{"id":80957,"date":"2025-03-05T19:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T18:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=80957"},"modified":"2025-11-02T19:27:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T18:27:41","slug":"century-in-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/century-in-pictures\/","title":{"rendered":"A Century in Pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypicturessmall.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Austrian parliament\" class=\"wp-image-80958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypicturessmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypicturessmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Take a quick walk through 100 years of Austrian history in photos at the National Library&#8217;s <em>A Century in Pictures<\/em> exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Covers 1925-2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Iconic moments of the past<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But also images of everyday life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the gorgeous former court library<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Mar 13 &#8211; Nov 2, 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/prunksaal\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2750\">National Library State Hall<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#photography\">Photo exhibitions in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Austria 1925-2025<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures1.jpg\" alt=\"Politicians cutting through a wire fence\" class=\"wp-image-80961\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures1-300x215.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Foreign Minister Alois Mock and his Hungarian counterpart Gyula Horn cut through the iron curtain on June 27th, 1989; photographed by Robert J\u00e4ger; press photo \u00a9 \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2025 is a number with weight. The year brings, for example, three notable anniversaries in Austrian history\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1945, the allies defeated the Nazis and liberated Austria from the curse of national socialism. Ten years of &#8220;occupation&#8221; then ended in 1955, when those allies formally returned full independence to the country. Fast forward to 1995, and Austria joined the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, the library&#8217;s State Hall (the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/prunksaal\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2750\">Prunksaal<\/a>) hosts the small <em>A Century in Pictures<\/em> photo exhibition. Images of historical events combine with those of &#8220;the everyday&#8221; to document ten decades in the life of a country and its people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exhibition covers the years 1925-2025, and so begins shortly after the end of WWI. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria-hungary\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12858\">Austria-Hungary&#8217;s defeat<\/a> in that war saw the empire disintegrate and leave behind just the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12860\">small country of Austria<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One hundred years counts as a long time in a country&#8217;s history, offering a kaleidoscope of change and upheaval (unless you are Switzerland).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"394\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures2.jpg\" alt=\"Mounted policeman and protesters\" class=\"wp-image-80962\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures2-300x236.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Mounted policeman during the burning of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/justizpalast\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"45541\">Justizpalast<\/a> on July 15th, 1927: a key event that helped take the country on a path to civil war a couple of years later; photographer unknown; press photo \u00a9 \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1925, Austria found itself still settling into a new order, struggling economically, and pulled in different sociopolitical directions. The country soon fell into autocratic ways with a terrifying intensity until its post-WWII rebirth and evolution into today&#8217;s democratic and pluralist society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be surprised to learn, for example, that Austria flirted with fascism and faced civil war in the years before Nazi Germany <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/hitler-balcony\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"68913\">invaded in 1938<\/a>. And the end of the Iron Curtain had special meaning in a country that actually bordered communist Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then we have all the cultural, social and technological developments within the modern era\u2026from pop music to pandemic management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The summaries in English give you a whirlwind tour of that history, while display walls feature photos for each era. Display cabinets contain covers or pages from contemporary magazines and newspapers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo captions are in English, but much of what you see loses impact if you&#8217;re not familiar with the times. So simply consider the exhibition a bonus to the magnificence of the State Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"294\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures3.jpg\" alt=\"Politicians displaying a treaty on a balcony\" class=\"wp-image-80963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures3.jpg 294w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/centurypictures3-196x300.jpg 196w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 294px) 100vw, 294px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Foreign Minister Leopold Figl shows the \u00d6sterreichischer Staatsvertrag (Austrian State Treaty)on May 15th, 1955 from the balcony of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/belvedere-sites\/upper-belvedere-palace\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3521\">Upper Belvedere<\/a>. The treaty returned Austria to full independence following occupation by the allies post-WWII; photographed by Erich Lessing; press photo \u00a9 \u00d6sterreichische Nationalbibliothek)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a closer look at the variety of photos does highlight some resonant moments, like the image of swastikas hanging off the side of the State Opera House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking a wider view, the progression reveals how much has changed&#8230;and how much hasn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even the 80s and 90s seem like another world when you consider the clothes and cars in pictures. And yet you also see a poster campaign against violence against women from 2003\/2004, and a 1997 warning about the need to do something about climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Strangely, no mention is made of the momentous occasion that was my 1995 wedding.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Walk through the visual historical highlights from March 13th to November 2nd, 2025. A ticket for the National Library&#8217;s State Hall includes the exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/prunksaal\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2750\">Prunksaal location<\/a> has a history that predates 1925 by about 200 years. The view inside this former court library is worth the ticket price in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vienna has a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#photography\">other photo exhibitions<\/a> to offer across the duration of <em>A Century in Pictures<\/em>. I can particularly recommend the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/anton-corbijn-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"80261\">Anton Corbijn exhibition<\/a> at the Kunstforum Wien (ends June 29th, 2025), for example. Especially his portraits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And should you wish to explore the last 100 years of Austrian history in more depth, then an obvious address is\u2026the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/austrian-history\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"10113\">House of Austrian History<\/a> (just around the corner in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/neue-burg\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1493\">Neue Burg<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another useful address is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/wien-museum-karlsplatz\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"66174\">Wien Museum<\/a> on Karlsplatz square: the permanent exhibition of this &#8220;museum of the city&#8221; takes you through the chronology of Vienna. Plenty of art and culture rounds out the displays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/vienna-museums\/#history\">this list<\/a> of other museums with a focus on history, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the photos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the tips in my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/prunksaal\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2750\">State Hall overview article<\/a>, but the entrance is on Josefsplatz square right in the centre on one side of the former Habsburg residential complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Josefsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1asmHlbVpicbQLt1557vf6l4l0zQ\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Take a walk through 100 years of Austrian history in photos at the National Library&#8217;s exhibition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-80957","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-winter-palace","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80957"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86880,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80957\/revisions\/86880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}