proved a perfect fit for an American society coming to terms with the nation’s new identity as a world power. It is hard to imagine American popular culture without psychoanalysis as one of its historical anchor points.

But slowly cracks started to appear on the harmonious surface of the organization. Members of the original group and early enthusiasts like Alfred Adler and famously Carl Jung started their own schools of thought and Freud had to put a lot of effort into the theoretical coherence of the psychoanalytic movement.

By 1920 the single river Freud had set out on had changed into a wide delta of opinions and interpretations.

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TREASURE

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Door to apartment of Dr. Freud Ancient artefacts

When the Nazis took over Germany and later Austria, Freud was late in realising the danger he and his family were in. But in the end he was persuaded by his friends to leave. His four elder sisters did not survive the war but Freud would not be a witness of the horrors of World War II, the darkest side of the human soul that he undoubtedly could have shed some light on.

London would not be his home for long. Now in his eighties and

admired by the world as a pioneer of the human subconscious, he received the likes of Salvador DalĂ­, H.G. Wells and Virginia Woolf until an illness related to a lifetime of smoking finally caught up with him. He continued to see patients until the very end.

Over the last hundred years Freud’s ideas have been continuously questioned and reinterpreted.

Especially in recent years, the scientific basis of his methods have come under extreme scrutiny.

Freud and his ideas are nonetheless a lasting legacy of the 20th century, a cultural heritage treasure of the human mind that, imagined or not, had a real impact on society and on our ideas about our most inner and private thoughts. Freud’s scientific credentials may have taken a beating, but his Vienna home and museum are a permanent reminder that his cultural importance and significance is beyond doubt.

ERSTE Foundation In 2003, ERSTE Foundation evolved out of the Erste Oesterreichische Spar-Casse, the first Austrian savings bank. Currently, ERSTE Foundation is the main shareholder of Erste Group. The foundation invests part of its dividends in the development of societies in Austria and Central and South Eastern Europe.

It supports social participation and civil-society engagement; it aims to bring people together and disseminate knowledge of the recent history of a region that has been undergoing dramatic changes since 1989. As an active foundation, it develops its own projects within the framework of three programmes: Social Development, Culture and Europe.

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LIVING HERITAGE

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Five Star Heritage

The Magic of the Sacher Elisabeth Gürtler-Mauthner gracefully sits down on the elegant furniture of the Hotel Sacher, Vienna’s legendary five star hotel. A guest from New York immediately recognises the impeccably dressed manager and extensively thanks her for hospitality.

It is a telling moment in the personal relationship between the capital’s famous heritage hotel and its demanding clients. Gürtler-Mauthner acknowledges this special bond. She has been running the Sacher for almost 25 years.

Elisabeth GürtlerMauthner

“My guests expect me to come and say hello and goodbye. If you are ambitious, and I am, it’s 12 months a year, 24 hours a day. It is very tiring, but you have to know what is going on, you have to be personally involved.” She shows remarkable commitment for someone who never planned to run the hotel.

The Sacher was started in 1876

by Eduard Sacher, the son of Franz Sacher, the inventor of the famous Sachertorte, and later run by his widow Anna who made it into one of the finest hotels in the world. It was so exclusive that only aristocrats could stay here.

Not the best of business decisions maybe, and in 1934 the hotel was taken over by the Gürtler family.

Tragedy struck when Peter Gürtler took his own life in 1990 and left his two children, Alexandra and Georg Gürtler, then too young to take over the business.

Elisabeth Gürtler: “I had been divorced for seven years (from Peter Gürtler). I had my own life. I was happily working at my father’s trading company. You do

25

Reception

not expect something like this to happen. My children were too young and not capable so I had to step in. It was my children’s property. I worked, and still work, for them.”

But taking over the Sacher was not an easy job. “To start with, I used to work until two o’clock in my father’s business and then go to the Sacher. But nothing was changing. The hotel was behind with the times. The more you start to interfere, the more you get into it and all of a sudden I found myself here all the time. My sister took over my old job.”

The Sacher was a heritage treasure and a well-established institution.

Gürtler is very resolute about her attitude towards the business.

“People love to look at and visit a museum but they do not want

to stay the night there. It is comfortable to stay as you are, but as well as passing on knowledge and tradition, you have to adapt to the needs of today. Hotels were obviously very different in 1876.

The requirements of luxury hotels have changed dramatically. The bathrooms for instance have to

be much bigger nowadays, so you have to move walls and enlarge rooms. You have to keep up with what newly built hotels have to offer; wireless connections obviously but also a mirror which doubles as flat-screen TV for instance. Many of the historic hotels cannot keep up. To give you

Lobby

LIVING HERITAGE

26

Memorabilia hallway Hotel Sacher Inner courtyard Spanish Riding School

another example, it is necessary to keep updating your fire systems, but you cannot do that when you have guests. You have to close and you need to generate a profit to be able to do that. Many hotels cannot compete any more.”

Not everybody immediately saw it her way when she started out as an untested hotel manager.

“They were of course terribly polite. Madame this and that, but I did not get real information. I insisted on having information.

So we created a specialized audit system which enabled me to see the profit and loss of each individual department. They used to say ‘We are the Sacher. We do not need a sales department’ but you cannot wait for the phone to ring.

Our guests were getting older and older. There was a lot of opposition in 1990s, the old management was against all modernisation saying things such as ‘We do not need a minibar in the rooms, you can ring a bell and someone will come and provide you with what you want.’

Well, it doesn’t work that way anymore. There were no girls in the restaurant and this was 1990!

We had to change.”

And they did. The Sacher has been on top of the game for many years now. Gürtler understands

that a five star hotel with an international reputation, a favourite of the rich and famous, cannot leave anything to chance.

“A leading hotel can not be below standard. We have secret checks executed on a regular basis. The bar is set higher and higher and you have to stay alert. When I check the rooms and I find something which is not perfect, I’ll clean or fix it myself. You have to do it immediately, you cannot wait for someone else to do it for you.”

The people working at the Sacher are loyal and dedicated. “Either you leave after a few months or you become part of the family and stay for 20-30 years. You gain experience, education and training you cannot get anywhere else.”

She took the same hands-on approach when considering the new Hotel Sacher in Salzburg and the famous Spanish Riding School which she also manages.

She says with a smile: “It was an absolute shock for them to have a woman in charge. The Riding School is a place full of traditions, but not everything can stay the way it is forever. Can you afford

not to change? Who will pay the bill? Sorry, but it does not work!

Imagine, no girls were allowed in the Spanish Riding School in the 1990s. ‘Why do we need all these silly girls, we did without them for centuries,’ they said. Well, it changed. A new generation is coming now. It is a wonderful location for business events.”

Elisabeth Gürtler’s dedication to the Sacher Hotels and the Riding School are legendary in Vienna society. But when I ask her about the future, she hesitates for a moment, the weight of the five star hotel business for one brief moment seems to rest heavily on her shoulders: “My children should be taking over already. It would be very stupid of them not to do it. I have decided to retire and I am waiting for their decision. I think the time is right.”

With the long standing tradition and the excellent example their mother has set, the next generation will have every chance to guarantee a solid and fortunate future for the legendary Hotel Sacher.

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SPECIAL MENTION

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Capital Elegance The Restoration of City Palace

It was no small feat. With over 8,500 m2 floor space to repair and renew, the restoration of the Liechtenstein City Palace called for - to quote a few figures - 682,000 kg reinforced steel, 150,000 sheets of gold leaf and at least 470,000 m of electric cable. 80% of the lights were converted to LED lighting to save energy.

The whole building was brought up to modern standards, while the building’s historic charm and the beautiful centuriesold patina were carefully preserved.

HSH Prince Constantin von und zu Liechtenstein (1972) received us in his light, shiny new offices located in the palace to talk about the details of the renovation. The white walls are adorned with a copy of a famous painting of a little girl sleeping (depicting one of his ancestors) - the original can be seen in the museum gallery of the palace and a photograph of Taormina, Sicily (where he met his wife, Countess Marie Kálnoky de Kőröspatak).

Prince Constantin is the 3rd son of Hans Adam II, the Sovereign of the House of Liechtenstein.

He is the CEO of the Foundation Prince Liechtenstein and runs the foundation’s various companies, active in the fields of agriculture, forestry and energy production in Austria and elsewhere. The

Entrance to the City Palace

Foundation manages roughly 19,600 hectares of agricultural and forestry land, a vineyard and a variety of real estate properties in Austria, including Liechtenstein Castle on the edge of the Wienerwald. The austere-looking castle near Maria Enzersdorf is the origin of the name of the Liechtenstein family. The official residence of the family is Vaduz Castle in Liechtenstein, but the bonds with Austria are strong. “As a child I grew up in Liechtenstein, but we would spend our holidays in Vienna, visiting the Prater, the historic city centre, and the palaces.

There was good mix between our life in the city and the countryside. Of course as teenagers we loved the big city.

I did my internship in Vienna.

Here I worked for an private equity fund. I became actively involved in the family business. I first worked on the banking side, but since 2012 I have been responsible for all the non-banking business, real estate, agriculture, forestry, wineries.�

The Prince is comfortable in his role as the family’s real estate and business manager and, while he shows us around the magnificent palace, he talks with enthusiasm about the challenges and

Castle Liechtenstein Prince Constantin von und zu Liechtenstein

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SPECIAL MENTION

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Marble painting

opportunities of the Liechtenstein family foundation. The stylish grandeur of the City Palace is stunning. Hallways with heavy, colourful drapes lead from one ornamental room to the next, all filled with period furniture and textile wallpapers, historic paintings, chandeliers and gilded ceilings . But all is not what it seems. The marble decorations turn out to be delicately painted wooden panels, probably more beautiful than real stone could ever be. In one of the golden rooms a team is busy getting ready for a business event. Elegant chairs are lined up, audio equipment tested and tables dressed. The massive chandelier hangs lightly in the middle of the room as an illusion of crystalline reflection.

“When we started the restoration, the largest of the palace’s chandeliers was missing. We found bits of it, in an antique dealer’s, just by accident. We manage to retrace all the missing pieces and put it back together again. It has now been restored to its original splendour.”

“We started planning the restoration of the City Palace in 2007 and we finished in 2013. The state of the palace was worse than we had originally thought. The introduction of a steel support construction, the building of new foundations, it all took us a little longer than we had planned and was more cumbersome than we had expected. I remember coming here as a boy at the end of the 1970s. My grandfather was still here then, our family apartment was on the 3rd floor. The private rooms were simple, without much modern comfort. In the 1980s my father decided to build a penthouse, but the family only used a small part of the palace. The larger part of the building was rented out to the Ministry of Education. I remember the dark and gloomy atmosphere of typical government offices and the staff apartments. After the ministry finally left, the building needed a large scale renovation to bring it back to its former glory.”

To give a few examples of the daunting task: the lime-based façade paints, similarly to a fresco, were applied to the still damp lime

plaster; the world-famous Thonet floors were repaired through painstaking and detailed work; a weaving loom capable of weaving around 20,000 threads was purchased to replicate individual wall hangings. The restoration is a true example of monumental preservation in the capital city.

“Originally the palace was built on an empty plot against the city wall. There used to be a wall right here protecting the city against the Ottomans. They threw a lot over the wall. It was like a dumping ground, but as a result this central part of Vienna was not built on.”

The City Palace is considered to be Vienna’s first Baroque building.

Eight years after the second siege of Vienna by the Ottomans, when the destruction of the city’s centre was still clearly visible, Count Dominik Andreas Kaunitz, the State Chancellor and a patron of the arts, began work on the construction of the palace. In 1694 and still in the construction phase, Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein purchased the building and had it completed as a

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Main room getting ready for an event Wooden floors after restoration Wooden floors before restoration

city palace by the Roman architect Domenico Martinelli, with work by the stucco artist Santino Bussi, the sculptor Giovanni Giuliani and the painters Andrea Lanzani and Antonio Bellucci.

On the Bankgasse side of the building Martinelli created the first monumental Baroque portal in Vienna. Prince Johann Adam Andreas I had bought and built the palace as a family residence and so it continued for many centuries.

In 1945, in the final days of the war, the palace suffered a direct hit by bombs and an airplane crashed into the roof. Temporary work was carried out to repair the worst damage, mainly aimed at creating offices which could be rented out. A full restoration was never carried out due to economic pressures. But now the Liechtenstein City Palace has once more returned to its glory days.

Prince Constantin:“In everything we do we try to take a long term view. We want to keep our businesses sustainable and for that we need a good balance between business and environmental concerns. We have hundreds of years of history and we try to strike the right balance between keeping the business profitable and holding on to our cultural heritage, to find a synergy between our financial services, our strong company brand and tradition, while at the same time differentiating our markets and branching out into new territories.

Beside the City Palace we also have the Garden Palace. The Garden Palace (which was also completely restored ed.) was not designed as a family home. There are no living quarters, no private apartments.

It was and still is mostly a representative space. It used to be

open to the public, but now, just as the City Palace, we open it for special occasions and private tours. We host a large number of public and private functions and rent the Palace out for corporate and private events.

We obviously want to make money, but it has to be done in a sustainable way, keeping, again, the right balance. The security costs, the air-conditioning, the upkeep all has to be taken into account. Last year the Garden Palace had 160 events and, since we re-opened after the restoration, the City Palace has hosted 240 events already, and counting!�

The restoration of the Liechtenstein City Palace received a Special Mention in the EU Prize for Cultural heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2014

FICTION & FACT

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Treasure Hunt The Story of the Monuments Men Workers and Monuments Men on the bomb crates, photo Robert Posey Collection

wants, and that’s exactly what we’re fighting for,” Lt. Frank Stokes says in Monuments Men, the film directed by and starring George Clooney. It is a film like few others, with a star -studded cast of Hollywood’s finest, loosely retelling the story of one of the most important art recovery missions in history.

Monuments Men with Clooney, Damon, Murray and Goodman

“You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground, and somehow they’ll still find their

way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements, then it’s as if they never existed. That’s what Hitler

The Nazis raped Europe’s museums and art collections, sometimes for their own private gain, sometimes in the name of the Führer, who dreamed of building a museum of what he considered to be good art. Across Europe art objects were stolen to one day fill the Führer’s Museum and Führer’s Library in Hitler’s beloved Linz in Austria.

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George Leslie Stout “To me, mankind, a vast family of creatures, is growing inevitably towards a state of civilization.

I believe that in time long past, there started among us an appetite for understanding and fairness.

We began to learn mercy, to love others, to seek truth, to inquire after knowledge, and to find contentment in the song of a bird, or the shape of a hill against the sky. We began to look for justice in the government of our affairs, to tell about the meanings of our life together, to laugh at our follies. And we began to make things that would contain some of the meanings we found and hold them in words or paint or stone.”

George Leslie Stout (1897 – 1978), one of the original Monuments Men

Even before the Americans entered the war some art historians and experts began to worry about how to protect European art and cultural heritage from the Nazis. And in 1943 Francis Henry Taylor, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, convinced President Franklin Roosevelt to establish a special programme under the Civil Affairs and Military Government Sections of the Allied armies to help protect cultural property in Europe’s war zones. The so-called Monuments Men were originally a group of over 300 art experts, artists and architects, men and women from different countries.

The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section unit, or MFAA for short, started a race against the

clock and against destruction. In the last days of the war the Nazis were willing to rather blow up some of their repositories than to hand them over. The Monuments Men discovered over a 1,000 treasure troves and managed to recover an estimated 5 million cultural items and works of art.

Even years after the end of the war a small group of 60 still continued to search and document.

One of the largest repositories was hidden in a maze of salt mine shafts near Altaussee in Austria.

The depot contained 6,500 stolen and looted paintings, as well as furniture, weapon collections, books, ancient coins and priceless statues. Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges, Jan van Eyck’s Ghent

Salt mine Altaussee with works of art, photo Robert Posey Collection

Linz today

FICTION & FACT

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of tyrants, and people beg them for comfort and for peace. But when I look beyond the weak spots, I can notice those men who pursue knowledge for the common benefit, or labor for sound structures rather than for gain, or fight and die not for praise or possessions but for the freedom of others. These are not strange or distant to men.”

Altaussee today, photo by Svíčková Memorial against War and Fascism on the Albertinaplatz in Vienna.

Altarpiece and Vermeer’s The Astronomer and The Art of Painting were among them. It was an almost unbelievable important collection and rigged to collapse at any moment. Some of the crates were marked as Attention Marble - Do Not Drop, but actually contained 1,100 pound bombs.

Their role in not only recovering and returning art to their rightful owners but also in rebuilding cultural life in many of the desperate and devastated countries of Europe has had a lasting impact. Or as Clooney says as Lt. Frank Stokes in the film: “They tell us, ‘who cares about art?’ But they’re wrong, it is the

exact reason we are fighting, for culture, for a way of life.”

The character Clooney plays is loosely based on George Leslie Stout (1897 – 1978), an American art specialist and museum director and member of the Monuments Men. He is one of the idealists who risked their lives for the greatest treasure hunt in history.

His motivation was clear: “I have to admit that man’s growth toward civilization looks slow and unsteady. At moments, whole nations seem to fall back, their people fret for deliverance from selfish fears. They pay homage to persons who have snatched power for themselves, all manner

The Monuments Men and women had a lasting effect in the USA too, becoming the directors and curators of world renowned museums including the Metropolitan and the MOMA in New York to name but a few.

The Monuments Men still exist today in the form of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. The Hollywood film is based on a book by the foundation’s President Robert M. Edsel, Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.

www. monumentsmenfoundation.org www.monumentsmen.com

L In Syria, the famous minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – was destroyed by fighting in April 2013 © AP/SIPA

UNESCO: protecting culture under attack The Djinguereber Mosque in Mali.

Reconstruction has started with UNESCO’s help © UNESCO

Destroying culture hurts societies for the long term.

That is why protecting heritage is a security issue and a vital part of efforts to build lasting peace and reconciliation.

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO K Palmyra, Syria. UNESCO condemns military presence and destruction at this, and other, World Heritage Sites. © UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . www.unesco.org

OPINION

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With about seventy cultural facilities, the MuseumsQuartier Wien or MQ, as it is lovingly known, is one of the largest art and culture complexes in the world.

Inner courtyard MQ entrance, photo by Pfeiffer

The Art of MQ

Historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, together with contemporary and daring architecture, form a unique place in the heart of the city, just off the Ringstrasse. The cafĂŠs and shops turn the urban space into a living room for culturally inclined young Austrians as well as international tourists who can give their feet a few minutes rest before exploring yet another cultural attraction.

MQ has something for everyone: famous museums like the

Leopold Museum and the MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna) as well as contemporary exhibition spaces like the Kunsthalle Wien. Then there is the Tanzquartier, a stateof-the-art dance centre, the studios of artists-in-residence, cultural facilities geared towards children and the Architekturzentrum Wien. And it is difficult to visit MQ without stumbling into yet another cultural festival; the Wiener Festwochen for instance, an annual summer highlight, or the Biennale Film Festival; or ImPulsTanz. There is also plenty of space for smaller initiatives for daring new artists and cutting edge

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performances. MQ is home not only to visual and performing arts, but also to architecture, music, fashion, theater, dance, literature, street art, gaming, design and photography.

The history of the MuseumsQuartier is however not without its controversies. From its 18th century beginnings as imperial stables (designed by famous Baroque architect J.B. Fischer von Erlach) and use as a fairground and an exhibition centre, there were some tough patches in the road to today’s success.

To many the idea of a MuseumsQuartier Wien was just another example of an overambitious city marketing plan; a large scale urban rejuvenation

OPINION

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Stables around 1720 Mumok Leopold Museum

programme in which a run-down area in the centre of the city would be turned into a cultural attraction. The dangers of a deep financial pit and numbers not adding up had been the downfall of many a municipality across Europe. And in addition there was fear of many heritage organisations - Europa Nostra among them - that the historical fabric of the district would be destroyed. Originally the plan contained several high rise buildings and other unacceptable interventions which would have had far reaching consequences for the area. After many discussions, disagreements and

compromises, the concerns of the local community were taken into account. The plans were adapted and the renovation of the Baroque period stables finally began in 1998. The historical buildings were surrounded and integrated into modern architectural structures by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner. Three years and a 150 million Euros later the 60,000 m² MuseumsQuartier first opened its doors for business.

