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Activities and Projects

In addition to collecting and cataloging materials worthy of preservation in WU’s archives, the University Archive also contributes to the documentation and presentation of WU’s history through research projects and public activities, a selection of which can be found below.

Projects

Commemorative Project

This project researches and documents the fate of students, employees, and alumni of the University of World Trade (Hochschule für Welthandel, HWH), the institution that would later become today’s WU, who suffered political or racist discrimination or persecution after the Anschluss to Nazi Germany in March of 1938. Biographies of the victims have been collected in a virtual Memorial Book for the Victims of National Socialism, and their names are immortalized on the memorial sculpture erected on Campus WU, designed by Alexander Felch.

A brief description of the project is available in the project brochure. Peter Berger and Johannes Koll contributed articles on the purges at Austrian universities to the collection “Säuberungen” an österreichischen Hochschulen 1934-1945. Voraussetzungen, Prozesse, Folgen, edited by Johannes Koll, Böhlau-Verlag: Vienna/Cologne/Weimar 2017:

* Peter Berger: Die Wiener Hochschule für Welthandel und ihre Professoren 1938-1945

* Johannes Koll: „Da mosaisch zu den Rigorosen nicht zugelassen“. Verfolgung und Vertreibung von Studierenden an der Wiener Hochschule für Welthandel nach dem ‚Anschluss‘ Österreichs

* Johannes Koll: From Vienna to Malta. Interview with former student of the Vienna University of World Trade Robert Eder

* Johannes Koll: Nachwort

Provenance research

The aim of this project is to determine how many works published before 1945 became part of the library collection of the University of World Trade as a result of politically or racially motivated persecution. The corresponding research results are documented and the works are restituted to their rightful owners or their legal heirs whenever possible. A brief description of the project is available in the project brochure and further information can be found on the project website.

Activities

2021

May 25    Release of the first 20 historical blackbords within the Digital Collections.

2019

September 10 - 13As one of the results of provenance research, presentation of the case of Doris J. Klang on the Austrian Librarians’ Day 2019 by Lisa Frank (Commission for Provenance Research) and Regina Zodl (University Archives of WU) on September, 11 in Graz.The program can be found here, the article based on the above mentioned presentation (in German with English abstract) is accessible via this link.
April 25 - 26Organization of the spring conference of the academic institutions chapter of the Association of Austrian Archivists

2018

November 28Involvement in the Memorial Concert which included the symbolic re-awarding of an academic degree revoked during the Nazi-era.
April 26Presentation of the Commemorative Project, provenance research, and the University Archive at the spring conference of the academic institutions chapter of the Association of Austrian Archivists on Archive und Geschichtspolitik an Universitäten und wissenschaftlichen Einrichtungen (Mozarteum Salzburg).
April 24Panel discussion: Wo stehen die Universitäten 80 Jahre nach der Nazi-Zeit? as part of the series WU matters. WU talks (WU Vienna). Video recording available here: https://youtu.be/Njx7OD¬PSjJY.
April 13Participation in the Long Night of Research
April 10Presentation of the Commemorative Project as part of the series Geschichte im Gespräch (Paris Lodron University of Salzburg).

2017

October 4Opening ceremony of the new permanent exhibition of the Technisches Museum Wien on fossil fuels, including information on the WU provenance research project.
October 2Opening ceremony of the WU Commemorative Year 2018 with a presentation of the book “Säuberungen” an österreichischen Hochschulen 1934-1945. Voraussetzungen, Prozesse, Folgen (edited by Johannes Koll, Böhlau-Verlag: Vienna/Cologne/Weimar 2017).
June 12-13Talk at the conference Was bleibt? Bibliothekarische NS-Provenienzforschung und der Umgang mit ihren Ergebnissen (University of Graz).
April 19-21Co-organization of the joint spring conference of the Austrian, Czech, and German University and Academic Archivists: Normen und Ethos. Schreiben ArchivarInnen Geschichte?

2016

July 6-8Co-organization of the 26th annual International Summer Academy of the Institute for Jewish History in Austria: "In die Häuser schauen“. Aspekte jüdischen Wohnens vom Mittelalter bis ins 20. Jahrhundert (WU Vienna).
June 13Participation in the panel discussion Learning from history – or not? The Past, present, and future of (un)sustainability, an event with Timothy Snyder as part of the series SustainabilityControversy (WU Vienna).

2015

September 16Lecture as part of the NS provenance research panel at the 32nd Austrian Librarians’ Day: Provenienzforschung an der UB der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien – Hauptbibliothek (University of Vienna).
July 7-10Co-organization of the 25th annual International Summer Academy of the Institute for Jewish History in Austria: „Wer kann den Judentempel brauchen?“ Synagogen in Europa nach 1945 (WU Vienna).
June 9Organization of the panel discussion: Die WU stellt sich ihrer Vergangenheit: 50 Jahre Affäre Borodajkewycz.