In 2025, cultural life in Lower Austria is under the contemporary historical focus “Remember the future”. The initiative is dedicated to the reflection of central historical milestones from 1945, 1955, 1995 and 2005 in connection with a visionary perspective for the future. Also in the second half of the year there is still a lot to discover in the Lower Austria cultural institutions.
“Numerous museums, cultural and educational institutions across Lower Austria are committed to this initiative in this special commemorative and remembrance year: they shed light on different facets of the events at that time and make them open to the public,” explains Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner. This intensive examination of the past shows the high importance of this initiative and remembering in Lower Austria. “The knowledge of the past is needed to make a good and safe future,” Mikl-Leitner is convinced and emphasized: “Because remembering means not only review, but also responsibility for the next generations. This is how we create the best future of our children.”
Since the beginning of the year, a diverse program of exhibitions, conferences, publications, school projects as well as digital formats such as videos and podcasts has been offered all over Lower Austria. In the coming months, too, the Lower Austrian cultural and educational institutions invite you to go on time together in all districts.
The Mostviertel presents a particularly versatile program. In St. Pölten alone there are several institutions that increasingly prepared exhibitions for World War II and the end of which in 1945. From October 4, the House of History shows two exhibitions: “Hitler’s executive. The Austrian police and National Socialism” until February 22, 2026, which deals with the institution “Police” as the main pillar of the National Socialist dictatorship “, and” Children of the War. Contemporary witnesses report on their childhood memories and their experiences during and after the war. Until December 28th, the exhibition “View in the Shadow. St. Pölten and National Socialism” in the St. Pölten City Museum will highlight the Nazi era, its history and effects to this day. In the foyer The Landhauses St. Pölten resides the exhibition by Yad Vashem, the International Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, under the title “from life torn” until October 31, which focuses on the fate of Austrian Jews after the connection in 1938. Until November 9th, the exhibition “I am an Austrian!” In the former St. Pölten, in which the history of the Jewish photographer Kurt Bardos and his family is recapitulated using his photos.
In the Museum of the Peace Community Erlauf – “Erlauf” – is reminded of the significant peace gesture at the end of the Second World War and the events before and after. In the exhibition “Discover Austria”, the visitors in the Ostarrichi Museum will be taken on a journey through time through the history of Austria until October 26, which in particular also appeals to children and families with interactive stations and other cultural mediation offers.
From September 5th, the new exhibition “Digitization at the Pulse of Time”, in which the world of digital tools will be presented in more detail, will be waiting in the House of Digitization, or the exhibition “Last Days – Last Witnesses” from September 13 to October 5th in the Kultur Herberberge Schloss Totzenbach, which tells of the last days of the Second World War in the Altlengbach, Böheimkirchen area, box, Kirchstetten and Neulengbach.
On September 5th there will be a tour of the Melk concentration camp memorial, on September 18, the book “Delayed-banished-unforgettable” will be presented in the Lower Austrian state parliament and on September 25th there will be a panel discussion under the title “The special investigator and the psychotherapist. One war-two perspectives!” in the Loosdorf library.
In the industrial district, Dr. Karl Renner Museum in Gloggnitz a permanent exhibition that Karl Renner, the “designer of the Republic”, and Austria’s history. The special exhibition “The year 1945 – Austria between departure and repression” can still be seen until December 7th. Until November 15th, the website of the Römerstadt Carnuntum will show the online exhibition “Between Ruinen and Return-The Roman City of Carnuntum in the mirror of post-war history in Lower Austria, which deals with the importance of the archaeological research of the post-war period in the Roman city, and until September 27, tours can be found through the research history of the Roman district with culinary Exclusion instead.
In the Traiskirchen Museum, the topic of “flight” is presented as a phenomenon of human history and the present as part of the special exhibition “Together – Flight & Everyday Life in Traiskirchen”, which provides an overview of the history of the Federal Care facility Traiskirchen with the help of photos and documents. An exhibition that is aimed specifically at children is “for the child” in the St. Peter Museum on the Barrier from November 21, which demonstrated the fate of around 10,000 children who had to leave their families and homeland between 1938 and 1939.
Escape and displacement are also discussed in the Weinviertel – specifically in the special exhibition “80 years ago – torn the roots” at the time of the Second World War in the Southern Moravian Heimatmuseum Thayaland in Laa/Thaya. The city of the city reports on the end of the Second World War and the post-war period in Retz in the exhibition “Retz 1945. The region between the Nazi dictatorship, war and new beginning” until October 26th. The effects of the war or its end at school and education are reflected in the exhibition “New start and reconstruction: school after 1945” in the Michelstettner school until October 31. On September 6, the historian Stefan Eminger in the Krahuletz Museum devoted himself to the political and social developments in Eggenburg since 1945, which were researched in an oral history project by pupils from HTL Hollabrunn.
In the Waldviertel, the exhibition “Zeit – History – Workshop” focuses on the Krems contemporary history in the museum bar and critically critically questions the topics of recent city history since the 19th century, while the permanent exhibition “Between Welfare and Resistance – The Tobacco Factory Stein” at the University of Krems exploits the history of the tobacco factory and its workers in more detail.
Weitra Castle is devoted to the Iron Curtain, which separated Europe. The exhibition “” Shalling Eiser Curtain. Europe: violently shared and united “tells of its structure and case, of the various living environments in the” West “and” East “and the economic and ideological developments of the two sides.
The united and diverse Europe is celebrated in a concert series in the house of regions in Krems with artists from four European regions in Germany, Scotland, Serbia and Turkey, on September 20 with the women’s choir Sosamma and Vesna Petković & Sandy Lopičić and on October 23 with Solas Collective & Mairi McGillivray. Also in the House of the Regions on November 8th with the action day “between remembering and forgetting – Kremsmutcheschichte” of the Reichspogromnacht of November 9, 1938 and the consequences for the Krems Jews
Another highlight is a new publication by Danielle Spera, which is to be enriched the commemorative year with current contributions and historical analyzes and is to be presented on November 6th in the Palais Lower Austria.
With “Reminding for the Future” and the numerous activities this year, Lower Austria sets an important and responsible sign of the active culture of commemoration and memory, the basis for cohesion and stability of our society and thus also the basis for the future of our country and its future generations.
All information about the activities related to the 2025 memorial year online: www.erinnernfuerdiezukunft.at.