MQ is more than a collection of indoor city squares. There is quite a bit of difference in height between the area and the city district behind. You can climb up

and walk along the top of MQ as if you are walking on a castle wall.

With a bit of effort you can enjoy spectacular views of the city. On a sunny spring day, away from the busy city, the inner city squares of the MQ are a wonderful place that breathes culture. Check out Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Pablo Picasso in the MUMOK with over 7,000 works of art and then enjoy a long evening in the multi-level restaurant next to the Leopold Museum. The many cultural activities make the MuseumsQuartier Wien not just the embodiment of living art but also of the art of living.

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TREASURE

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Along the Danube River

The Danube River, our most European river lies at the heart of a navigable route from the North Sea to the Black Sea. Thousands kilometres of cultural history flow from one country to the next.

Venus of Willendorf

This text is partially based on the UNESCO listing of the Wachau Cultural Landscape at whc. unesco.org

One of the most beautiful parts, the so-called Wachau, stretches between the towns of Melk and Krems in Austria and is listed as UNESCO World Heritage. It is a marvel of nature and human history working together to create something truly astounding. It is a medieval landscape that has harmoniously evolved over time into a cultural sensation.

Monasteries, castles and ancient ruins hide in the green valleys or high on the imposing mountaintops like the stone nests of giant eagles. Charming towns and villages - always with a beautiful church on a lively city square, often with a medieval

fortress and city walls – are surrounded by vine terraces which go back millennia.

Krems for instance is a beautifully restored city which is on the must-see list of tourists from across the world. Its famous city gate shows up on photographs from China to Chili. Another highlight is the so-called Gozzoburg, considered as one of Austria’s most important medieval buildings.

Named after its first-known owner, the former town judge Gozzo who inhabited it in the 13th century, the Gozzoburg was built as a stately residence and office.

It was one of the winners of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards in 2009.

Most of the houses in Krems date back to the early middle ages, but, as elsewhere in Europe, stone houses replaced the traditional fire prone wooden peasant and burgher houses in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Humans have lived and worked in the Wachau since Palaeolithic times. Figurines from Galgenberg (circa 32.000 years old) and Willendorf (circa 26.000 years old) are among the oldest works of art we Europeans have. From the so-called Hallstatt culture to the Celts and the Romans, the Wachau is at the centre of Central European history. The name is first mentioned in 853 as Wahowa.

The city of Krems first appears in 995, making it the oldest

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some time after 1200. It depicts the political situation at that time and mentions the Wachau towns of PĂśchlarn (Bechelaren), Melk (Medelike), and Mautern (Mutoren).

Austrian town to be mentioned in a document. The Wachau is also the setting of the famous Nibelungenlied, that greatest of all German epic poems, written

By the 19th century many things had changed. The Wachau had repeatedly been the arena for armed conflicts. Religious changes and the Counter Reformation also had a large impact. The river transport, so important for the region, had been partially replaced by road and rail. The ravages of war, together with growing competition from other wine regions and grape diseases made fruit growing, especially apricots, more popular. Fruit trees began to take over part of the valleys and lower slopes. This mix between wine and fruit continues up to this day and is closely linked with fluctuations in world markets

and part of the man-made natural charm of the region.

Wachau also increasingly became a symbol of a form of historic - for lack of a better word - nostalgia.

The term ‘Golden Wachau’ blends history and legend, art and folklore, wine and hospitality. As early as 1904 an action committee was set up for the economic promotion of the Wachau, with the participation of all the local communities between Krems and Melk. Nowadays the Wachau is a shining example of how to blend a UNESCO status together with a large variety of cultural activities and events, and the promotion of monuments and sites with a comprehensive strategy towards sustainable tourism.

Gozzoburg, Krems Nibelungelied manuscript

HISTORIC HOTELS OF EUROPE There are many elements that come together to create an unforgettable hotel experience, from an idyllic location to award-winning restaurants, but one of the most unique and inspiring aspects of any property’s makeup is its history.

The Historic Hotels of Europe group (HHE) are committed to promote awareness of close to 500 of the finest historic hotels across Europe, ranging from romantic castles and grand palaces, to imposing abbeys and opulent estates.

The HHE works alongside 15 member groups dotted across the continent - including Austria’s own Schlosshotels & Herrenhäuser (Castle Hotels & Mansions) - and are passionate about honouring Europe’s cultural heritage through excellence in hospitality.

Take a trip through Austria’s past and celebrate its future by discovering some of its most notable historic hotels – from a waterside manor fit for a king, to a modernised gem once home to monarchy …

HOTEL ALTSTADT VIENNA

HOTEL ALTSTADT VIENNA

HOTEL SCHLOSS LEOPOLDSKRON, SALZBURG

HOTEL ALTSTADT VIENNA

In a city as picturesque as Vienna, an aristocrat’s renovated townhouse is already alluring.

This boutique hotel has been updated in recent years by the Milan-based architect Matteo Thun, and has been hailed as a modern classic in the making.

HOTEL LANDHAUS ZU APPESBACH

Intended by its original owner to emulate an English country house in the middle of the Salzkammergut region, this grand waterside manor on Lake Wolfgangsee was once inhabited

by Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor. It was here he is reported to have found the “splendid isolation” he sought after abdicating as King of England. The Appesbach continues to radiate with style and tranquillity, and is virtually unchanged.

HOTEL SCHLOSS LEOPOLDSKRON

Dating back to 1736 – and newly positioned as a hotel in early 2014 – Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron sits by the water of Leopoldskroner Weiher, minutes from the heart of Salzburg, and surrounded by majestic, panoramic views of the Alps.

Showcasing one of the finest examples of rococo work in Europe, the property hit the silver screen as a backdrop for the filmic von Trapp family’s adventures in The Sound of Music.

These hotels are just a few of the historical jewels dotted across Austria, and indeed Europe.

Historic Hotels of Europe group (HHE) is a partner of Europa Nostra.

HOTEL LANDHAUS ZU APPESBACH, WOLFGANGSEE

HOTEL LANDHAUS ZU APPESBACH, WOLFGANGSEE

CITY DREAMS

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Klimt’s Studio The bright white museum in one of Vienna’s suburbs not far from the famous Schönbrunn palace is closed today, but the friendly staff allow me to look around nonetheless. They are proud of what has been accomplished here and want to share their success with as many visitors as possible. The beautifully restored villa literally hides within its walls a unique treasure, Gustav Klimt’s last studio.

Klimt’s studio front

Klimt in front of the studio

Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was one of Austria’s greatest painters and one of the leaders of the famous Vienna Secession of the 1890s. It is hard to walk into a bookstore anywhere in the world without running into a calender, mug or t-shirt of his famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) or The Kiss (1907–08), both from his socalled Golden Phase. He worked in his last studio, a sort of ground floor garden house from 1911 until his death in 1918. Klimt was an artist in the romantic sense of the word.

Klimt’s studio garden side

Klimt as drawn

by Egon Schiele

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CITY DREAMS

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Klimt’s studio 2014 Klimt’s studio 1918 Dress by Klimt

Adèle Bloch-Bauer Two portraits of Adèle BlochBauer and several landscape paintings were at the centre of an ownership controversy between Maria Altmann and the Austrian Government.

The Austrian Supreme Court in the end determined that Altmann was the rightful heir of the paintings and Austria lost a priceless collection of national treasures. Exactly how priceless became clear when the paintings left Austria in March 2006 to be sold at Christie’s in Los Angeles. The two portraits of Adèle Bloch-Bauer alone were sold for over $230 million.

He could rarely be seen in the cafés or bars of Vienna or chatting away at art exhibitions and openings.

He spent most of his time at home working, dressed in sensible sandals and a full body monk’s robe without underwear. Women, his main source of inspiration, were never far away.

Five years after his death a neoBaroque-style villa was built over

and around the studio, but his atelier was kept intact as a structure within. The new building covered the original house as if a stone box was placed over it. The villa became a school and much later a sad and derelict place, whose story and hidden inner treasure was all but forgotten.

Saving the studio for posterity was a long process in which hopes were dashed, renewed and finally rewarded. The Gustav Klimt Memorial Society conducted a 14-year campaign to persuade the Austrian Government to preserve the ‘Klimt Villa’ and its 5,500 m² garden as a public property for all to enjoy.The long lists of steps that had to be taken to save the building reads like a Kafka-esque novel, where hopes went up and down with the tide. The Society’s volunteers conducted guided tours and arranged cultural events to raise awareness, and now, with Federal Monument status, Klimt’s last studio has been faithfully reconstructed inside the fully restored villa to become a unique part of European cultural heritage.

Luckily historical photographs existed which gave the society a perfect idea of what the studio had looked like. Photographer Moritz Nähr (1859 - 1945) captured the atmosphere of Klimt’s life in the 1910s.

In 2014 the Gustav Klimt Memorial Society received the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the category Dedicated Service. The jury was very impressed with the work and stated: “It was the Society’s unshakeable determination in the pursuit of its goal which most impressed the Jury.

Through its painstaking efforts over a long period to ensure the faithful refashioning of Klimt’s studio, and to introduce extensive outreach programmes to secure

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Burgtheater

Vienna Secession Building The crypt of the Vienna Secession Building became the permanent home of one of Klimt’s most famous paintings, the so-called Beethoven Frieze. The symbolic but terrifying gorilla grinning between scarcely dressed women of legend has a tendency to stick to the brain. Klimt painted his metaphor on human yearning directly on the walls for the 14th Vienna Secessionist Exhibition in 1902.

its future as a sustainable cultural centre, this voluntary society has successfully anchored the memorial in the public consciousness, supplementing and extending the artist’s special reputation.”

Gustav Klimt has left his mark all over Vienna. In the Burgtheater the original ceiling of the monumental staircase of the entrance contains frescos by Klimt and his brother. Even more remarkable was the discovery of the original drawings which were used for the frescos rolled up and forgotten in a storage room of the theatre. The gigantic paper models on a 1 on 1 scale are now preserved in a special exposition area in the Burgtheater. One of the first things that you notice as soon as you come eye to eye with the solemnly lighted drawings is their artistic quality.

The young Klimt had very little or no experience with large scale frescos and it is clear that his first drawings are unnecessarily precise. His selfportrait and that of his brother show his early mastership. In 1888 Klimt received the Golden Order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for the murals he painted in the Burgtheater.

The worldfamous theatre is the location for the 2014 ceremony of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards, which also honoured the Gustav Klimt Memorial Society for their dedicated service.

Gustav Klimt, selfportrait on fresco paper

www.klimt.at B&W photograph of the studio by Moritz Nähr © Austrian National Library in Vienna

Ernst Klimt, Gustav’s younger brother

COUNTRY DREAMS

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Legendary Beauty The lakes of Austria are the result of a magnificent millennia-long battle between rock and water. The timeless beauty of the landscape hides a conflict too slow to be understood in human terms.

The unique alpine harmony so pleasing to the eye, was discovered in the early 19th century. Writers, painters and poets tried to capture on paper and canvas the green, lush valleys, the idyllic farm

villages bypassed by history and the majestic mountains reflected in quiet lakes.

The Traun river rises in the mountains of Upper Austria and

loses itself in the Danube just above Linz. It flows through some of the most remarkable Alpine scenery and through lakes and deep valleys.

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To the River Traun My heart is in a mountain mood, Though I am bound to tread the plain, She will away for ill or good, I cannot lure her back again; So let her go, God speed her flight O’er racy glebe and columned town, I know that she will rest ere night By the remembered banks of Traun.

She can repeat the faithful tale That “where thy genial waters flow, All objects the rare crystal hail, And cast their voices far below; And there the steadfast echoes rest Till the old sun himself goes down, Till darkness falls on every breast, Even on thine, transparent Traun.”

And she can say, “Where’er thou art, Brawling mid rocks, or calm-embayed, Sister, companion, friend, and guide, Outpouring thy abundant heart Her every art and grace to use, In ample lake or deep cascade, For love of that well-cherished tide; Whatever dress thy sides adorn, But words are weak, she cannot reach Fresh-dewy leaves or fir-stems brown, By such poor steps that Beauty’s crown; Or ruby-dripping barberry-thorn, How can the Muse to others teach Thou art thyself, delightful Traun!

What were to me the banks of Traun?

And she will pray her sister Muse,

“No glacier-mountains, harshly bold, Whose peaks disturb the summer air, And make the gentle blue so cold, And hurt our warmest thoughts, are there; But upland meadows lush with rills, Soft-green as is the love-bird’s down, And quaintest forms of pine-clad hills Are thy fit setting, jewelled Traun!”

But the wise Muse need not be told, Though fair and just her song may seem, The same has oft been sung of old, Of many a less deserving stream; For where would be the worth of sight, If Love could feed on blank renown?

They who have loved the Traun aright Have sat beside the banks of Traun.

by Richard Monckton Milnes, Lord Houghton

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Halstatt in 2014 Lord Houghton (Richard Monckton Milnes) depicted in Vanity Fair in 1870

Halstatt in 1890

As a young man Richard Monckton Milnes (1809-1885) travelled through Europe on his grand tour. While in Lombardy he thought back to the walk he had made along the beautiful Traun river and wrote a poem about it.

It was published in 1838, after his return to London, in his Memorials

of Residence upon the Continent.

Richard Monckton Milnes went on to become a well-known and well-liked, good-natured politician and a famous patron of literature.

He was created Lord Houghton in 1863, and surrounded himself with the best writers and artists of his day. His own poems were

also quite popular. He tried without success to marry Florence Nightingale, the legendary nurse.

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After around five years of extensive renovation work another architectural jewel in the

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www.palaisliechtenstein.com | event@palaisliechtenstein.com Palais Liechtenstein GmbH, Fürstengasse 1, 1090 Vienna, Austria www.hofkellerei.at | hofkellerei@sfl.at Weinshop Wien, Fürstengasse 1, 1090 Vienna, Austria

This unique atmosphere conveys an impression of aristocratic life and ensures moments to remember.

Golden Carriage © Palais Liechtenstein GmbH_Akodu Liechtenstein GARDEN PALACE, garden view © Palais Liechtenstein GmbH_Felix Waldschütz Liechtenstein CITY PALACE, Ballroom © Palais Liechtenstein GmbH_Akodu Amerling Portrait of Princess Marie Franziska von Liechtenstein at the Age of Two © LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz-Vienna

CULINARY

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Interior Fürst Café

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Exterior Fürst Café

The Sweetest Heritage Entering the Demel patisserie shop on Kohlmarkt 14 in Vienna is a risky business. Steady diets and solid resolutions go up in smoke in sight of one of the prime examples of Austrian’s sweetest heritage.

Original Sacher-Torte

The large display cases in any traditional Konditorei in Vienna – and there are many, each with its own history, traditions and specialities - show a large variety of small and larger luxury cakes.

Not a muffin or doughnut in sight. Demel even has a chocolate statue in the window – if it portrays Madonna is anybody’s guess - which literally points the captivated tourists to the delicacies on sale in the café and the gift shop. Today’s sin on sale is a rectangular layered hazelnut torte with gold leaf and a light mocha cream.

Café Leopold Hawelka serves up the real apfelstrudel, warm and lush. The pastry should be perfectly crisp and not limp, the apples sumptuous and not mushy.

This is a far cry from the strudels we can buy in the supermarket of our home town. And if one needs variety; there is the Topfenstrudel (sweetened curd cheese), the Millirahmstrudel (creamy milk) and the Mohnstrudel (poppy seed) for instance.

The Prater, one of Vienna’s most famous traditional parks is an

excellent location for the even more deadly Kaiserschmarrn, a shredded pancake with plums or apple sauce, which will only slowly start to digest after hours of sightseeing on foot.

Salzburger Nockerl

CULINARY

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Chocolate Madonna

Sweets in Demel in Vienna

The famous Sacher hotel still serves their invention, the SacherTorte. They still bake about 800 a day, packed in a traditional wooden box with the Sacher emblem embedded in thick chocolate. In an article elsewhere in this magazine we talk to the people in charge.

The original recipe of this chocolate layered cake with apricot jam and a thick layer of icing

has been a well-kept secret since 1832. According to legend the torte was a last minute idea of 16-yearold apprentice pastry chef Franz Sacher (1816-1907) who had to take over from his sick boss at a smart dinner party of the F端rst von MetternichWinneburg zu Beilstein. The guests were happy and a career was Linzer Torte

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many companies but Fürst on the Brodgasse celebrates 125 years and has a pretty good claim. Their kügel is wrapped in a blue and silvery wrapping, not perfectly round but handmade, traditional, delicious and quite deadly.

Salzburger Nockerl or Noggal are made with a lot of eggwhites, but before the dieticians get too excited, the calorie count of this carefully prepared soufflé is still a serious affair. “As sweet as love, as tender as a kiss,” is what the Austrians say. If made well it is a collection of light yellow hills of fluff covered with a layer of powdered sugar resembling snowy mountains. It is a difficult and sensitive dish and many enthusiastic amateur cooks have been confronted with a sad and collapsed sight after opening the oven door too soon, too late or too abruptly.

The charming town of Linz is the home of the famous Linzer torte.

On the sunny terraces of the central square of the city we can enjoy this lighthearted hazelnut cake with thick apricot jam and whipped cream, unsweetened of course.

Demel interior

born. As with every best-selling invention, for years the name Sacher-Torte was hotly contended.

A lawsuit finally settled it. Hotel Sacher could sell theirs as the Original Sacher-Torte. All the other patisseries now just sell Sachertorte.

Many countries bake a decent cake but Austria has made it into a classic artform. The origin of all these gifted and innovative pastry chefs may be traced back to the imperial court of the AustroHungarian Empire. The royals

always wanted the best money could buy, not only in art and architecture, but also in patisserie.

As a result, Vienna may have become the sweetest city in the world.

In Salzburg it is the famous Mozart kügel that draws our attention.

This is where Mozart was born – his birthplace is now a museum - and his self-confident face stares back at us from the millions of marzipan and chocolate balls that Austria produces. This global business success is claimed by

Every small café and bakery across the country has its own seasonal and local speciality which lures the innocent traveller to a sugary defeat. Austria is truly the place where you can have your cake and eat it too.

Nut cake in the village of Stainz

LIVING HERITAGE

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Saving the Vienna Woods A government strapped for cash trying to sell off state-owned properties to make ends meet. It sounds as if we are describing the current crisis, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the 1860s was also seeing the cold, hard stone floor of the treasury.

Memorial in Purkersdorf, photo by Ailura

After several wars, the cash flow had dried up and after taxes had been raised, the government started to sell off forested areas to the private sector. Large-scale felling was the result. The ancient Vienna Woods (Wienerwald), a former hunting ground and a source for firewood for many people in the city, as well as the only large green area close to the ever-growing capital, were high on the list.

In 1870 the politicians proposed to sell and clear the forest. But

the officials quickly hit a wall of widespread public resistance personified in Josef Schรถffel (18321910). It was one of the first and finest examples of a community coming together to save their cultural heritage.

The retired Lieutenant Schรถffel had become increasingly interested in the natural sciences and environmental issues and had watched the government sell-out of properties with a wary eye. The proposed selling of the Vienna

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Stained glass windows of the Vienna Woods by Adolf Böhm in the Wagner Villa

Memorial dedicated to Josef Schöffel in the Vienna Woods Josef Schöffel

Woods to a lumber merchant was the last straw and, Schöffel reasoned, would lead to total devastation of the region. When, on 18 April 1870, the Imperial Parliament suggested selling the Anninger Forst, part of the Vienna Woods, Schöffel went on the attack and launched a publicity campaign and public petitions to stop them.

