Our City! Jewish Vienna – Then to Now: A Permanent Exhibition Detailing Centuries of History and Culture

This permanent exhibition explores the history of Jewish Vienna from the Middle Ages to the present day, focusing on the community's development, challenges, and contributions despite historical destruction and anti-Semitism. It highlights stories of immigration, cultural achievements, and resilience, integrating contemporary art installations.

The permanent exhibition 'Our City! Jewish Vienna - Then to Now' offers a comprehensive journey through the rich and often turbulent history of Vienna's Jewish community. The ground floor traces the community's post-1945 resurgence and evolution, marked by significant immigration waves, particularly from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, showcasing its modest yet dynamic presence today. Ascending to the second floor, the exhibition delves into the community's history from the Middle Ages up to the Shoah. It examines periods of both tolerance and intense persecution under various regimes, highlighting the community's struggle for existence before 1852 and the subsequent flourishing of Viennese Jews as one of Europe's largest Jewish populations. The section also underscores the growing anti-Semitism experienced at the turn of the twentieth century, long before the devastating impact of National Socialism after 1938. The exhibition actively incorporates contemporary artistic perspectives. It features installations by internationally renowned artists such as Nancy Spero and Brigitte Kowanz, and includes a commissioned work by Israeli artist Maya Zack. Zack's installation, 'The Shabbat Room,' digitally reinterprets Isidor Kaufmann's 1899 "Gute Stube," a historically significant space destroyed by the Nazis, offering a modern reflection on Shabbat traditions and Viennese Jewish identity. Additionally, 'Visible Storage' contextualizes the museum's collections, providing a temporal and spatial journey through Jewish life in Vienna and its surrounding regions, while 'The Atelier' explores Jewish holidays and life events through everyday objects and collection items.

Information about ticketing and admission is not explicitly detailed on this page. Visitors are likely directed to general museum admission policies for access to permanent exhibitions.