But the government and all the other parties with vested interests started a smear campaign. Schöffel was accused of defamation and the incitement of hatred and contempt. Interestingly, the argument Schöffel made to convince the state officials seems right out of a modern ecologist brochure. He argued that destroying the Vienna Woods would have a profound impact on the ecology of the area and would influence rainfall, temperature and fertility of the surrounding

farmlands. He pointed out that the most respected scientists of nature could attest to this and that selling-off the Vienna Woods was not just wrong, it was stupid.

At first it looked as if the sale

was going to be withdrawn but it was all part of a tactic. Schöffel was offered serious money to lie low. Others secretly suggested that Schöffel should suffer a unfortunate hunting accident.

58 LIVING HERITAGE

The Vienna Woods are also the last resting place of the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. This year we commemorate the 100th birthday of movie star, model and inventor Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000). She was born as Hedwig Kiesler in Vienna in the first year of World War I. The sexy Hollywood actress of films like Samson and Delilah and Ziegfeld Girl was the ideal pin-up, but she was also more than a ravishing brunette. She invented an important communication technology still in use today.

Lamarr’s first of many husbands was a military manufacturer in Germany.

One of the problems he struggled with was that the frequency of radio controlled torpedoes could easily be jammed. Lamarr came up with the idea to quickly alternate frequencies: the enemy would not be able to find the right one at any given moment if the transmitter sent signals while ‘hopping’ from frequency to frequency in quick succession. She only figured out how to synchronize both transmitter and receiver after moving to the United States.

Together with composer George Antheil, she then developed an idea based on 88 different frequencies, inspired by the perforated rolls used by automated pianos. Their patented frequency-hopping idea is still the basis for the modern spreadspectrum communication technology used in mobiles and wifi.

Calling Hedy Lamarr, a 2004 documentary about the life, legend and tragedy of the beautiful actress and inventor featured Hedy’s son Anthony Loder who took her ashes to Austria and spread them in the Vienna Woods, in accordance with her last wishes.

Hedy Lamarr News paper from 1873

Slowly but surely, however, the government started to change its mind and the officials who had been Schöffel’s main opponents one by one retired. At the end of 1872 there was reason to celebrate.

The Vienna Woods were saved and Schöffel’s campaign was fully vindicated. He was named honorary citizen of several municipalities and even became mayor of Mödling. He worked as a deputy in the Imperial Council and the Lower Austrian Landtag. In 1905 the Vienna District Council passed the Forest and Meadow Belt protection law. In 1987, the governors of the states of Vienna,

Lower Austria and Burgenland signed the Vienna Woods Declaration. And in 2005 the Vienna Woods were recognised by UNESCO as an official biosphere park because of its unique biodiversity.

Josef Schöffel would be delighted.

He is still a local hero, remembered in street names, schools, monuments, a museum in Mödling and a special memorial stone on the top of a hill near Purkersdorf.

The Josef-Schöffel-Prize is the highest recognition in the field of nature conservation.

Bernardo Bellotto, detail from “The Liechtenstein Garden Palais in Vienna”, 1759/60 © LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna

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Then & Now

FEATURE

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One of the first things you notice when travelling through Austria and especially Vienna is how well-preserved and restored most of the monuments and sites are. It is a wonderful adventure to walk along the old shopping streets of Vienna, with their famous coffeehouses, and to visit the historic palaces, churches and museums. But how much has Austria changed? Can we still recognize the sites if we look at old photographs and paintings? In this article we always compare the old with the new.

‘Mastery of the Sea’ fountain Hofburg in the 19th century Hofburg with excavations of Roman remains

Hofburg & St. Michaels Square Even though the current form of the square, named after the 13th century St. Michael’s Church, goes back to 1725, excavations have shown that there once was a Roman camp on this location.

The fountain on the left in the 19th century picture is by Rudolf Weyr and known as the ‘Mastery of the Sea’ (1895) Another building worth seeing on the square is the Loos Haus (1910/12) designed by famous architect Adolf Loos, which is now the home of Raiffeisen Private Banking. Emperor Franz Joseph did not like the look of this modern building at all, and even boarded up some of the windows in his Hofburg Palace, so that he would never have to look at it!

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Vienna State Opera The Wiener Staatsoper dates back to the mid-19th century. The opening premiere on May 25, 1869, in the presence of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth, was Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The building was largely destroyed

by an American bombardment during World War II. The front section of the building which had been walled off as a precaution, remained intact. The auditorium and stage were destroyed as well as the sets and set pieces for more than 120 operas, and

around 150,000 costumes. On 5 November, 1955 the Vienna State Opera reopened with a performance of Beethoven’s Fidelio. Public television station ORF used the occasion to make its first live broadcast. There were only about 800 television sets in Austria at the time. Maestro Plácido Domingo, President of Europa Nostra, celebrated his 40th jubilee here in 2007.

Schönbrunn today

Schönbrunn Emperor Maximilian II acquired the site of the current palace then known as Katterburg - in 1569 to build a hunting lodge.

The legend goes that his son Matthias discovered a beautiful spring on the site and exclaimed ‘So ein schöner Brunnen’ (‘What a beautiful spring’), which led to the name Schönbrunn.

In 1695, after the Ottomans destroyed the hunting lodge, a palace was built which aimed to outshine Versailles. In 1918, after the reign of the Habsburg monarchy had ended, Schönbrunn became state owned. Once more

Schönbrunn 1890s

than 1,000 people lived in the 1441 rooms and halls of the grandiose complex. Several rooms, among them the state rooms and the private rooms of Emperor Franz-

Josef and Empress Elisabeth, are now open to visitors. The endless gardens of Schönbrunn are a delight all the year round.

Schönbrunn garden today Schönbrunn garden 1890

FEATURE

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Sophiensäle 2006 Sophiensäle 1900

Sophiensäle The Sophiensäle was for over 150 years at the centre of Viennese social life. The bath house ‘Sophienbad’ opened its doors in 1838. In winter, the large swimming pool was drained and covered with a wooden floor construction and the Sophiensäle became a famous location for balls, concerts and theatrical performances, as well as for political, sporting and cultural Sophiensäle during restoration

Mozart statue Salzburg The Mozart square in Salzburg is dominated by a statue of Mozart. It was made by Ludwig Schwanthaler and was officially unveiled on September 5, 1842 in the presence of Mozart’s sons.

events. Because of its excellent acoustics, it became a popular location for music recordings.

Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein recorded here. In 2001 the complex was badly damaged by fire. For years it stood derelict, a shadow of its former self, but now, after a long and difficult restoration process, the Sophiensäle is ready to take centre stage once more.

Prater

Prater today Prater around 1900

The area that makes up the modern Prater was first mentioned in 1162 and changed hands frequently until it was bought by Emperor Maximilian II in 1560 to serve as private hunting grounds. In 1766, Emperor Josef II opened the Prater to the general public for the first time. The old Lusthaus is a wonderful place to relax and eat after a long walk. The famous Ferris wheel was built in 1897 by the British engineer Walter Basset.

Graben The name and position of this favourite shopping street goes all the way back to the old Roman encampment of Vindobona.

In 1974, the Graben became Vienna’s first pedestrian zone.

The Pestsäule or Plague Column, constructed under Emperor Leopold I following the Great Plague of Vienna in 1679, is one of the best-known pieces of sculpture in the city.

City Hall The architecture of the Ringstraße is dominated by historicism.

The City Hall was built in a grand gothic style, with a tower

resembling a medieval cathedral.

It was designed by Friedrich Schmidt (1825-1891). Construction started in 1872 and lasted for more than ten years.

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FEATURE

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Naschmarkt The Naschmarkt is Vienna’s most popular market and has existed since the 16th century. Nowadays, one can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world

as well as exotic herbs, cheeses, cakes, meats and seafood. A visit to Vienna would be incomplete without a glass of local wine and cheese at Urbanek, the smallest ‘restaurant’ on the Naschmarkt.

Vienna Boys’ Choir now, poster for Japanese tour Vienna Boys’ Choir then

Vienna Boys’ Choir The Vienna Boys’ Choir or Wiener Sängerknaben is one of the best known boys’ choirs in the world.

The choir is a private, not-forprofit organization and dates

back to the late Middle Ages.

Over the centuries the choir has worked with famous composers such as Gluck, Salieri, Mozart, Schubert and Bruckner. Since 1948 Augarten Palace has served as their rehearsal venue and boarding

school.

The Vienna Boys’ Choir performed during the 2014 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards in the Burgtheater in Vienna.

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Belvedere The Belvedere consists of two Baroque palaces, the Upper and Lower Belvedere surrounded by beautiful landscape gardens. It houses one of the most attractive museums in Vienna with art from the 19th and 20th century, including works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Schiele and Kokoschka.

The museum is best known for its unrivalled collection of works by Gustav Klimt.

Secession Building The Wiener Secessionsgebäude, as it is called in German, is an exhibition hall built in 1897

by Joseph Maria Olbrich as an architectural expression of the

ideas of the Vienna Secession art movement. The impressive building, with its golden dome surrounded by giant vases, is still one of Vienna’s most unmissable attractions. The interior contains

Klimt’s famous Beethoven Frieze.

‘To every age its art, to every art its freedom,’ was the Secession’s slogan.

Upper Belvedere around 1900

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Among the other Viennese

By Claudio Magris

Vienna is also a city of cemeteries, as majestic and friendly as the portraits of Francis Joseph. The Centralfriedhof, the Central Cemetery, is a major march-past in the grandes manoeuvres which attempt to postpone the triumph of time.

The graves of the great Viennese - the sector devoted to illustrious personages, which starts to the left of the main entrance, Gate No.2 - comprise the front rank of a Guard which makes a stand against transience but, unlike Napoleon’s Guards at Waterloo, forming square without the least hesitation, this regiment fights according to elastic tactics, seems to wish to defilade itself; it suggests feints, it outflanks death, it jests, it beats about the bush, with a view to frustrating the methodical swish of the scythe.

At five in the morning this host of stones, busts and monuments is still almost invisible, opaque and colourless, as it lies hidden

in the cloudy night-time drizzle, though here and there a votive lamp punctuates the murk. Herr Baumgartner keeps his shotgun close beside him – a gun he has owned for thirty years, he told me a moment ago – and rests a hand on it with the quiet, affectionate familiarity of long cohabitation, as a musician finds pleasure in touching his violin, which he loves not only for its performance but for its shape, its curves, the texture and colour of the wood.

It is the first time I have ever been in a cemetery next to someone whom is handling not flowers, shovels or prayer-books, but guns and cartridges. But today, for an hour or two, before daylight comes, the Central Cemetery in Vienna is a forest, a jungle, leatherstocking’s woods, Turgenev’s steppes, the dominion of Diana or St Hubert, a place where one does not bless or bury, but lies in wait, fires, kills ancient relatives for whom no rite prescribes a Requiem or a Kaddish. This morning, in the Central Cemetery, the order of the day is shooting, even if Herr Baumgartner doesn’t want to hear this word, and talks about a necessary, authorized reduction

Claudio Magris

of the numbers of hares: they are harmful, it seems, because of their excessive profusion and for other reasons. He is one of three marksmen employed by the Viennese municipal authorities to maintain a correct balance among the living which unlawfully inhabit this metropolis of the dead (this “city of the other Viennese,” as the Austrians put it), and prevent them from being too lively by transforming them on the instant into corpses of they reveal themselves too healthy and prosperous in this world.

Death is harmless, respectful and discreet; it causes no trouble and doesn’t hurt anyone. It is life that is so troublesome, so noisy, so aggressively destructive, and must therefore be kept in check, lest it should get above itself. Hares, for example, have a downright passion - destructive and guilty as are all passions - for the pansies laid on the tombs by pious relatives. They gnaw them, they uproot them, they rip them to shreds, they are not content with satisfying their hunger but they make a massacre of them, like martens in a hen-run.

And indeed, the sepulchre in which the presidents of the Republic are laid to rest is littered with torn-up, tattered pansies. Does this mild irreverence merit the licence to

kill? Well anyway, this licence is very restricted and rigidly controlled. Herr Baumgartner’s double-barrelled gun only threatens male pheasants, hares and wild rabbits, and even these according to well-established rules. Austria, as they say in my part of the world, both was and is an orderly country, and a gunlicence is subject to strict control.

Infractions are severely punished, and there are none of those

Sunday hunters who infest Italy, drunken with childish delight in their power to kill, blasting away indiscriminately at wildlife and human hunters: more deserving by half of the attentions of Herr Baumgartner than are the hares with a taste for pansies.

The man himself, squatting down beside me in the grass is beginning

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to emerge from the darkness in all his massive, paternal bulk; he is not a trigger-happy maniac, he shows no sign of that stupid pleasure in killing and putting a stop to whatever life is seen to move; he does not indulge in threadbare sophisms about the totemistic communion between killer and victim; an indeed he reveals no kind of banal excitation, but rather the good-natured calm of a gardener. He is a good shot and does what he has to do, for Austria is an orderly country, but maybe he is not at all that displeased when, through no fault of his own, he goes home empty-handed.

I imagine that, to start with, he was none too keen on the idea of having me under his feet, for no one as a rule is allowed to be present. At the entrance to the cemetery he explained to the night-watchman that I was a professor, a title much honoured here, and that I was allowed in as an exceptional case through the good offices of the department of the burgomaster of Vienna. In this damp dawn, which is already beginning to pale the gloomy clouds, I am experiencing what is

not a great hunting adventure, but what may be the zenith of my fame and glory, because it is unlikely that my books on the Mitteleuropa of the Hapsburgs, in virtue of which the municipality of Vienna have given me special permission to be squatting down at this hour of the morning in the grass in the central Cemetery, will have any greater impact on reality than this, or any further force it limits and prohibitions. It might well be that, in this dawn, I have had my day, as King Lear puts it.

We move towards the edge of the cemetery, passing between the tombs, which are slowly becoming more distinct. The tombs of Castelli, the light-hearted, prolific author of popular comedies, bears an inscription by courtesy of the league for the protection of animals, while from the faint mist rises a tall, simple cross with the phrase that sums up the life of Peter Altenberg, all a toccata and fugue:”He loved and saw.”

A bare, basic cube is the funeral monument of Adolf Loos, while that of Schönberg, creator of a more disquieting geometry, is also a cube, but a distorted one.

Herr Baumgartner peers around him, lends and ear to every rustle, scrutinizes the foliage, amorphous in the half light. He may fire where he likes, even among the crosses and the stillfresh wreaths, but he is careful to make no mistakes, because that sector of the cemetery - roughly a third, the other parts falling to the competence of his two colleagues - is entirely his responsibility, and he has to answer for where his lead ends up, for any chance boshshot that shatters a votive lamp or grazes an angel thoughtfully watching over a tomb. In a couple of hours’ time the relatives who find the photograph of their dear departed as riddled as a sombrero in a western movie, or the stone stained with the blood of a rabbit hit at the wrong moment, would know to whom to address their outraged protests. “It shouldn’t happen, but it might,” he repeats several times, but placidly.

We are on the edge of the last row of graves, set on a slight rise which commands a good view. The bank itself is made of loose earth, debris

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and rotten grass and leaves swept up along the avenues and amassed at this point. The soil in this area is particularly well suited to the rapid putrefaction of corpses, as was well known in the last century to the authorities and to the proprietors of plots. Daring the projection stage for the building of the cemetery the latter used to haggle and stick out for higher prices in relation to the greater or lesser putrefactive vigour of the soil, to the point of exchanging abusive pamphlets such as the one addressed in 1869 by the municipal councillor Dr Mitlacher to Baron Lasky. The area where we are now is unkempt, a large grassy expanse stretching between the wood and a wall surrounding the central workshops of the Viennese tramway company. A few steps away is a tomb bearing the name of the Pabst family, and beneath it the inscription auf Wiedersehen.

This meadow, extensive as it is, is a small slice of nature hemmed in by society, by the symmetry of the avenues and the funeral industry on one hand and the municipal transport company on the other; but even this minimal space is like the taiga or the savannah, which are also surrounded by civilisation but measured by the ancient laws of the animal world, sniffing at scents crawling, searching for food, coupling, setting and avoiding ambushes; the law, in fact, which rules even the flower-

bed in the garden or in a pot containing a single plant.

The colourless grass now swiftly turns to green, the first birdcall and the first flutterings are heard among the trees, the big crows migrating from Russia rise on the wing, while in the east there rises a pallid lemon-rind sun. Even in that suburban undergrowth the unmistakable smell of morning endows us with a physical sense of happiness, the pleasure of a body at ease in itself, a relish for hearing, touching, seeing things.

The untouchable hen-birds which for some minutes have been sporting on the grass are now about to be joined by a cockpheasant. Still some way off, he approaches cautiously while my neighbour takes aim. Accustomed as I am, one my own Mount Snežnik, to dismantling the traps laid by hunters, I have a vague sense of being a traitor, a man who has gone over to the other side. Is this the way in which each of us goes to meet his fate, with useless even if practised caution?

Standing motionless, I ask myself what constellations of possible threats, atomic or microbiological, star-wars, recurrent viruses or overtakings on bends have my life in their sights, as my neighbour’s gun now has this pheasant, selected by an infinite concatenation of coincidences.

Claudio Magris during his acceptance speech

Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage The renowned Italian writer Claudio Magris (b.1939) is the very first winner of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage, instituted

by Europa Nostra, its representation in Portugal, Centro Nacional de Cultura, and Clube Português de Imprensa, on the occasion of Europa Nostra’s 50th Anniversary in 2013.

“Magris is the author of impressive literary works which speak about the roots of our European identity and also stress the need to preserve Europe’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Claudio Magris’ understanding of Europe as a place of dialogue and cultural exchange is perceptible in his masterpiece on the Danube and throughout the whole of his rich literary opus,” stated Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins, President of the jury, during the announcement of the award which was presented to Claudio Magris at a special ceremony in the presence of Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of Portugal, on 21 October 2013 in Lisbon.

“The Danube is not without reason the only truly European river, Protestant at its source, then Catholic, finally Orthodox; in its Roman ruins and Byzantine domes, cathedrals and synagogues, Baroque and Ottoman splendour are reflected,” reads Magris’ Danubio (1986). As he travels the route from the Black Forest in Germany to the mouth of the river into the Black Sea in Romania, he makes an inventory of fundamental references which enable us to understand Europe as a place of interactions, tolerance and understanding.

“Magris is fully aware of the deep and creative relationship between the North and the South, as reflected in literature, art, traditions and customs, and also in Europe’s quest for a culture of peace,” stressed the jury. “The number of prizes Magris has received justly recognises his key role in promoting an innovative way of understanding our cultural heritage, fully in line with the spirit of Europa Nostra,” added the jury.

A European jury comprised of seven eminent experts in the fields of culture, heritage and communication met on 21 June 2013 in Lisbon to consider the nominations and decide on the winner. The jury especially took into consideration the European dimension of the work of each nominated candidate.

Appreciating “the exemplary, effective and continuous communication efforts” of the Hungarian Olivér Kovács, for the mobilisation of citizens in favour of heritage in Hungary, and of the Turkish Özgen Acar, for the international fight against illegal trafficking of heritage treasures from Turkey, the jury decided to accord them a special mention.

The award ceremony took place on 21 October at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, the hometown of the late Helena Vaz da Silva (1939-2002). The European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage is named after the renowned Portuguese journalist, writer, cultural activist and politician in memory and recognition of her exceptional contribution to the promotion of cultural heritage and European ideals.

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During this absurd, guilt-stricken wait, I regret the fact that in 1874 the high cost (a million florins) of the operation led to the failure of Felbinger and Hudetz’s scheme for funerals by pneumatic post.

According to this the dead would be shot off directly to their allotted tombs through miles of tubing activated by compressed air.

And I imagine that the air of the cemetery would have rung with the sharp reports made by corpses in continuous arrival, and that this pheasant would have taken wing.

But the interplay of coincidences which holds the universe in its grip, taking on a different guise, though remaining perfectly Austrian and bureaucratic, has decided to grant the pheasant a stay of execution. Just before the target gets within absolutely safe range, at the edge of the wood, near the Pabsts’ auf Wiedersehen, a lorry comes huffing and puffing along, laden with dead leaves and other debris which the cemetery gardeners – birds almost as early as the gamekeepers – have swept along the pathways and are about to dump near us. The pheasant takes fright and vanishes, while Herr Baumgartner allows himself a sonorous “Damn!,” but greets the spoilsports cordially.

We make for the exit, for the usual visitors will soon be starting to arrive. All in all it has been a dawn in keeping with the Viennese spirit which mocks at death, flatters it but also ridicules it, courts it but at the same time, not being able to leave it in the lurch once and for all, as in the case of a lover who has grown to weary us, at least tries to spite it a little. At the gate we meet one of Herr Baumgartner’s colleagues. The hare he has shot is an image of the deficit of the universe and of the original sin of life which feeds on death. In a few hours that hare will be a pleasing trophy, and later still a succulent dish, but right now it is still terror and flight, the suffering of a creature that neither asked to live nor deserved to die, the mystery of life, this strange thing that was in the hare until a short while ago

and now is not, the real essence of which is unknown even to the scientists, if in order to define it they must needs have recourse to such tautologies as “the complex of phenomena which oppose death.” I don’t know exactly why, since - like all those with walk-on parts in the spectacle of the world I have no central role and therefore no direct, precise responsibilities, but that hare certainly leaves one with a sense of shame.

Among the other Viennese is an excerpt from Danubio (1986) translated as Danube: A Sentimental Journey from the Source to the Black Sea ISBN 0-00-272074-4

EUROPEAN HERITAGE LABEL 2014 Europa Nostra congratulates the Archaeological Park Carnuntum in Austria on receiving the European Heritage Label The European Heritage Label awarded by the European Commission highlights outstanding heritage sites with a particular European dimension, celebrating and symbolizing European integration, ideals and history.

Carnuntum was an important 1st century Roman settlement on the Danube located at a crossing point of trade routes. The Archaeological Park Carnuntum tell the story of this Roman city through careful reconstruction and a museum with educational programmes.

The park reflects a history that deeply influenced and shaped Europe’s development. www.carnuntum.co.at The European Commission has awarded the European Heritage Label to three other sites in 2014: •

Great Guild Hall, Tallinn, Estonia

•

Camp Westerbork, The Netherlands

•

Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands

The European Heritage Label award ceremony took take place on 8 April, 2014 in Brussels, at the Solvay Library in the presence of European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou. ec.europa.eu/culture/european-heritage-label

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Panorama

The flowery hills and the alpine meadows, the lakes that spread like giant mirrors between snowtopped peaks, they all add up to give Austria one of the most spectacular landscapes of Europe. Sitting on top of one of the skyscraper mountains in Tirol, the world seems far away. It is a view that has inspired painters and poets as well as emperors and film directors.

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View of Innsbruck (19th century) View of Innsbruck, photo by F. Bรถhringer

PANORAMA

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Travelling through the rolling hills and green valleys, it is difficult not to feel that Austria’s cultural Maria-Theresien- heritage is in perfect harmony Platz with the Kunsthistorisches with its surroundings, as if the Museum only thing missing from a picture(right) and the perfect crystal clear lake was an Naturhistorisches even more picturesque historic Museum (left) village on its shore.

Schwarzenberg, photo by F. Böhringer

But this is not just a country for extraordinary natural sights.

The cities and palace grounds also offer stunning views, from the old city of Salzburg to the centre of the capital Vienna, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The view, for instance, from the Festung Hohensalzburg, one of Europe’s largest fortresses, offers a wide variety of spectacular vistas. Austria is a land made for panoramic pictures.

View from Festung Hohensalzburg in Salzburg

INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

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Still Smoking Hot...

Like the Van Nelle Factory in the Netherlands - Grand Prix Winner of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage /Europa Nostra Awards in 2008 - the Linz Tobacco Factory (Tabakfabrik) is a modernist triumph of architectural unity and light.

The innovative design by Peter Behrens and Austrian architect Alexander Popp was built around the same period too, between 1929 and 1935. It was made of reinforced concrete and isolated by cork and hollow bricks, both very new techniques at the time.

Tobacco processing needs good illumination and careful conditions for temperature and humidity and the facade is lined by long rows of large windows, which give the building a beautiful elegance.

After producing a billion cigarettes a month, tobacco production in the building finally stopped in 2009 and plans were long in the pipeline to create a new future for the industrial superbuilding. The massive structure was declared a historic landmark and has slowly returned from private ownership back into government’s hands and is now 100% owned by the city of Linz.

So what to do?

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The factory unfolded its plans at a Cultural heritage and the EU 2020-Strategy meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2013. The project developers have high ambitions and a clear idea of the challenges ahead. The factory is to become ‘a living lab, a real life experiment, a platform for innovation, a manufactory of future, a transformation hub, which bridges the gaps between the different sectors, industries and social milieus,

INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

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events and companies from all walks of life. The development agency of the Tobacco Factory is financed by the city of Linz and it generates income by renting space out to events and young companies. It uses a scaled rental system in order not to exclude small start-ups from setting up business in the building. The € 9 million budget in four years – besides the € 20.4 million for purchasing the area from the former owner – has been successfully invested to open the building up to its new role. by fostering transdisciplinary cooperation and by following the four major guidelines of the project: participation, openness, transparency and sustainability.’

Despite the buzz-words, this multi-layered vibrant melting pot of creativity has in all probability a bright future. Linz is a city in change and the tobacco factory is literally in an excellent position to become a second city centre where new industries can come

together. In almost every major city in Europe, from London to Amsterdam, from Cologne to Istanbul, old industrial areas have become breeding places of the new economy and home to hip restaurants, start-up companies and pioneering shops and products. The Tobacco Factory could well become the heart of this new city district.

Already the factory is home to attractive exhibitions, large scale

The Tabakfabrik’s strategy is not just short term – securing an industrial heritage building by renting it out to young entrepreneurs – but also long term, by looking at what this 80,000m² of space in an iconic monument can mean for the future of Linz by creatively linking the old centre to other districts of the city.

Wiki Loves Monuments was an international photo competition for cultural heritage, organised by Wikimedia in September 2013.

Wikimedia is the movement behind Wikipedia, the free encyclopædia — a global collaboration authored by volunteers.

Check out the winning pictures and rediscover the cultural, historical and scientific significance of places all around the world.

Wiki Loves Monuments thanks Europa Nostra for their support.

WWW.WIKILOVESMONUMENTS.ORG

Photos, top-to-bottom, left-to-right: Monastery and chateau in Zbraslav, Prague, Czech Republic, by Zdeněk Fiedler; Convent of Norbertine Sisters in Kraków, Poland, by Jar.ciurus; Friedrich-von-Thiersch-Hall in the Kurhaus, Wiesbaden, Germany, by Martin Kraft; Wiesen Viadukt between Wiesen and Filisur, Switzerland, by Kabelleger – David Gubler; Budapest Keleti railway station, Budapest-District VIII, Hungary, by Németh Tibor; university library of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, by Thaler – Tamás Thaler; staircase in weaver house, Nadrzeczna 2, Nowa Ruda, Poland, by Jar.ciurus. Wiki Loves Monuments logo by Lusitana. All pictures are released under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode> and can be found on Wikimedia Commons <https://commons.wikimedia.org>.

SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS, CIRCUMSPICE (If you seek a monument, look around you.)

LIVING HERITAGE

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Strong Coffee The hustle and bustle of politicians, businessmen and artists never ceases in CafĂŠ Landmann, next to the Burgtheater in the centre of Vienna. Plans are discussed, deals are made and new ideas are born.

But whatever is brewing in the hearts and minds of the clients, it is the brew behind the counter that fuels it all. As they say, there is a word for a life without coffee, it is called sleep.

Coffee at the Butterfly Green House

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Landmann is just one of the many Viennese coffeehouses with their marble table tops, Thonet chairs and cups of strong Wiener melange accompanied by a cool glass of water. Since October 2011 the Viennese Coffee House Culture is even listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Battle of Vienna

by Pauwel Casteels Kolschitzky in 19th century litho

Drinking coffee is at the heart of Austrian culture and the Austrian coffeehouses are more a way of life than anything else.The exchange of information and gossip around the traditional newspaper table can easily take hours. People take their time to catch up on international affairs, to talk and eat ein Würsteln or a pastry.

The elegant environment of soft chatter and the delicate sound of spoons stirring in porcelain cups are a perfect fit for Vienna, the cosmopolitan city of diplomats and artists. Many writers and poets have adopted cafés as their favourite place to work. Some even had their mail delivered there.

But what are the origins of this institution? Where did the passion for coffee come from? For this

Small statue of Kolschitzky

we have to go back to the famous Kahlenberg Battle of 12 September 1683 when the combined forces of the Holy Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Poland fended off a second Ottoman siege. The Ottomans had tried for a very long time to capture Vienna, but this mother of all battles ended once and for all the Ottoman hegemony in the area and was the start of the

success of the Habsburg dynasty in Central Europe. And the Ottomans left plenty of treasures on the battlefield as King John Sobieski described in a letter to his wife: “Ours are treasures unheard of... tents, sheep, cattle and no small number of camels... it is victory as nobody ever knew it before, the enemy now completely ruined, everything lost for them.”

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Coffee at Schönbrunn Café Hawelka

The Ottomans also left instruments like cymbals and the timpani, which would quickly make their way into western music. Among the many treasures was also a collection of 500 sacks containing beans, which were thought to be camel feed. But the spy Georg Franz Kolschitzky (1640-1694) who spoke Romanian and Turkish and who had, with his Serbian assistant Đorđe Mihajlović, infiltrated the Ottoman camp many times, knew exactly what the beans were for.

He had lived in Istanbul as a young man and knew the power of the mysterious beans. Kolschitzky added milk and sugar to the bitter concoction and started serving small cups of coffee going door to door in an Ottoman costume.

Since that fateful day, Vienna has been running on coffee. Very soon after, others picked up on this invigorating new beverage and the rest is, as they say, history.

Coffee had started its unstoppable conquest of the world.

On 12 September 1885, the Kolschitzkygasse, a street named in Kolschitzky’s honour, welcomed a small statue which still adorns the corner house. Paintings of his

image – with a large moustache and fez and dressed in traditional Ottoman fashion – can still be seen in some of the classic Viennese coffee houses.

A symphony of chaming grace since 1892 The Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel next to the Vienna State Opera has been an inspiring meeting point for Viennaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultural and business life for around 120 years.

With its 150 exclusive rooms and suites, including the legendary Prince of Wales Suite, the Bristol is a living example for charming accommodation with a very personal attention to excellent service for a memorable Vienna experience.

LIFE IS A COLLECTION OF EXPERIENCES LET US BE YOUR GUIDE bristolvienna.com

LIVING HERITAGE

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Faith in the Future:

900 years of Klosterneuburg

Klosterneuburg, photo by Heinz Leopold III of Babenberg

Maybe it would have been even more romantic if it had started with a prayer, but it started with a veil.

The Virgin Mary appeared to Leopold III of Babenberg (1073 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1136), later known as Leopold the Good, and showed him the location of the veil of his wife Agnes, which she had lost years before.

Coffee at the Butterfly Green House

Interior, photo by Effi Schweizer

Klosterneuburg in the 17th century by Georg Mätthaus Vischer

the same. The monks developed the monastery into the centre of religious life, culture and scholarship it still is today, 900 years later. Even Leopold is still here. In 1663, under the rule of his namesake Emperor Leopold I, he was declared patron saint of Austria. His skull with an archducal crown is kept in an embroidered relic holder with his forehead exposed.

A miracle had happened and on this exact spot he established the Klosterneuburg Monastery in 1114, a year after he had made the settlement suitable as a residence. Much has changed since the monasteryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding, but for the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine of Klosterneuburg the essential things have remained

But staying close to its roots does not imply that the monastery is not open to new ideas. Its balanced relationship with nature and the environment makes sense in an age where sustainability is key.

And, perhaps more important, the monks have had 900 years to refine their wine-making skills.

The monastery is home to a series of important works of art, from the world-famous 12th century Verdun Altar to the Titan sculptures of Lorenzo Mattielli and even a collection of modern paintings. The library contains 30,000 volumes and numerous manuscripts. This rich result of centuries of collecting can be seen in an impressive ensemble of buildings, with thematic tours, from the sacred tour to the imperial tour and the very popular wine cellar tour, which reveals the great history of the oldest winery in Austria.

In 2006 Klosterneuburg was awarded a Diploma in the restoration category of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage/ Europa Nostra Awards.

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FICTION & FACT

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Favourite Things It is the summer of 1964, exactly 50 years ago. A freezing and angry Julie Andrews battles the sudden gusts of wind of the camera helicopter while director Robert Wise is biting his nails to finish the last shooting of a film already two months behind schedule.

Trapp Villa garden

Then for one short glorious moment the sun breaks through the clouds and the most famous opening shot of movie history is a fact. The Sound of Music may be the ultimate romantic film we all love to hate or hate to love.

The cinematic retelling of the von Trapp family story escaping the

Nazis in 1938 with Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer as Captain Georg von Trapp went on to win five Oscars including best film. Austria became forever connected to rolling alpine hills and a dancing and twirling Maria von Trapp. It is one of the most successful films ever made.

But in Austria The Sound of Music is certainly not one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favourite Things. Many an Austrian eyebrow is raised when once again an international orchestra plays Edelweiss thinking it is an old Austrian song or even the national anthem. On the other hand each year tens

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of thousands of tourists travel to Austria to see the locations of the film for themselves. And the tourist industry especially around Salzburg gives the visitors the opportunity to Climb Evâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ry Mountain. Making money off the back of the success of the film is as easy as Do-Re-Mi. The von Trapp family received medals of Honor from the Salzburg government in 1998. Hollywood can be a strong impetus for heritage success stories: from James Bond movies to the Sisi Films, the shooting locations attract visitors from across the globe.

The Sound of Music is based on the musical based on the bestseller book by Maria von Trapp, The

Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

In the late 1950s the book was the inspiration of two German/ Austrian films but it was the Broadway-musical (1959) with music by Rodgers and Hammerstein that made the von Trapps a worldwide sensation.

Maria had sold her rights to the book at a small price and the money Hollywood made did not profit the family directly.

So what is real and what is not?

What is true cultural heritage and what is a Hollywood fabrication? Separating fact from fiction is always tricky but in the case of the von Trapps it is even more complicated.

The real Maria von Trapp (1905-1987), a novice, became a governess to the von Trapp children after their mother Agathe had died. In 1927 she became the Captainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second

wife. They had already two children by the time The Sound of Music tells us they met for the first time. And it was not that romantic either. The real Maria spoke of a mostly loveless marriage. The von Trapps started their successful singing career in 1935 after a financial mishap

Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music (photo courtesy 20th Century Fox) Von Trapp Family

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Mariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apartment in the Trapp Villa in Salzburg Lobby Breakfast room

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Maria von Trappâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s USA immigration papers

which had decimated the family fortune. Their family villa in Aigen, a suburb of Salzburg, still exists and was transformed into a luxury hotel in 2008. Breakfast is still served with everybody seated around one big family table and you can even stay in Mariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apartment, a one bedroom suite overlooking the lush gardens, a trifle more spacious than Mariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real room must have been.

The Villa Trapp is nonetheless a special place where the real and the imagined history go hand in hand peacefully. Sitting in the garden, with the imposing mountains as a backdrop, it is easy to imagine how the extended von Trapp family must have lived here.

The von Trapps fled Salzburg in 1938, not by a hazardous journey as in the film, but by train via Italy.

They managed to continue their success in the USA. In 1947 father Georg died, but the rest of the family kept singing and touring.

They finally settled in Stowe, Vermont, in what was to become another hotel, still run by family members today, the Von Trapp Lodge.

The last of the singing children, also called Maria von Trapp, died this year at the age of 99.

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Exterior Dorotheum

Going, Going, STAY: The longstanding tradition of the Dorotheum Auction house.

The first auction in the history of auctions was probably held in Vienna, in the famous Dorotheum Palace. “There is a Swedish company which is older,” manager Martin Böhm explains, “but they did not really start as an auction house as we did, in 1707.”

The Pawn & Query Bureau was founded by the young Emperor Joseph I as an exchange for property, moveable goods and even labour services. “We moved to this building in 1901”, says Böhm. “It was opened by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Some people who enter here for the first time assume it used to be a palace of some sort, but no private house would ever have ornamental staircases as we do. It was built as

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an auction house and that’s why it’s still functional today.”

It would be an easy mistake to make, because in Vienna you seem to find a palace on every street corner.. The Dorotheum is a majestic building in the centre

of Vienna. You wonder what was here before, as it is quite a large plot to suddenly encounter in the heart of the city. “The original building was an old monastery and church,” Martin Böhm tells us while he shows us around. “We kept some of the most interesting

features and embedded them into a wall in our courtyard to make a connection between the present and the past.” Böhm draws our attention to the stone staircases.

“This was a very particular talent which was very rare in Europe. To make these delicately balanced stone staircases requires real craftsmanship which was available here in Vienna.

Elsewhere in Europe you can find ornate wooden staircases which are relatively easy to make, but these slabs of stone in one piece perfectly fit on top of one another to make a staircase which is not only beautiful to look at but also very strong. It is the result of real stonemason expertise and knowledge handed down over centuries.”

Downstairs we find a regular pawn shop and a fixed-price auction shop, packed with bargain hunters looking for that one treasure that perfectly fits their collection.

Inner courtyard with elements of the old church and monastery Entrance hall

LIVING HERITAGE

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Auction room

Just let your eyes wander past the display cases filled with the wonders of centuries past, trying to capture the human spirit and condition in works of art and maybe not-so-much-art. Forgotten landscapes hang above cupboards with exotic wooden inlays. Art deco jewellery, ornamental sculptures, antique toys and even a signed baseball bat softly whisper ‘buy me’.

The Dorotheum’s display rooms upstairs operate like a museum on espresso. Every few weeks or even days, the exhibitions as well as collections change completely. For every major auction a catalogue and a new interior design is made.

New experts are brought in, new potential buyers and collectors are approached, and the staff are continuously recreating and rebuilding the display room to accommodate the objects for yet another auction.

Next is the beautiful auction room with the ornamental crest of emperor Franz Joseph I, a symbolic presence of the emperor who gave the auction house its central position in Viennese society. He is in a metaphysical sense still watching the hectic

procedures below. Here is where the real action is, a continuous stream of works of art, design and craftsmanship changing hands at lightning speed. The hammer comes down again and again. For the easily excited it is a dangerous place. Things you never suspected you wanted to own all of a sudden become a must-have obsession. This is what the auction experience is about. Suspense hangs in the room, adrenaline surges and the age old passion for the hunt is guided by the experienced hand of the auctioneers. “It never fails to be exciting,” Böhm confesses.

“No auction is ever the same.

Unexpected things always happen.

Some objects sell beyond even their most optimistic estimates, others suddenly lag behind for no discernible reason. It is always thrilling to be in the room.”

The Dorotheum has seen more art change hands than most other auction houses across the world, but as they say, it never gets old.

For the passionate collector as well as for the occasional buyer, a well organized auction is irresistible; that magical moment, when you know it’s yours!

Grand Hotel Wien Luxury and history united

The Grand Hotel Wien is the premium hotel on Vienna’s prestigious boulevard “Ringstrasse”. Just steps away from the Vienna State Opera and St. Stephen’s cathedral this 5-star-hotel combines highest luxury with an elegant historical ambience and personal service at its best.

Meetings and events become a different experience in our multifunctional function rooms. Our venues range from modern daylight rooms to an impressive Viennes ballroom. Culinary delights are offered by our Grand Catering and in our two award-winning restaurants.

Kaerntner Ring 9, A-1010 Vienna, Austria Tel. +43 1 515 80-0, Fax +43 1 515 80-10 info@grandhotelwien.com www.grandhotelwien.com

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Ernst Fuchs in 2007

A House for All Seasons All of a sudden I feel a presence behind me. For a second the frail man with surprisingly observant eyes could be mistaken for a lifelike statue, but then I notice one bandaged hand and the other lifting an ornate walking stick.

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headquarters. By 1960 the onceglorious villa was forgotten and in a poor state, waiting for oblivion or a saviour.

Exterior Wagner villa

The 84-year-old Ernst Fuchs (b.1930) just returned home after a short stay at the hospital, fragile and literally supported by family members. He is as ever immaculately dressed, augmented by his signature colourful fez and flowing beard. It has been over 40 years since Fuchs acquired this beautiful villa in Hütteldorf on the outskirts of Vienna.

The classical Roman style house was built in 1888 by Otto Wagner, the Austrian Jugenstil architect who was one of the founders of

the famous Wiener Secession movement. The villa was a sensation when it was built and for years it was the place to be for the cultural elite of Vienna. Around 1900 Wagner changed the patio into a Jugendstil jewel with stained glass windows by Adolf Böhm depicting the Vienna Woods.

Later Wagner would design a smaller villa for himself next door.

The house was sold to a famous businessman, Ben Tiber, and during the war expropriated by the Nazis and made into a Hitler Youth

When Ernst Fuchs was still a child he had made his grandmother a promise:”When I am older I will buy you a house.” And he did. He fulfilled his promise in 1972 and his grandmother and his mother lived in this magical house in a quiet suburb, surrounded by lush forest, for the rest of their lives. But just buying a house for grandmother was not enough.

It had to be much more. Fuchs wanted to create the ultimate house, the perfect house, to capture his artistry in stone.

Fuchs’ house is a living museum, as the artist still lives where he creates. And what he has created is an elaborate dream, lusciously captured in a villa. The house seems to burst at its seams with art. Fuchs not only painted the paintings and sculpted the sculptures;, he also designed the furniture, the floors, the walls, the ceilings and the gardens. It feels like walking around in the man’s head. And Fuchs’ head is a labyrinth of creation. He is not

Wagner villa around 1900

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Interior Wagner villa

only an artist in the traditional sense, he is also an opera set designer, a composer, a poet and an activist.

Adolf Böhm’s stained glass windows of the Vienna Woods

have been beautifully restored.

The sun filters through the colourful panels and bathes the art deco room and Fuchs’ intense paintings in a dreamy light. His bedroom seems elongated, a feeling increased by the bed’s

design and the floating painting behind it. The upstairs bathroom doubles as an art gallery. The specially-designed floor tiles feel a bit shaky and vulnerable under my feet. The wash basin stands at the end of an ornamental pool

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and offers a good view of the gardens, which subtly change from structured nature into wilderness. As with many artists who were at the top of their game in the 1960s, several rooms reveal an uncomplicated attitude towards eroticism. Fuchs is of the generation of Hundertwasser (see elsewhere in this magazine) and Arnulf Rainer. He recently had an exhibition in his villa together with Yoko Ono and large portraits of John Lennon mix perfectly with Fuchs’ paintings and furniture.

The little chapel and fountain in the garden is reminiscent of Fuchs’ church in St.Jakob im Tal near Graz. It is busy, bright and

villa’s garden house is surrounded by sculptures and wild coloured vases.

a little strange, as if a collection of colourful tiles went crazy and took possession of the design. The

Discovering Fuchs’ villa is an exciting and rewarding excursion.

It is clear that what the artist created here will easily withstand the test of time. Maybe the allencompassing art concept of a living artist is not recognized enough in today’s Austria, but I predict his villa will become a sensation in years to come. We may no longer be allowed to walk on the bathroom floor tiles or sit down on the seats of the exotic furniture, but the magic of Fuchs’ vision will be as strong as ever.

St. Jakob in Thal Church

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I wander lonely in this world The world of Empress Sisi

“Ein Unergründlich tiefer See Ist meine Seele, Den ich oft selber nicht versteh.”

Franz Joseph of Austria as a young man

“My soul is an unfathomably deep lake, which I often do not understand myself.”

Elisabeth, Empress of Austria

There are very few historical figures that have captured the imagination as much as Elisabeth, the longest-reigning Empress of Austria (1837-1898). We all know her of course as Sisi. In that very special universe that is reserved for Lady Di, Princess Gracia and the like, Sisi has secured lasting loyalty among fans and admirers as much as historians. She has become a mythical cultural treasure, whose imagery can be seen everywhere in Austria even today, more than a century after her death. She is as much a brand as she is cultural heritage. We may never understand how this kind of stargazing works, but everything that is connected to her memory – from Possenhofen Castle in Bavaria where she grew up, the Augustinian Church in the centre of Vienna where she got married,

99 “I wander lonely in this world, Delight and life long time averted, No confidant to share my inner self, A matching soul never revealed.”

Schönbrunn Palace where she used to live in summer, the Sisi Museum in the Hofburg where she used to live in winter, Bad Ischl where she used to spent her holidays to name but a few – attracts enthusiastic visitors, revelling in the magic of the myth. Any shop, café or a restaurant that can claim she once entered the building for whatever reason, knows it will generate attention and bring additional income.

The real Elisabeth, the woman of flesh and blood standing quietly behind the curtain, can easily be forgotten while the circus show around her life, as much a comedy as a tragedy, is being performed on the world stage. But the woman in the wings has left us some insights in her life in the form of her poetic diary and the personal memories of the people close to her. We can look at some of her obsessions, her doubts, her pre-occupations and her passions.

Laxenburg Castle, photo by Stattmann

Libraries full of biographies have been published since her death.

But let’s start by looking at some of the facts. Sisi was born on Christmas Eve 1837 in München and spent a happy childhood as one of seven siblings. Her parents, Duke Max of Bavaria and Ludovika were relaxed parents with no real chance of ever ascending to a throne. Sisi was not so much a princess as a tomboy.

But her life changed in 1853 when, on a trip to Bad Ischl, the young Emperor Franz Joseph was immediately bowled over by the beautiful 15-year-old and chose her over her sister Helene, as had been the original plan. The engagement was announced the next day and in April 1854 the wedding took place in the Wiener Augustinian Church. Sisi had a hard time

adjusting to her new role. She was watched over constantly and had very little opportunity to live her own life. Tragedy struck for the first time in 1857 when her first daughter Sophie died as an infant. She became increasingly restless and started to travel to Venice and especially Corfu.

She was admired for her beauty and its cultivation became an increasing obsession. She had to be in perfect shape with perfect skin and a scarily small wasp waist. She called herself a ‘slave to my hair.’ She exercised with contraptions which could easily be confused with torture equipment.

Although she was known on rare occasions to binge, most of the time she ate next to nothing. After the tragic suicide of her only son Rudolf in 1889, Elisabeth grew increasingly depressed, eccentric and unapproachable. She wore only black. The public no longer knew what she looked like, as all portraits were forbidden. She died unexpectedly in 1898 on a visit to Geneva when she was stabbed by the attention-hungry anarchist Luigi Lucheni. Lucheni’s aim was to kill royalty: after failing to kill the Duke of Orléans, he instead murdered Sisi with a needle-file.

Elisabeth Memorial Church at the Schneeberg (1901), photo by Stattmann

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Since 1994 the Sisi Museum in the Hofburg illustrates how a once light-hearted young girl became a restless and melancholic woman.

More than 300 items, including parasols, boxes and gloves, beauty recipes, her death mask, a reconstructed dress and the actual file used in her assassination, are on display in the museum.

Bad Ischl

Elisabeth on meeting Prince Edward of Wales (later King Edward VIII) We were sitting cosily together in the drawing room, Prince Edward and I. He whispered sweet nothings and romanticized, He said he loved me.

He drew me very close and took my hand, And whispered: “Dear Cousin, how about it?”

I laughed heartily and threatened him, “There is somebody on their way up,” We listened, but it was nothing, And the funny game continued.

Sir Edward was heroic, Yes, and very bold.

I did not defend myself, it was interesting, I laughed:”Dear cousin, how about it?”

Then he became shy and whispered softly, “There is somebody on their way up.”

Her lady in waiting countess Marie Festetics wrote in her diary what Elisabeth said in 1850 as she showed her around in Castle Laxenburg where she and Franz Joseph had spent their honeymoon.

Elisabeth went from room to room, said of each room what it was, but without more detailed commentary, until finally she stopped in a corner room where a desk stood between windows and a desk chair before it; she stood quiet as a mouse for a long time, suddenly she said: “Here I wept a lot, Marie. The mere thought of that time constricts my heart. I was here after my wedding... I felt so abandoned, so lonely. Of course the Emperor could not be here during the day, early every morning he went to Vienna. At six o’clock he returned for dinner. Until then I was alone all day long and was afraid of the moment when Archduchess

Sophie came. For she came every day, to spy on what I was doing at any hour. I was completely at the mercy of this completely malicious woman. Everything I did was bad. She passed disparaging judgments on anyone I loved. She found out everything because she never stopped prying. The whole house feared her so much that everyone trembled. Of course they told her everything. The smallest thing was an affair of state.”

There was little love lost between Sisi and her motherin-law Archduchess Sophie Once I requested the Emperor to take me along to Vienna. I spent the whole day there with him. For one day I did not see her. (i.e. Archduchess Sophie) but no sooner had we arrived back home in the evening or she came running to me. She forbade me to ever do anything like that again. She reviled me so much because it is unseemly for an Empress to go running after her husband and to drive back and forth like a cadet. Of course after that it was stopped.

She even went as far as to issue an ultimatum but without much success: I wish to have reserved to me absolute authority in all matters concerning the children, the choice of the people around them, the place of their residence, the complete supervision of their education, in a word, everything is left entirely to me to decide, until the moment of their majority. I further wish that, whatever concerns my personal affairs, such as, among others, the choice of the people around me, the place of my residence, all arrangements in the house etc. be reserved to me alone to decide.

Elisabeth.

Bad Ischl, 27 August 1865

Café in Bad Ischl which Sisi visited

Elisabeth wrote Franz Joseph a month after his coronation as King of Hungary in 1867. She was ill or perhaps already pregnant of her fourth child MarieValerie.

“Perhaps I am expecting. During this uncertainty, the Salzburg visit is very depressing. I can weep all day long, that is how infinitely sad I am. My dear soul, comfort me, I need it very much. I have lost all interest, I do not want to go riding or walking. All, all is vanity.”

To Titania, 1888 “Titania shall not go where people walk This world, where no one understands her, Where hundred thousand gazers her beleaguer, Whispering and prying, “Look, the fool, look there!”

Where jealousy and envy seek her out, To distort her every action,

She returns homebound to those regions, Where allied, kinder souls abide.”

Elisabeth asked countess Marie Festetics during one of their walks in Hungarian: “Aren’t you surprised that I live like a hermit?”

And she explained: “I have no alternative but to choose this life. In the outside world, I have been so persecuted, they have said so many evil things about me, I have been so maligned, been so deeply offended and hurt, and God sees my soul, sees that I have never done anything evil. So I thought I would find a society that does not disturb my peace and which offers me pleasure. The forest does not hurt me...Nature is much more rewarding than Humanity.”

Schönbrunn Palace

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FEATURE

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Ski slopes at Rastkogel, photo by Petr NovĂĄk

The Slalom of Alpine Conservation Humans have been skiing for over 5000 years, but only in the 19th century did they start to combine it with luxury hotels, fashion statements and après-ski. In olden days people would go out on skies to hunt down deer or wild boar, nowadays paparazzi hunt down celebrities and royals on the white slopes of the Austrian ski resorts such as Lech am Arlberg and Zell am See.

Skiing around 1900

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Today skiing is as much about physical exercise and sporting achievements as it is about seasonal holidays. And so every winter the Austrian mountains are covered with the bright and colourful blanket of mass tourism.

With the interest in skiing rocketing in the last century, many traditional villages that had slept through the centuries, were roughly awakened to upgrade their facilities and adapt to new circumstances. Shops opened up, restaurants started and roads were widened. During the Christmas season many towns are now busier than the beaches of the Costa del Sol in summer.

Ski lifts and ski hotels spread like wild flowers on the quiet Austrian hills. Some are a blemish on an

otherwise perfect face, but others seem to blend perfectly with the surrounding landscape. One of the best examples are the Nordkette Cableway Stations in Innsbruck, growing like white stony plants from the mountain. The restoration of the exteriors and the necessary modernization of the interiors revitalised an important monument of 1920s Alpine architecture. It was awarded with the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2010. The ride from the city centre to an alititude of 2.300 metres takes only 20 minutes but on a clear day the experience will stay with you forever.

When skiing holidays started to become a yearly reality for many European families, with it came alpine degradation and the difficult balancing act between nature conservation and tourism development. It is a challenging slalom trying to overcome the pitfalls of millions of visitors in a delicate and vulnerable ecosystem.

Sustainability is the key word, but it is never easy.

Nordkette cableway Stations, Innsbruck The marmot is a famous example of Alpine wildlife

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The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is worried about the Alps in general and the Austrian Alps in particular. The impact of climate change, the pressures of urban development, intensified agricultural use and the needs of tourism all have had an impact on one of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s truly natural strongholds. It is an example

of a unique cultural landscape in which men and nature have lived together harmoniously for thousands of years. For instance, as WWF states, extensively farmed Alpine meadows located at 2000 metres above sea level support up to 80 species of plants per hundred square metres. Their European Alpine Programme (EALP) is helping to save Alpine

nature and its cultural landscape in close cooperation with the Austrian authorities and the local communities. New conservation strategies are urgently needed to secure the beauty of the Alps for future generations. Going downhill is only a good thing in skiing, not in cultural and natural conservation practices.

IDEAS AND CREATIVITY ARE AT THE HEART OF OUR VALUE CREATION Bertelsmann’s Chairman and CEO Thomas Rabe on how Europe’s biggest media company is working to uphold important cultural treasures in the digital age.

European cultural history could not have been written without the wealth of ideas and the inspiration of generations of creative people. Nowhere else in the world have so many groundbreaking ideas emerged in recent centuries, creating so many unique works. The diversity of Europe’s cultural heritage is second to none – whether in writing, music, or painting, on the stage, on screen or – as is common today – on mobile devices.

As one of the world’s oldest media companies, Bertelsmann has had the privilege of playing an active role in this unique history for nearly 180 years.

Today in the digital age we are Europe’s largest media company, with leading market positions in the areas of television, books, magazines, music, services and printing. At the same time, this means we have a great responsibility to European cultural heritage. Digitization opens up new opportunities, not only for our businesses, but also for fulfilling this responsibility.

One of the most valuable achievements of digitization consists of bringing the trendsetting works of a given era to later generations in a way that is up-todate but still true to the original. Today, we can gain an idea of how the “Abbey Road” album would have sounded if it had been recorded 40 years later. We can tap into Charles Darwin’s insights through written texts and the spoken word, but also interactively on a tablet. And we can present classic movies that are almost 100 years old, not only in new splendor, but also to new audiences.

That is why Bertelsmann recently was the main sponsor behind the restoration of the German silent movie classic “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” a cinematic milestone of the 1920s. We were particularly concerned about showcasing this important piece of film history in a modern yet authentic way.

Because we believe that such a classic should not be confined to the archives, but should also be seen in high quality on movie and TV screens, as a Bluray on computers, or as a stream on tablets. In short, wherever our audience expects its favorite content to be in the digital age.

At the same time Bertelsmann is in the process of introducing the legendary Archivio Storico Ricordi, one of the world’s most valuable privately held music collections, to a wider public. Its inventory includes nearly 8,000 original scores of more than 600 operas – including precious original manuscripts of Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini – and around 10,000 libretti. Bertelsmann has owned the Archivio Ricordi since 1994. When we sold the parent company in 2006, we made a deliberate decision to keep the archive, and to preserve its historically valuable holdings and make them visible for posterity. After stops in Milan and Berlin, the “Enterprise of Opera” exhibition – a first step in this process – opens in Brussels this month.

These are just two examples of our efforts to raise public awareness of significant works of European cultural heritage. We know that the ideas and creativity of our artists, writers and journalists are the heart of our value creation. It is they who constantly reinvent our offers – and who, day by day, tell stories that inform, entertain and inspire. Therefore, we will work steadily to ensure that they get the appreciation they deserve. This includes an unwavering commitment to the protection of intellectual property – because intellectual property is probably the most important resource available to us in Europe.

Thomas Rabe Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bertelsmann

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Treasure Trove

To call the Kunstkammer Vienna (Chamber of Art and Wonders), part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum), an art museum is like calling Mozart a composer of catchy tunes. The Kunstkammer houses one of the most important art collections in the world. After restoration of the galleries, the museum was reopened in 2013. It has been a triumph, for the art lover as well as the visiting tourist.

Exterior Kunsthistorisches Museum Exterior Naturhistorisches Museum

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The Habsburgs who ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire were not only immensely rich but also were avid collectors of the exotic and unusual. They were also very easily bored. The museum has over 2000 works on display;

from almost magical automatons, unbelievably fine jewellery and creative scientific instruments to simply the best art works money could buy or inspire. They offer the ultimate collection of the Renaissance and Baroque periods

and reflect the emperorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire to capture all that was known and admired in the period. The tasteful galleries show collections dating from ancient Egypt up to the beginning of the modern era.

The restoration has quite literally

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Prehistoric bird Skeleton reconstruction early human Egyptian collection Kunsthistorisches Museum Salt cellar by Benvenuto Cellini (15401543)

cast a new light on treasures that have to be seen to be believed.

Across the park, like a mirror image, we find the Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum), possessing one of the largest, oldest, and most noteworthy natural history collections in the world. The building was completed two years before the Kunsthistorisches Museum

and houses 30 million specimens and artefacts. Maybe its most loved treasure - besides huge dinosaur skeletons and the largest and oldest meteorite collection in the world - is the 25,000-year-old figure of the Venus of Willendorf.

The tiny sculpture of a voluptuous woman seems to float in a beam of light at the centre of the museum galleries. Nearby in a well-designed cabinet we find other, less known ancient artefacts which could easily rival the artistic quality of the Venus. Many unsuspecting visitors are caught in their spell. The tiny sculptures, often made of animal bone, evoke a direct emotional response across the millenia. Silently we watch the small and finely sculptured head of a horse and a prehistoric dancer caught in a flowing movement even older than the famous Venus.

From Martian meteorites and moon stones to unexpected animatronics of dinosaurs, which might terrify but thrill young visitors, the museum not only invites exploration, but, together with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, it forms a perfect Bust of Emperor Leopold I (1640 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1705) with the famous Habsburg jaw

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Kunstkammer ceiling Interior Kunsthistorisches Museum

Female bust

by Francesco Laurana (1430â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1502), photo by Vassil

afternoon. The cafĂŠs at the top of both buildings are definitely the places to be for lunch.

The ensemble of museum buildings at the Ringstrasse took decades to complete and was supposed to put Imperial Rome

to shame. The neo-baroque style created some of the most beautiful 19th century interiors, probably unrivalled in any other European museum. The museums lie in the heart of the historic centre of Vienna, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Natural Partners It is a magical place right out of a fairytale.

The Thayatal Natural Park feels as if it was thought up by Disney artists during the making of Snow White. It is almost unnaturally beautiful and charming.

Just before entering the National Park and the village of Hardegg, which is at the centre of the park, we come across a modern building of wood and glass floating above the forest ground. The National Park Centre was opened in 2003 and its bright interrior shows us the ThayaTales, an exhibition on the origin and the natural treasures of the park.

The park contains a wealth of untouched meadows, deep forests and river valleys. Kingfishers dive for fish, more than ten species of woodpeckers hammer away at dead trees and the cuckoo, the wood warbler and the blue tit compose a background symphony of life. Above a bright ocean of flowing wild spring flowers zoom dragonflies, bumblebees and beetles. Back from their African winter holiday, black storks walk slightly comically along the meandering Thaya river. Emerald lizards bask in the sunlight and the grasshoppers, butterflies and jumping spiders quickly get out

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of the way of human explorers.

The hills are dotted with medieval castles and mysterious ruins. Even in summer the water of the Thaya is still fresh and cool and creates a magical micro climate, a dream of biodiversity and beauty. The forests are home to large game and the undergrowth is teeming with animals of the small and furry kind and the occasional snake on the prowl. You never know, maybe even a lynx is hiding between the trees. Wildcats definitely feel at home here.

The Thayatal National Park is not only a place of great beauty it is also a fine example of cross border cooperation. National Park Podyjí lies on the southeastern border of the Czech and Moravian highlands and is an exceptionally well-preserved river-valley landscape with canyons of as much as 200 meters deep. The Dyje river meanders quietly through a plant and animal community unique in Europe. During the cold war the flora and fauna in

this border area between the East and the West developed undisturbed for years and even before the Berlin Wall came down, environmentalists on both sides realised that this was a unique chance to preserve a rare and pristine part of Europe’s natural heritage. National Park Podyjí opened in 1991. Thayatal National Park officially followed in 2000 but is substantially smaller than Podyjí. Ever since they have been working together, for instance in the ‘Nature without Borders’

project, which shares information and discusses potential dangers to both parks. They also develop projects together to attract more visitors. Thayatal National Park works as much as possible under a commercial business model.

In 2007, the Lower Austrian Government awarded director Robert Brunner its gold medal for special achievements in Lower Austria. Norbert Kellner, former mayor and long-standing chairman of the Thayatal National Park’s

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To bee or not to bee Across the globe bee populations are severely threatened.

As a result of processes not fully understood, the bees no longer seem to function as they did before. Hive numbers have been declining. We associate bees obviously with honey, but the pollination of over 70% of all European crops are dependent on insects; think of fruits like apples, pears, tomatoes and apricots, but also vegetables from carrots to onions, from cucumbers to pumpkins, almonds and walnuts, herbs and medicinal plants. 90% of wild flowers depend on pollination and it is essential to Europe’s biodiversity. We have more than 2000 species of bees in Europe and some of them have declined dramatically through loss of habitat, agrochemicals, parasites and diseases as well as competition between wild and managed species, climate change and non-native plants. A cohesive network of cooperation at a European level is necessary, as bees are not only an economical value, they are part of Europe’s cultural heritage.

advisory board, was awarded the silver medal of the Republic of Austria. He received in 2008 the highest recognition in the field of nature conservation: the JosefSchöffel Prize.

awards diplomas to ‘protected, natural and semi-natural areas and landscapes of special European importance for the preservation of biological, geological and landscape diversity.’)

And the initiative has been noted by international organizations too; such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Council of Europe (which

All the efforts have paid off. The park sees steadily growing visitors numbers. The surrounding areas are getting in on the act and have also profited from

the park’s popularity. From challenging hiking trails to cosy bed&breakfasts, the ThayatalPodyjí National Parks are a great place to retreat from the busy world for a few days, an unspoiled wonder in the heart of Europe www.np-thayatal.at www.europarc.org

Behind Burg Scenes BURGTHEATER VIENNA

After the Comédie Française, the Burgtheater in Vienna is Europe’s second-oldest theatre. Today, the Burgtheater, complete with its three affiliated venues – the Akademietheater, Kasino and Vestibül – and a permanent ensemble of more than 80 actors and actresses, is one of Europe’s largest theatres and plays a seminal role in the German-speaking theatrical world.

Apart from the stage-art the Burgtheater plays an important part in architecture and interior design of the 19th century in Vienna. The magnificent decoration, especially the two imperial staircases painted by Gustav Klimt, his brother Ernst Klimt and their companion Franz Matsch as well as the main foyer and the many statues, busts and paintings of famous writers and actors can be visited during our daily guided tour.

Guided Tour „Burgtheater – behind the scenes“ Monday – Thursday: 3 p.m. in German with English summary Friday – Sunday: 3 p.m. German and English (September to June)

Information and Contact: Phone: +43(0) 1 514 44-4140 Fax: +43(0) 1 514 44-4143 Mail: info@burgtheater.at Universitätsring 2, 1010 Wien

www.burgtheater.at

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Harmannsdorf

Peace of Mind :

The Extraordinary life of Bertha von Suttner It is a misty morning in Harmannsdorf in Lower Austria. The clouds have floated down to cover the hill in a soft, white blanket. The sounds of cowbells and bleating sheep may be heard far off and muted through the fog. The castle and the small village surrounding it could not be more peaceful, a perfect location for Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914), who spent her days here, writing about a Europe without war.

Bertha von Suttner

beginning of the 20th, peace was not such a clearly defined goal as it is today. In that sense we are all living in Bertha von Suttnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shadow.

What would she have made of the European Union? It is a safe bet she would have been delighted and proud. She probably would have many improvements and suggestions, but her ideal, a peaceful and unified Europe, has in many ways become a reality.

Von Suttner was a woman who did not fear to boldly go where no one, especially no woman, had gone before. Maybe todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world is still riddled with war but at least the overall mindset is that peace is better than war. In a way all politicians have, at least officially, become pacifists. In Von Suttnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time, the late 19th century and the

Her life could have been much different. Born as Bertha Baronin Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau she enjoyed the privileged life of a young aristocrat at the Austrian court. Countess Kinsky, as she was then known, had the opportunity to live the high life, travel around Europe and learn several languages. But all that was about to change. By the time she had reached 30, her inheritance was all but spent and she started working as a governess for the von Suttner family. The youngest son fell in love with her and, against the wishes of his family, they married. No longer welcome

in Austria, they made a new life for themselves in Tiflis (now Tbilisi in Georgia) where they lived for almost ten years. The family finally relented and in 1885 the couple returned to Austria, retreating to what was supposed to be a quiet life in Harmannsdorf.

Bertha had never thought of herself as an activist, but her ideas about society and pacifism began to evolve into more than just writing material. In 1887 she began working with the International Arbitration and Peace Association in London and she quickly developed a taste for more. Pacifism and the skill of arbitration became the driving force of her life. Her book The Machine Age had already established her as a pacifist writer,

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116 LIVING HERITAGE

so wholeheartedly, she dedicated herself to her work even more, as figurehead of a growing pacifist network, not just in Europe but also in the rest of the world.

Harmannsdorf

“But anyway, friends! Europe means peace since 1945. It is a political project in development.

It is a cultural passion!”

“Say, your friend would not by any chance be Ukranian?”

Cartoon on the European Elections by Plantu, used by permission

but it was Lay Down Your Arms (1889) that would project her into the international limelight.

The bestseller, which showed the abject horrors of war without the usual glory and without the usual

layers of nationalistic fervor and militarism, would cement her role as a leader of the international peace movement. After the death in 1902 of her husband, who had supported her endeavours

Before her marriage Bertha von Suttner had briefly worked as a personal assistant for Alfred Nobel in Paris and this meeting had left a lasting impression on both. Nobel would support the peace movement and Bertha’s initiatives for many years. They kept in close contact and it is clear that the reason the philanthropist put the establishment of a prize for peace in his will had much to do with their friendship. He had also clearly intended her to be one of its recipients: and so she was - in 1905 the fifth person and the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Peace Prize gave her the opportunity to reach an even larger audience and in her opinion this was of vital importance. But she felt her time running out. Physically she was not well and the spectre of World War I was casting its dark shadow across the continent. She kept saying to whoever wanted to listen that Europe was one and that working together harmoniously was the only way forward. But Europe was not ready for Von Suttner’s message of peace and arbitration. Although she remained hopeful until the end, she died just two months before the outbreak of World War I. Now, a hundred years after her death, the message of Bertha von Suttner is clearer than ever before.

She would have been pleased – but perhaps also appalled.

For more information on her life, times and ideals check out www. berthavonsuttner.com, an initiative of the Peace Palace in The Hague

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118 FEATURE

To call Vienna primarily a city of the dead would be quite accurate as more than 3 million people are buried here, much more than the present population of the city.

This particular cemetery was the result of forward thinking.

19th century Vienna was growing quickly and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was booming. Nobody foresaw the demise of the empire and the small graveyards of the city would not be able to cope with the expected increase in demand.

A decision was made to go big and inclusive. Not only would the cemetery, designed by Frankfurter architects Karl Jonas Mylius and Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli, be larger than large, it would be a place where everybody could rest in peace. Catholics and Jews, Protestants and Muslims would be laid to rest side by side, maybe not literally, but they would at least be in the same cemetery. This idea immediately outraged community leaders, as these things usually do.

The opening in 1874 was therefore a sober and almost secretive affair, so as not to cause further civic unrest.

Resting In Peace Vienna’s City of the Dead “Half the size of Zurich but twice the fun,” is a little inside Austrian joke at the expense of the Swiss about one the Europe’s largest graveyards. The Central Cemetery or Zentralfriedhof in the suburb of Simmering on the outskirts of Vienna is almost half the size of the city of Zurich.

Entrance to the Central Cemetery

The site exceeds any expectation.

It is a magnificent place. The beautifully sculpted Jugendstil gates open to the main street, leading to the Karl Lueger

119 Mozartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memorial grave

Mozart Museum, Vienna Mozart is still very much a part of Vienna

Memorial Church built by Max Hegele in the same style. Several large memorial buildings spread out their arched galleries as welcoming arms. The graves, some overgrown, others perfectly maintained, exude a solemn grace, especially in the early morning fog. Normally cars are not allowed in a cemetery, let alone buses, but

the place is so huge that walking from one side to the other can be challenging. Most elderly visitors take the bus provided, travelling between the Catholic, the Protestant and the two Jewish cemeteries. Orthodox Christians and Muslims are buried here as well, Buddhists joined the eternal ranks in 2005, Mormons in 2009.

There are a special areas for people who donated their bodies to science and for babies and young children.

Simmering was originally far from the central city and it was quite a journey to visit deceased relatives.

As a result, its popularity suffered

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Beethoven’s death mask

Behind the memorial galleries we can just see the Karl Lueger Memorial Church

and the city council decided that the cemetery should be made more appealing, not just to future clients, but also to tourists and visitors. The idea was quickly developed to creative an exclusive area for the rich and famous. And in a city like Vienna, the classical music capital of the world, they had to be musical celebrities. In 1888 many of the most famous

composers of all time were moved to their new resting place in the Central Cemetery and with great success. The tourists from across the globe no longer have to travel from parish church to parish church to honour their heroes, they can just stroll from one composer to the next. Ludwig van Beethoven lies next to Franz Schubert. The Strauss family is

just around the corner. Brahms, Von Suppé, Gluck, Salieri, Wolf, Schönberg and Robert Stolz, to name but a few, are all resting shoulder to shoulder. Even Mozart puts in an appearance. Mozart is buried somewhere in the St. Mark’s cemetery but the exact location is unknown. Popular myth tells us that Mozart was dumped in a mass grave but that

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is not really true. He was buried in a wooden coffin in a spot shared with four others, as was the normal custom at the time for people of the middle class.

The graves were later reused and Mozart’s bones probably ended up in an ossuary. The grave in the Central Cemetery therefore does not contain an actual body - it is a funerary memorial.

The Zentralfriedhof in Vienna is an amazing place to wile away a Sunday afternoon. Take your walking shoes and spend some time in the company of the old Viennese. Some grave monuments are constructed on ideas of simplicity and functionality while others are making grandiose statements, flanked by marble sculptures and poetic citations.

An occasional crow may make an appearance but the peace and quiet in the cemetery make it a welcome escape from the busy city.

Just take tram 71 from the centre of Vienna - although for many locals ‘taking the 71’ is a euphemism for death! And where else can you walk among the world’s greatest composers?

Schönberg Suppé

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Filip Radunović

‘Society should be supported by banks’

The ideals of ERSTE Foundation Long before ERSTE Foundation became a strong partner and friend of European non-governmental organizations such as Europa Nostra, there was the First Austrian Savings Bank. The founding of the bank in 1819 was a pioneering, civil-society initiative.

It empowered ordinary people to take their fate into their own hands by making provisions for the future. It was run by dedicated volunteers in a poor neighbourhood of the capital. The symbol of the original bank, a bee, and the slogan ‘work, collect, proliferate’ evokes an image of a prosperous beehive and the role played by bees in pollinating flowering plants.

The roots of the organisation are still very much part of today’s commitment.

ERSTE Foundation currently controls a little over 20% of Erste Group Bank AG, one of the largest financial services providers in Central and South Eastern Europe.

It invests its dividend revenue in social development projects in Austria and Central and South Eastern Europe. The foundation supports social participation and civil-society engagement; it brings people together and disseminates knowledge of the recent history of this region, which since 1989 has been undergoing dramatic change.

ERSTE Foundation has a very strong commitment to Europe as a whole. They strongly believe, as they state, ‘in a social, cultural and economic area without borders, with all its diverse natural beauty, individualism and identities.’

The organization initiates hundreds of projects to engage citizens of all backgrounds: from film festivals to social gatherings, from community programmes to a children’s choir, from a library to the ERSTE Foundation Community, a network of engaged organizations and individuals in civil society and culture. ERSTE Foundation offers an active

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approach to social problem-solving, cultural and artistic development and European integration. They have invested over 70 million Euros since the official foundation in 2003.

Let’s take time to sit down with Filip Radunović, Project Manager Europe. This dynamic young man was born in Podgorica in Montenegro and grew up in Munich, San Antonio and Vienna.

With a background in semiotics and media psychology, he was a perfect fit for a new and fast-growing organization geared towards exchanging ideas and creating synergies on a European scale.

What attracted you to work for ERSTE Foundation?

I was 26 years old when I joined ERSTE Foundation. That was nearly six years ago. At that moment the Foundation was in its fourth operational year as a philanthropic institution. I clearly remember the first contact with my boss and our first talks and interviews. The fascination of moving from Podgorica to Vienna to work for this unfamiliar (to me, at that time) entity called ERSTE Foundation lay in the overall context of its existence and mission – a young, dynamic organization which was set up to enhance social welfare in Central and South Eastern Europe. The opportunity to become involved in such a broad spectrum of work, covering various transformative processes in culture, contemporary arts, and social policy, with media freedom and entry into youth work, seemed to me a remarkable and most unusual privilege. And in the end, being young and willing to contribute to the development of such a body – and therefore be part of its social impact - seemed

to be a huge bonus. After six years I can only confirm this very first impression.

Banks suffered a lot of image damage over the last few years: it must have been quite the opposite for you, as a bank which does good for the community?

Yes and no. Certainly, being a shareholder in a bank which uses part of its profits to support civil society is great. We are the good ones! ERSTE Group has been doing retail business for people and real economy for almost 200 years. It’s a very old and, in the best sense of the term, conservative business model. But on the other hand many people have been severely affected and also scared by the financial crisis. We – bank and foundation - therefore have to convince them, every day, through steady work and investment in the both the profit and non-profit sectors, that there are models which can provide positive alternatives for an economic system that increasingly seems to ignore people’s real needs.

It’s not the banks which should be saved by society, but society which should be supported by the banks.

What are the main objectives that lie at the heart of the projects and the initiatives of ERSTE?

Our objectives are defined in our mission and vision for the future. If one looks at Europe in 2014, a hundred years after the start of one of the greatest human tragedies, it can appear that we – as Europeans – haven’t learned much from history. After the bloody Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, it seemed somehow natural for all of us to think that war on European soil was impossible. But recent developments in Ukraine, and social unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other EU countries, show us that we still need a peace-building process. 25 years after 1989 the old divisions seem suddenly to be more alive than we thought. Although we do not have huge ideological differences any more, the potential for conflict never seems far away.

And it’s exactly here that the part of our mission which contributes to the European idea lies – to support those change processes so essential after the tragic socio-economic developments occurring after the fall of the iron curtain, and to empower a broad cultural exchange

Poster of ‘Pioniri: My History, Our History’-project in the Balkans Film festival in Romania

Democracy workshops in Montenegro

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and understanding between the formerly-divided parts of Europe.

Do you see possibilities of cooperation in the field of cultural heritage especially in Central and Eastern Europe?

We see cultural heritage in the first place through non-material goods and products of culture. We believe that only through creating a common cultural space in Europe - and one day hopefully beyond it - can we ensure that the material products and remains from our past, and those yet to come, are conserved for future generations. It is thus also important to mention that our focus lies on contemporary art and culture which is in a broad

Superar Choir, photo by Silvia Lelli

sense the heritage of tomorrow.

We work intensively with some of the most interesting practitioners and researchers from the cultural sector, supporting various cultural and artistic initiatives and collectives which deal with current curatorial practice and academic research in those fields.

The dynamic relationship between architecture and society is also something the foundation is interested in, for instance the Balkan Reloaded project?

Actually, our focus on architecture reflects dominant socio-economic developments in the region.

The entire project which you mention kicked off in Kosovo, a couple of years after the war. We do believe that architecture is a participative and integral form of social interaction which directly influences the quality of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives and their willingness to take part in various social processes. We therefore started supporting small urban development initiatives throughout the region: to form local and regional networks and enable neighbors to form a critical discourse about ongoing spatial and demographic challenges in a post-conflict region, still divided by entrenched ethnic-

national attitudes. The new money phenomenon which hit many of those countries and endangered some of the most beautiful European cultural sites is just one aspect of the story. We try to create spheres of common understanding, because we can see pretty much the same things happening with architectural heritage sites in different parts of Europe. It is unfortunately a long process, mainly to do with education and fostering a critical understanding in those citizens who are - or are

becoming - aware that their urban and rural surroundings do have a huge impact on their lives.

The New Narrative for Europe is an EU initiative in which Europa Nostra actively participates: but you have had a similar platform for exchanging ideas, knowledge and initiatives for many years, havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you?

Yes, we have. And still do. We call it the ERSTE Foundation Community Meeting - an annual meeting of our main project partners. It serves as a platform for exchanging concepts, getting to know each other and creating an umbrella of possible initiatives which one day might be realized within the framework of some of our ongoing, or even new, projects. The exchange of ideas and knowledge is one of our foremost working principles. We believe that societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development can only be assured if free individuals are motivated to create a common discourse about ongoing challenges and the issues which affect us all.

Therefore, we try to emphasize this kind of thinking, not only throughout our Community Meetings, but in all of our main projects.

The Foundation has a strong and clear conviction about Europe as one continent: what are the major challenges in that for Central and Eastern Europe in the years to come?

The general idea and road to a peacefully united continent, the same one which produced some of the most brutal atrocities in human history, is one of the most fundamental civilisational visions. We strongly believe that all the people we work with, all the NGO-activists, artists, researchers, curators, journalists,

school teachers and many others, are the guardians of peace and form society’s progressive voices.

Our mission is to support them and their ideas in creating an atmosphere of mutual respect, understanding and tolerance.

International solidarity, connection and cooperation are some of the core values of ERSTE Foundation: do you feel that this sentiment is sufficiently shared by the governmental structures in the region?

The region we are active in is part of an ongoing, long term transition process. A lot of work is still lying ahead for those young democracies, and the process requires patience and diligence on the part of everyone involved. However, many of the results are already visible and tangible. Many countries are already part of the European family; others are strongly committed accession candidates.

What I can say for the Foundation is that we are committed to provide support, dismantle prejudices and encourage cooperation as long as may be necessary.

The Bank and the Foundation are an interesting and successful combination: are there other European banks interested in following suit?

Well, we are not the first, nor the only one. Like other savings banks foundations, ERSTE Foundation inherited its commitment to serve the common good from its founder, in our case the ERSTE Österreichische Spar-Casse, a savings banks association founded in 1819 to assist individuals who were unable to provide for their future by themselves. Therefore, serving the common good is not for us a choice but a basic part of

our DNA. There are other savings banks in Europe who follow a similar model, like the much older Italian foundations, for example, Compagnia di San Paolo, or in Spain, like La Caixa Foundation. In Germany you have many corporate foundations, Robert Bosch Foundation e.g., that own their companies and invest profits into society. And it would be great if many more would get on board and make similar commitments.

You have spent tens of millions of Euros on hundreds of projects in the last 10 years. How do you manage all that?

We have a team of nearly 30 employees which is a perfect fit for this kind of challenge. And we do differentiate between our inhouse projects, which we develop and implement by ourselves, and external projects, which are connected with strong project partners to implement the main work, with our coordination and support. Beside the huge numbers, there is still much to be done. Social injustice is on the rise in Central and South Eastern Europe and democracy is at stake. 25 years after the fall of communism we still have many open questions in the region which the official state structures cannot solve by themselves. Non-governmental support is therefore crucial in many fields. Naturally, we cannot fill all the gaps, but we can make small, decent contributions to change the landscape for the better.

The children’s choir Superar, one of your projects, will perform in the Burgtheater in Vienna for the 2014 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards ceremony. Can you tell us more about that initiative?

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Superar is one of the most successful projects of the Foundation, one we are also most proud of. If you ever had the chance to see the kids perform live you would immediately know why.

Beside the emotional dimension which dozens, or hundreds, of kids can bring along on stage while singing and dancing, we see this initiative as one of the most genuine ways of bridging social differences at an early age, be they ethnic, religious, national, gender or any other. Unfortunately all these differences start to become embedded at an early age.

Therefore it is part of our mission to create areas and spaces of unbiased equality, especially for the youngest ones. We do this not

only through Superar but also other school and youth projects. The main reason for supporting Europa Nostra’s congress lies in our basic understanding that by supporting Superar as part of the ceremony, we contribute to the promotion of a common European cultural heritage, whose real impact will become clear only after many years, if not decades. It is very hard to measure social impact; therefore only our very subjective feelings of empathy and tolerance can navigate us through the darkening jungle of social injustice. http://www.erstestiftung.org

‘Between Prishtina and Skopje’-project by artist Kai Vöckler

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Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso during the presentation of the declaration of the New Narrative for Europe in the Akademie der Künste in Berlin on 1 March 2014

Europe is a State of Mind On 1 March 2014, the declaration of the New Narrative for Europe was presented to President Barroso and Chancellor Merkel at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Drafted

by Europe’s artists, intellectuals, scientists and cultural practitioners, this text stresses that “Europe is a State of Mind.” It also calls for a new Renaissance in Europe based on cosmopolitanism and on a strong collective commitment to our shared cultural values, which include our cultural heritage.

Europa Nostra’s Secretary General, Sneška QuaedvliegMihailović took an active part in this process as a member of the New Narrative for Europe Culture Committee. In Berlin, she made an exclusive interview for

Heritage in Motion with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.

stronger over the years. What made you give culture an even greater priority than before?

Your conviction that our culture is a power for positive change in Europe has become even

When I was a young student in Geneva, I had the great privilege to meet and work with Denis de

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Rougemont. He was not just a great thinker and a great author the author of the beautiful book, L’amour et l’Occident - but also the man behind the creation of the European Centre of Culture in Geneva, a man who has always emphasized the importance of the cultural dimension of European unification. He used to say that “Europe is a culture, or else it is nothing.” So I have always been very sensitive to the fact that culture is an essential part of the foundations of the European project.

That said, most of the work that went into the process of European integration has in fact been devoted to our economies and to our markets and comparatively little has been devoted to our cultural dimension. This was not wrong at all. European integration would have failed if it had not started with the economies and the markets. But I think that the European Union has now reached a stage in its history where its cultural dimension can no longer be ignored. Culture is not a niceto-have, but a need-to-have. And Europe is more than a market.

We must use our creative energies to the full. And this includes our cultural potential as much as our economic potential, which thus far we have been using for much longer, and much more intensively.

We also need common ground, and common reflection about the kind of European Union we want for the future, and we cannot succeed without a proper look at Europe’s cultural dimension.

This is why, during my first mandate as President of the European Commission, I decided to open a new area of cooperation on cultural policy with the

President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso with Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo and European Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou during the opening of the special exhibition on the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the Berlaymont building in Brussels.

adoption in 2007 of the first-ever European Agenda for Culture in a Globalizing World. We set a framework for real cooperation across Member States and entities. Besides, the intrinsic value of culture was considered key to fostering social cohesion, economic growth, job creation, innovation and competitiveness.

This cultural dimension is also expressed in our external relations. Joint action plans have been signed with China, India, Mexico and Brazil, aimed at supporting local cultural policies and structural capacities conducive to socio-economic development.

More recently, I strongly advocated a robust Creative Europe programme, the new European funding programme for the cultural and creative sectors, which entered into force on 1st of January of this year.

Our aim is to help artists, cultural professionals and cultural

organisations so that they can work across borders and ensure that their works reach as many people as possible.

You also became personally very committed to the ‘New Narrative for Europe’ initiative. Why? This initiative is very close to my heart, because it is not enough to say that we Europeans share a common destiny! A sense of belonging to Europe, to a community of values, culture and

President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso with Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo

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interests, is essential to forge that “common destiny.”

Today there is clearly a growing feeling of estrangement among European citizens, and we even see a growing disillusionment among pro-Europeans. There is a deficit of confidence in our own strengths and skills; a lack of confidence in the future itself.

This is a serious problem that we have to resolutely address, because Europe is us, each of us. We cannot build a Europe that is only considered to be the responsibility of the European institutions. We have to make Europe a reality from the citizens’ point of view.

Plantu in Berlin during the New Narrative for Europe meeting During the presentation of the New Narrative for Europe declaration on the ‘Mind and Body of Europe’, Jean Plantu, the renowned editorial cartoonist at Le Monde, was invited for a ‘live cartooning’ performance.

The projections of his cartoons introduced humour in a very solemn event, especially when he showed his cartoon The Future of Europe is l’Art - see photo.

President Barroso and Chancellor Merkel and all other 200 participants were visibly very amused...

Jean Plantu is the founding President of the association ‘Cartooning for Peace’, which promotes a better understanding and mutual respect between people of different cultures and beliefs using editorial cartoons as a universal language. Plantu is also a convinced European: “I was delighted to contribute to the New Narrative for Europe event in Berlin. Europe is indeed a state of mind. It is also a peace project, a historic adventure based on the openness of our minds and respect for each other. We the cartoonists can help Europeans to overcome conflicts through the relaxing power of laughter.” cartooningforpeace.org

Peace, democracy, freedom and prosperity - and the European Union itself - should not be taken for granted. They are not a given once-and-for-all. They have to be fought for. And this is a fight to be fought by each of us. A fight that challenges each of us to think of the role we can play in helping Europe.

This means that the founding raison d’être of the European project remains more valid than ever. This is about peace and freedom, democracy and human rights. We should be true to this vision of Europe. We have to stand up clearly for these core values while we also have to continue our narrative, to continue to write the book of the present and of the future, that is the book of Europe in the age of globalization.

And this new narrative is not only about a new commitment to Europe but also about a new enthusiasm for Europe.

On 1 March, the text of the ‘New Narrative for Europe’ was presented in Berlin. Chancellor

Merkel and yourself attended this event. Can you share with us your impressions?

This declaration is really an act of faith in Europe. You all, the artists, cultural activists, intellectuals who participate in this initiative, you have precisely decided not to turn your back on Europe but to engage, to be critical sometimes but to be constructive. You don’t say that our Europe is perfect. But you say that Europe is our future.

And I was happy to see in this declaration something I have been saying very often: Europe is “a moral and political responsibility, which must be carried, not just by institutions and politicians, but by each and every European.”

Because as I have just said Europe is not them, that is the European institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg or Luxembourg, but Europe is us, each of us. And each of us can make a difference in Europe and contribute to driving positive change.

In your view, how relevant and important are Europe’s heritage and history for Europe’s future?

Is our heritage an asset or a burden for Europe?

Europe’s rich history and amazing reserves of creativity are some of the strongest cards we hold when it comes to building a prosperous European future. And as President of the European Commission I have always been strongly committed to bring Europe’s cultural heritage to the fore and to protect and promote our cultural diversity.

The richness of European unity stems precisely from the fact that it is achieved through a fruitful blending of differences, contrasts,

Sneška QuaedvliegMihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra and member of the Cultural Committee of the New Narrative for Europe as the Master of Ceremony during the event of 1 March 2014 in Berlin

and even tensions. The wealth of our culture lies in our openness to other societies, our openness to the world; and this is clearly one of our main strengths. First, because our Union shows that it is possible to come together in a Community of values and interests, with a common determination to act together in a coherent manner, whilst recognizing and respecting our differences. Second, because in the age of globalization, such a culture of openness is a very valuable asset. It creates bonds that extend beyond borders.

When I had the great honour to represent the European Union receiving the Nobel Peace Prize 2012 in Oslo, I made a point about stressing that culture and science are at the core of our European project, precisely as a way of going beyond borders. Because you cannot really commit to this idea of culture without accepting the idea that you have to go beyond borders. Culture offers us a unique insight into today’s diverse societies and shows us what can be achieved when people meet and inspire each other.

Do you believe in Europe as a “soft (super)power”?

I believe in Europe as a power with the different attributes of power and yes, of course, this also includes what is called soft power, that is, attractiveness of our values, of our way of life, of our cultural diversity.

You know, I directly experienced it myself. I grew up under a dictatorship. And when I think of Europe, I think of it as an idea much more than a place.

The European Union is about democracy, it is about freedom, it is about justice.

More recently these powerful images of the people of Ukraine waiving the European flag give us a very vivid and telling illustration of Europe’s soft power. They tell us more about the strength and influence of Europe’s soft power than a long speech could.

Just let me add that culture is a very precious tool of diplomacy, because it is about connecting with people all over the world.

It is about universal values and inspirations. And indeed Europe’s global influence also lies in our cultural openness to other societies, our openness to the world.

Please share with us your own “European dream”...

This is the dream of a more political and a more cultural Europe.

A more political Europe, because I believe we need a political Union. Indeed the solidity of our economic and monetary union will eventually depend on its underlying political and institutional structure.

And a more cultural Europe, because I believe that politics is instrumental – it allows us to turn the dream of European unity in a political reality - and culture, art, knowledge are existential. Culture is about fulfilling the individual dreams of each one of us; it is for each one of us the opportunity to realize our own potential.

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SPECIAL MENTION

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Saving the Jewel of the Taferlberg

Maria Taferl Church

Erwin Hameseder

There is a new kind of European banker that has been slowly emerging over the past decades: bankers who are committed to society, who view banks as organisations that should make life better, should protect art and culture and help the socially vulnerable. A rare breed still, you may say, but their numbers are growing. Visionaries who see that a society that is inclusive and interacts on every level is a society that will flourish; socially, culturally and economically.

Elsewhere in this magazine you will encounter the exemplary activities of the ERSTE Stiftung

but there are also exceptional individuals who feel it is their responsibility to step up to the plate and be counted; to go beyond the call of duty as a banker and show a professional and personal dedication to the world around them.

Erwin Hameseder (b.1956) received a Special Mention in the category Dedicated Service in the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards 2014 for his personal commitment, determination and perseverance in the field of cultural heritage preservation.

131 Basilica treasure room before and after restoration

He is an active supporter of the monasteries Stift Zwettl, Stift Herzogenburg, Stift Altenburg and the Basilica Mariazell to name but a few. He served as President of the Association of the Benedictine Monastery Göttweig, was on the advisory board for the P. George Sporschill non-profit organisation and even the Sri Lanka tsunami relief. But his finest moment to date is probably the restoration of the Maria Taferl Church above the Danube river.

Built on an ancient Celtic site, legend says that the statue of the Pietà at the Maria Taferl shrine was a gift from Alexander Schinagel, a forester, who had a miraculous recovery from a serious illness. It has been an important pilgrimage site ever since and the church is a symbol of Austria’s history with Catholicism. The church is built in Baroque style with gold leaf ornaments and a beautiful frescoed ceiling. The impressive monument gave the local inhabitants hope and courage after the Plague, the Turkish Wars, and the Thirty Years’ War. The necessary restoration of the church was extremely challenging

as the 850 inhabitants of the village of Maria Taferl had to somehow come up with one third of the costs. Erwin Hameseder became chairman of the association to raise awareness and to raise the funds. In seven years he managed to collect 1.5 million Euro through concerts, golf tournaments, classic car tours, pilgrimages and many other events, not just enough for the restoration but also for the rose garden, the cloister garden and the parish offices. The jewel of the Taferlberg is now back to its former glory and ready for the future.

The preservation and restoration not only revived the monument, it also created jobs and revitalised the whole region. Cultural heritage became the motor for the local economy, for tourism and for the religious life of the area.

Erwin Hameseder is already an honorary citizen of Maria Taferl and a highly respected Austrian banker and businessman. The importance of his work has now also been recognised at the European level.

Rose garden before and after restoration

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Commissioner Vassiliou during the opening of the exhibition of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage with Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso

‘Budget for Creative Europe increased by 9%’ An interview with Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

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in Vienna. It will also be her last as Commissioner as there will soon be a new European Commission.

Like most Europeans, Vassiliou has passionate views on education, culture, languages, youth and sport. Luckily she found time to sit down for an exclusive interview with Heritage in Motion and discuss her new policies in the field of cultural heritage as part of the Commission’s ‘Europe 2020’ strategy for a competitive, green and sustainable economy.

‘Heritage First!’ was the title of an important conference organised by the Hellenic Presidency of the EU. Will this also be the message of the European Commission?

Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou has been a friend of Europa Nostra for many years and her personal commitment to Europe’s cultural heritage is clear. For many years now she has presented, together with Europa Nostra’s President Plácido Domingo, the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards. This year the ceremony will take place in the Burgtheater

In the next few weeks, I intend to launch a new Commission strategy on cultural heritage. My aim is to propose a blueprint for promoting the intrinsic and societal value of cultural heritage and for maximizing its contribution to sustainable economic growth and job creation. We will emphasise the need to strengthen cooperation among Member States, local authorities, civil society and all stakeholders to develop new

models of governance that foster community participation.

These ideas are very much in line with what was discussed at the Heritage First!’ conference in March.

How can we promote together a ‘New Narrative for Europe’ which puts a much stronger emphasis on culture and cultural heritage as a key resource for Europe?

A successful ‘New Narrative for Europe’ will be one created by European citizens themselves. The ‘Mind and Body of Europe’ text proposed by the New Narrative’s Cultural Committee, in which Europa Nostra plays an active role, provides us with a starting point which will hopefully inspire Europeans of all ages.

Culture and cultural heritage are central to any European narrative, as they are an important part of our way of life. Our cultural heritage, in particular, is our collective memory and, in that sense, it is also a key resource with tremendous potential for encouraging integration.

Commissioner Vassiliou, Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo and grand prix winner Paraschiva Kovacs, during the 2012 ceremony at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon

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In defining the New Narrative for Europe, the process of discussion is as important as the outcome.

It is through the process of engagement and dialogue that citizens will be more directly involved in the European project and able to develop their own understanding of what it means to be part of the European Union.

I am convinced that we must continue to highlight culture and cultural heritage in all areas of policy-making, raising awareness of the sectors’ potential for sustainable and inclusive growth, quality jobs and social cohesion.

Commissioner Vassiliou during her speech at the ceremony in Athens in 2013

Creative Europe, the EU’s new programme for the cultural and creative sectors, will continue to support cultural heritage projects.

How will this support specifically help the sector? In what other ways will the EU support heritage in the next seven years?

Under the former Culture programme, more than 130 cooperation projects in the area of cultural heritage received funding totalling €38 million. This support will continue and expand under our new Creative Europe programme.

I am very proud of the Creative Europe programme, which supports both culture and audiovisual policy. The

programme has a €1.46 billion budget to support the cultural and creative sectors over the next seven years, which represents a 9% increase compared with the previous Culture and MEDIA programmes combined.

A substantial portion of this funding will support heritage, by financing trans-national cooperation projects involving cultural organisations in different countries. It will also finance European networks dedicated to cultural heritage.

These two funding streams will help to provide heritage professionals with up-graded skills, competences and know-how in areas such as digital technologies, audience development and new business and management models. Creative Europe will also encourage crossborder mobility and international careers.

In addition, there will be other opportunities for EU funding for cultural heritage, in particular through the Regional Funds, but also other EU schemes including the programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME), Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+.

The European Regional Development Fund specifically highlights the protection, promotion and development of cultural heritage among its priorities under the protection of the environment and resource efficiency objective. COSME will provide indirect support to cultural heritage by promoting the diversification of tourism and the development of European cultural routes.

Horizon 2020 will support research projects related to cultural heritage, financed primarily under the ‘societal challenges’ priority. The Erasmus+ ‘Knowledge Alliances’ and ‘Sector Skills Alliances’, fostering closer links between higher and vocational education and enterprise, can help design curricula that meet the new needs of the heritage sector.

Can you share with us your best heritage memory as EU Commissioner: which awarded project made a lasting impression on you? Which ceremony of the awards?

It is impossible to single out a single project because there are so many fantastic ones to choose from! In the same way, each of the award ceremonies which I attended was impressive and memorable in its own way.

If I were forced to pick one moment that made a lasting impression, however, it would be when the Grand Prix for dedicated service was awarded to Paraschiva Kovacs, a retired schoolteacher from the Hungarianspeaking community of Harghita in Romania, during the 2012 ceremony at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. Mrs Kovacs dedicated over 40 years of her life to keeping an inventory of artefacts from her village and was responsible for preserving a collection of 100-year old carved wooden ‘Szekler’ gates.

She came up to the podium in magnificent traditional dress and it was clear how much the award meant to her as she took the microphone and spoke rapidly in her native tongue. It didn’t matter that few of us could understand

what she was saying. Her enthusiasm was infectious. It was a memorable and moving moment.

What importance do you attach to the work of civil society organisations like Europa Nostra?

Any special recommendations for their future EU related strategy and action?

Europa Nostra and other civil society organisations have a crucial role to play as advocates for European heritage. My staff in the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture has worked side-byside with Europa Nostra for many years now. I can only encourage you to continue your excellent work and to reach out to even more decision makers at European, national, regional and local levels. This will be particularly important in the coming year as the European Parliament will have a new look after the elections and there will also be a new European Commission soon.

At local level, you are in contact with cultural heritage professionals and with the millions of volunteers who care for European heritage, restore it, preserve it, love it, make it part of their lives and of their community.

They need to know that we value their contribution very highly, and that we listen to them.

What is your proudest achievement (so far) during your mandate as Commissioner who is responsible for Culture?

I think we did an amazing job to secure a 9% increase in the budget for Creative Europe, despite the fact that the overall European Union budget was cut and at a time when many Member States

are unfortunately reducing their public expenditure on culture.

This increase was something we fought hard for. We may not have got as much as we hoped, but I was very happy that the European Parliament and the Council backed our arguments. The new budget means we will not only be able to maintain our previous levels of grant support for the cultural and audiovisual sectors, but also to launch a new financial guarantee facility, enabling small cultural and creative businesses to access up to €750 million in bank loans.

you know, I am passionate about literacy and I hope I can do more in this field too: it is unacceptable that one in five people in Europe are illiterate or lack basic reading and writing skills.

What are you most looking forward about nót being a Commissioner?

I will enjoy having more time for myself and my family. I am also looking forward to visiting many different places with a sense of ease rather than rushing from one meeting to another!

In which area or on which subject do you wish you could have done more?

I think we have achieved a great deal at the European level over the past few years, despite a very challenging economic situation.

I would have certainly liked to have actually visited more of the cultural heritage sites which we have honoured at the awards – and also to have found the time to see more of the wonderful European films we have funded through the MEDIA programme.

Will you stay involved in some of the areas of your large portfolio also after the end of your mandate as Commissioner? And how?

I plan to remain active in the cultural sector, by supporting and strengthening the work of Europa Nostra in general and in my home country, Cyprus, in particular.

I also hope that my experience and expertise can be used in the area of education, especially in furthering the cause of reform and modernisation. This is crucial if we are to ensure our young people have the skills needed to find employment and secure the long-term prosperity of Europe. As

The Berlaymont Building of the European Commission in Brussels

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The new brochure of the organisation

A bright future for the past

Austrian Castle Association

Alexander, count Kottulinsky is a busy man. The 40-something easygoing President of the association talks quickly and enthusiastically about his mission and his passion.

From his bright offices he is continuously on the phone, on his tablet or computer to represent the members of the Österreichischer Burgenverein: Verein zur Erhaltung historischer Bauten, or Austrian Castle Association in English. The member organization of Europa Nostra has been through many changes over the last few years. In 2012, Kottulinsky took over from Bernard von Liphart, who had led the organization effectively for close to 30 years. The association was formed almost 60 years ago by private castle owners and their friends to protect and preserve the castles, fortresses and historic houses of Austria.

Kottulinsky: “With over 40,000 heritage sites in Austria and with 1,200 private castle owners the potential for the organisation is very large. We are opening the doors and windows to the outside world and re-connect even more than in the past to our European partners like the European Historic Houses Association and Europa Nostra. We also have a new board which perfectly fits with our new approach. We are proud to be a leading organisation for the 2014 Europa Nostra congress in Austria and the awards ceremony of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in the Burgtheater.”

“At this moment we represent 200 owners of heritage and about 300 friends. The numbers are growing - we are working very hard on that. We are continuing with our heritage tours and our practical seminars and we have created a new modern look for

137 Alexander Kottulinsky, the President of the Ostereichische Burgenverein, is always at work for his organisation and Europa Nostra, of which he is a Council member.

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our magazine. We are actively looking at our colleagues in other countries and liaise with them to see how they tackle certain challenges. We also focus on the political side of our mandate with attention to tax and legal matters.

We want zero VAT on maintenance for instance. There are many things that need our attention. I see the role of our association as an intermediary, between the owners and the national government and the regional departments that are responsible for monuments and sites. We want to be an active platform, a spokesperson, an adviser on heritage. Let me give you an example. A ruin on your property can be a registered monument, but what happens if a wall topples, if consolidation is necessary to preserve it? How can we lobby for improved rules and regulations to help the owners protect privately owned heritage sites? We do not just want to issue a yellow card when the government makes a wrong move, we want to work in dialogue, to be at the right place and the right time to change things for the better. The privately owned castles and historic houses in Austria are an essential part of our country’s attractiveness. They are a central element for our tourist trade. Our castles, fortresses and country houses are the visual and historical figureheads for our counties, our towns and our villages. They are

in a sense, the ‘family silver’ of Austria and as such should be well preserved and protected.

‘When you do not know where you come from, you do not know where you’re going,’ Otto von Habsburg, the last Crown Prince of AustriaHungary, used to say. And if I may paraphrase; we at the Austrian Castle Association know where we come from and we know where we want to go,” Kottulinsky explains with an easy smile.

“One of the things we decided to do is to take the organisation on the road. To go into the countryside, to re-introduce ourselves, to talk to the people involved, to learn about their concerns, to discuss new ideas and initiatives, to share our knowledge and the knowledge

of our European colleagues.

We also need to bring in young castle owners, of which there are many, and show them what the association is doing for them, the political steps we are taking. We are ambitious and we have set a goal to attract new members.

We want at least 600 owners and 3,000 friends.”

Alexander, count Kottulinsky and his young and energetic board are ready to face the challenges and grab the opportunities. The privately owned heritage of Austria is in capable hands with this active partner of Europa Nostra. The future of Austria’s past looks bright.

www.burgenverein.at

The Philharmonics regard the opportunity to perform at the ceremony for the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards as a great honour.

Saving and supporting the cultural heritage of our wonderful continent should be one of our deepest concerns. If everyone endeavors to put their own individual effort into this great idea, all those little drops of good will and enthusiasm will create an ocean of positive energy, pointing to a successful and peaceful future. thephilharmonics.com

Benvenuto!

Ristorante Sole proudly supports Europa Nostra.

Annagasse 8-10, Vienna - www. ristorante-sole.at

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‘Europe needs smart, green and inclusive growth’ An interview with Commissioner Johannes Hahn Commissioner Johannes Hahn (b.1957) has been responsible for Regional and Urban Policy in the European Commission since 2010.

The former Austrian Minister is passionate about creating new jobs and boosting the internal market through effective regional policies.

In his opinion Europe faces big economic challenges and has to compete with new powers like China, India and Brazil. Regional policy is the key instrument to achieve a smart, inclusive and green growth, as he describes it.

During this exclusive interview for Heritage in Motion he points to the importance of investments in cultural and creative industries and the role cultural heritage plays in regional development policies.

Do you see a strong role for cultural heritage as a key resource for Europe’s new smart, sustainable and inclusive ‘Europe 2020 Strategy’ framework?

Commissioner Hahn in Pompeii

The reformed Cohesion Policy for 2014-2020 is indeed a more focussed and results-based investment framework that channels funding to thematic objectives that are closely linked to Europe 2020’s targets, such as innovation, entrepreneurship and SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) competitiveness,

renewable energies and energy efficiency, etc.: areas that will contribute to smart, green and inclusive growth.

Investments into cultural and creative industries, due to their strong growth potential, have a place in the future programmes, in particular if they are linked to new technologies and innovation: using ICT to provide better access to cultural experiences, for instance through mobile apps, improving the user experience through service innovation, enhancing the entrepreneurial dynamics around cultural attraction points.

Being at the crossroads between arts, business and technology, the cultural and creative sectors are also in a strategic position to trigger positive economic spillover and to act as enablers for innovation in other industries, creating growth and high-skilled jobs.

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The new EU budget for 2014-2020 will make about 325 billion Euro available for sustainable regional or local development. In the past, a relatively small part was used to finance heritage related projects.

Can we expect more in the coming budgetary period?

For 2007-2013, the Member States have allocated € 6 billion for the heading ‘Culture,’ but the cultural industry is supported through many more Cohesion Policy investments, for example in the areas of tourism, urban regeneration, RTD (Research and Technological Development), SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises), etc. The Regulations for 2014-2020 equally offer many possibilities to invest in cultural and creative industries as well as the protection, promotion and development of cultural heritage.

It is up to the Member States, in discussion with our services, to decide where they want to focus their investments. Preserving cultural heritage is indeed important but such investments must be part of an integrated approach that is also supported by other resources and efforts.

Cultural investments should be embedded in viable and integrated strategies that tackle all important aspects of developing indigenous potential, including the potential for creating jobs and growth in the region.

You have announced an increased support for the World Heritage Site of Pompeii, following the reports of new damage to Pompeii’s famous archaeological structures caused by heavy rainfall. What role can the EU play?

Indeed, the site of Pompeii is of huge cultural importance not

just to Campania or Italy alone, but to Europe and to the rest of the world. Beyond the intrinsic cultural value of the site, the economic benefits of conserving Pompeii for future generations could be enormous. Driven by high quality tourism and new and improved services we can create new jobs and protect existing ones.

This wider aspect is of vital importance. When we invest in preserving cultural heritage, we must always bear in mind the ‘spillover effect’ to the local area – the benefits to be reaped

by SMEs, the need for accessible, well-connected transport links, the demand on local services etc.

Protecting cultural heritage is indeed close to our hearts, but we are not investing in culture for culture alone: we must consider it in the context of the economic growth of a region.

Many more heritage sites in Europe are in danger due to various types of threats. Last year, Europa Nostra has launched a new programme The 7 Most Endangered, in partnership with the European Investment Bank Institute. Could we imagine a stronger involvement

of EU structural funds to help save Europe’s sites selected on our annual list of endangered heritage?

Future Cohesion Policy investment priorities must focus on delivering Europe 2020 growth goals and concentrate on areas where EU action has an added value. Funding must not be spread too thinly, and it must be effective to yield results. Therefore, where cultural investments are embedded in a holistic and integrated approach to the economic development of an area or a region, EU investments can contribute to growth in that sector.

As I mentioned before, Cohesion Policy will also continue to support cultural heritage not only through direct funding, but through investment in a wider sense, for example, in urban regeneration, sustainable urban development and support to SMEs. Europe’s cities are hotbeds of culture and we foresee over 50% of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) being invested in urban areas from 2014-2020, improving the urban economy, the quality of life of citizens and promoting a more inclusive society.

Commissioner Hahn meets European students in the European Parliament

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Commissioner Johannes Hahn

Caring for our heritage can help to improve the standard and quality of our life and our living environment, both in cities and in the countryside. Cultural heritage is also a defining aspect of regional distinctiveness, regional products and regional tourism.

Do you think that all those benefits have been sufficiently taken into account within EU policies and instruments?

We are fully aware of the fact that culture can stimulate urban and regional development and of the close links of culture and tourism.

It has been demonstrated that the ‘European Capital of Culture label’ for example brings many benefits to cities and regions and can create a significant social and economic legacy, particularly when it is embedded into a longterm culture- and creativity-led development strategy. We also believe that cultural initiatives can contribute to social inclusion and poverty reduction, particularly in urban areas and notably through innovative projects, such as those

funded through ERDF (European Regional Development Fund).

But only cultural Investments with a sustainable economic impact can be prioritised for ERDF, particularly in light of its ‘jobs and growth objective’. Our Funds cannot replace national budgets in terms of maintenance of cultural heritage but must supplement and reinforce Member State investments. ERDF also promotes regions’ comparative advantage by requiring them to put forward smart specialisation strategies. For example, design plays a key role as an intangible asset for innovative companies.

21% of European companies use design as a strategic means to encourage innovation and the EU’s design sector has an annual turnover of €36 billion.

Recently in Athens, civil society organisations active in the field of cultural heritage, such as Europa Nostra, sent a strong message to the 6th European Summit of Regions and Cities urging

Europe’s regions and cities to fully deploy the potential of cultural heritage and culture as a strategic resource for developing a society based on ethical, aesthetic and ecological values. What can be done by the EU to stimulate such a culture-orientated approach to development, also in line with the principles of the Hanghzou Declaration (May 2013)?

We share the view of the Hanghzou Declaration that we should ‘harness the past to create the future’ but we also learn from our experience in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of investments.

While ‘a vibrant cultural life may be key to achieving a sustainable city’, only a holistic approach to development, which embraces the transition towards a knowledge society, building on social, organisational and technical innovation and entrepreneurial dynamics, can make it a ‘smart’ one.

open happiness

Coca-Cola since 1886.

And refreshes since 1929.

We are proud to support Europe’s cultural heritage and welcome all guests of Europa Nostra’s Congress in Vienna. corporate.coke.at

©2014 The Coca-Cola Company. “Coca-Cola”, “Coke”, the designs of the “Coca-Cola Contour Bottle” and the “Dynamic Ribbon device” are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.

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Historic neighbourhoods of Dolcho and Apozari, Kastoria, GREECE Photo: Courtesy of Elliniki Etairia - Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage and Municipality of Kastoria

‘The 7 Most Endangered’ 2014 On 6 March 2014, Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank Institute announced the 11 monuments and sites shortlisted for ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ 2014.

Among the threatened landmarks selected by an international panel of experts are a Roman archaeological site in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a medieval monastery in Armenia, two historic neighbourhoods in Kastoria in Greece, an 18th century citadel in Italy, 19th century stage machinery in Belgium, and a 20th century housing complex in Russia. Some are in danger due to lack of resources or expertise, others due to neglect or inadequate planning. The final list of 7 sites will be made public on 5 May 2014 during the European Heritage Congress in Vienna.

“These monuments and sites were selected taking into account not only their remarkable heritage and cultural values but also the serious danger that they are facing. The engagement of the local communities and the commitment of various public or private bodies to saving them were also considered vital. Another important criterion was the potential of these sites to stimulate socio-economic development,” stated Piet Jaspaert, Chairman of ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ advisory panel.

“Europa Nostra welcomes the increasing recognition by EU Institutions, including the European Investment Bank (EIB), that cultural heritage is both a strategic resource and a driving force for a sustainable Europe. We therefore very much count on the commitment of those Institutions to assist local, regional and national authorities throughout Europe in their efforts to save and enhance our heritage,” stressed Denis de Kergorlay, Executive President of Europa Nostra. “In 2013, in its pilot year, ‘The 7 Most Endangered’

Monastery of Bardzrakash St. Gregory, Dsegh, ARMENIA Photo: Courtesy of Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia Paço de Vilar de Perdizes in Montalegre, PORTUGAL Photo: Courtesy of Associação Portuguesa das Casas Antigas

Stage Machinery of the Bourla Theater, Antwerp, BELGIUM Photo: Courtesy of PERSPECTIV – Association of Historic Theatres in Europe Thracian Sanctuary in Mishkova niva area, BULGARIA Photo: Courtesy of Historical Museum Alexander Fol in Malko Tarnovo Colour Row Settlement in Chernyakhovsk, RUSSIA Photo: Courtesy of International Centre of the Roerichs

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Citadel of Alessandria, ITALY Photos: Folco Quilici

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Carillons of the Mafra National Palace, PORTUGAL Photo: Courtesy of Centro Nacional de Cultura

Wooden Churches in Southern Transylvania and Northern Oltenia, ROMANIA Photo: Courtesy of Pro Patrimonio Foundation

programme successfully raised awareness about the most threatened monuments and sites in Europe and mobilised multiple stakeholders in several countries, from Portugal to Turkey. The potential of this programme is enormous and we have made great progress,” he added.

Roman Archaeological Site of Golemo Gradište, Konjuh, Former Yugoslav Republic of MACEDONIA Photo: Courtesy of Archaeological Museum of Macedonia

Synagogue in Subotica, SERBIA Photo: Courtesy of Europa Nostra Serbia

“The successful restoration and promotion of cultural heritage can have significant social and economic benefits at the local, regional and even national levels, in terms of increasing tourism, creating jobs and improving investment opportunities. To this end, the European Investment Bank Institute is backing ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ programme.

Experts from the Bank will provide analysis and advice and will help formulate a feasible action plan for each of the seven sites,” explained Rémy Jacob, Dean of the EIB Institute.

‘The 7 Most Endangered’ programme was launched in January 2013 by Europa Nostra with the European Investment Bank Institute as founding partner and the Council of Europe Development Bank as associated partner. It was inspired by a successful similar project run by the US National Trust for Historic Preservation. ‘The 7 Most Endangered’ is not a funding programme. Its aim is to serve as a catalyst for action and to promote ‘the power of example’.

To find out more go to www. europanostra.org/7-mostendangered for updates on the 2013 missions and the 2014 short list.

On the Google Cultural Institute website a special exhibition was created in partnership with Google.

EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and Europa Nostra President Plácido Domingo

Europa Nostra Rose Cultivate your passion for heritage with the exclusive Europa Nostra® Rose Support Europa Nostra with the stunningly beautiful Europa Nostra® Rose, exclusively cultivated for Europa Nostra. This attractive rosebush, also lovingly known as the Esprit d’Amour, the Spirit of Love, has already been awarded by the horticultural experts with the Golden Medal ‘The Rose of the Year’ in Monza 2012 and the Silver Medal in Kortrijk 2012 as well as the second prize in the Belgian Rose selection. The Europa Nostra Rose has the pleasant smell of wild roses, is loved by bees and easy to care for. This charming moschatahybrid with a maximum heights of 160cm is an addition to any garden and a meaningful gift for any occasion. Cultivate you passion for heritage with the Europa Nostra Rose, available at www.rosamundoshop.com ®VISamalbi, M. Vissers 2010

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CALL FOR ENTRIES* EUROPEAN UNION PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE/ EUROPA NOSTRA AWARDS 2015

The European Union Prize for Cultural

Outstanding heritage achievements will

Heritage was launched in 2002 by

be awarded in the following categories:

the European Commission as part of the implementation of the Culture

1. Conservation

Programme. Europa Nostra, the Voice of

2. Research and Digitalisation

Cultural Heritage in Europe, was selected 3. Dedicated Service by Individuals or to run this Awards Scheme on the

Organisations

basis of its long experience in publicly

4. Education, Training and Awareness-

recognising individual or joint excellence Raising in the field of Cultural Heritage at a European level.

Criteria for the assessment of entries include excellence in the work executed

The European Union Prize for Cultural

and preliminary research conducted,

Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards is

as well as respect for artistic, cultural

granted annually to identify and promote and social value, setting, authenticity best practices in the conservation of

and integrity. Entries can be on a

tangible cultural heritage, to stimulate

scale ranging from small to large,

the trans-frontier exchanges of

local to international, and should

knowledge and experience throughout

display a standard of work considered

Europe, to enhance public awareness

outstanding in a European context.

and appreciation of Europe’s cultural heritage, and to encourage further

The European Union Prize for Cultural

exemplary initiatives through the Power Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards of Example.

consists of two award levels. Up to seven entries will be awarded a Grand

Published by EUROPA NOSTRA

European Cultural Heritage Review (May 2014) ISSN:1871-417X President Plácido Domingo Executive President Denis de Kergorlay Secretary-General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović

Editor in Chief Wolter Braamhorst Concept TV Culture Articles written by TV Culture (except where noted) Special Thanks Österreichischer Burgenverein: Alexander Graf Kottulinsky Alexander Fürst zu SaynWittgenstein-Sayn Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović Text editing Roger Woodley Photography TV Culture Wiki Commons (except where noted) Photo editing Dorukhan Arslan

The ceremony will take place on 11 June 2015 at the Town Hall of Oslo, Norway

Prix, which includes a monetary award

For further information: EUROPA NOSTRA, Elena Bianchi: Heritage Awards Coordinator

of € 10 000. Up to twenty-five entries

T + 31 70 302 40 58 eb@europanostra.org

will receive an Award.

The Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe

CLOSING DATE : 15 OCTOBER 2014

Production MYRA, Istanbul, Turkiye myra.com.tr Design Supervisor Rauf Kösemen Coordination Damla Özlüer Periodical Design Tülay Demircan, Banu Y. Ocak Page Layout Gülderen Rençber Erbaş Technical Controls Harun Yılmaz Paper and Printing Druckerei Odysseus Himberg Philip Löffelmann

Download an entry form: www.europanostra.org * DISCLAIMER: Subject to the positive decision by the European Commission after the completion of the current selection process for the partner organisation responsible for the running of the EU Prize for Cultural Heritage in the next 7 years period 2015-2021.

Websites europanostra.org myra.com.tr tvculture.nl odysseus-print.at

EUROPA NOSTRA INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT Lange Voorhout 35 NL - 2514 EC The Hague T +31 (0) 70 302 40 50 F +31 (0) 70 361 78 65 info@europanostra.org The printing of Heritage in Motion was supported by the European Commission representation in Austria

All rights reserved.

No part of either publication may be reproduced in any material form, including electronic means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Europa Nostra.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of old material.

Where these efforts have not been successful, copyright owners are invited to contact the editor.

ISSN: 1871-417X EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE REVIEW SUMMER 2014

EUROPA NOSTRA represents a rapidly growing citizens’ movement for the safeguarding of Europe’s cultural and natural heritage. Our pan-European network is composed of 250 member organisations (heritage associations and foundations with a combined membership of more than 5 million people), 150 associated organisations (governmental bodies, local authorities and corporations) and also 1500 individual members who directly support our mission.

TOGETHER, • we form an important lobby for cultural heritage in Europe; • we celebrate excellence through the European Heritage Awards organised

by Europa Nostra in partnership with the European Union; and • we campaign to save Europe’s endangered historic monuments, sites and cultural landscapes.

We are the Voice of Cultural Heritage in Europe.

THE REAL SOUND OF MUSIC AND MONUMENTS MEN ALONG THE SEMMERING RAILWAY AND THE DANUBE RIVER FREUD, HUNDERTWASSER AND KLIMT SWEET HERITAGE AND STRONG COFFEE TALKING HERITAGE WITH EU LEADERS JOSÉ MANUEL BARROSO, ANDROULLA VASSILIOU AND JOHANNES HAHN...

AUSTRIA SPECIAL