As part of the Arc of History Lecture Series: Austria 1900-2020 gave a lecture on the four Allied powers (the U.S., U.K., France, and the Soviet Union) and the different approaches they took to cultural policy in Austria.
Rathkolb also looks at Austrians who went into exile in Britain during the war, highlighting how they helped rebuild and internationalise Austrian culture after they returned home, using specific case studies to illustrate their impact.
The Arc of History Lecture Series: Austria 1900 – 2020 was initiated by Katherine Klinger
On Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, the Werner Berg Museum Bleiburg/Pliberk opens a meaningful special exhibition on the political work of Hans Sima, who was governor of Carinthia from 1965 to 1974.
Entitled “Hans Sima – A Political Life,” this multifaceted retrospective impressively documents Sima’s contribution to Carinthian contemporary history. The exhibition was created in cooperation with the Museum of the City of Villach, VICCA, and the Hans Sima Private Foundation and can be seen until November 9, 2025, in the creative space of the Werner Berg Museum next to the current exhibitions “Pasolini, Berg, Hrdlicka” and “Hans-Peter Profunser.”
Opening of the Hans Sima exhibition on October 1st, 2025.
Political milestones in pictures
The exhibition is designed as a traveling exhibition and has already been shown in Villach and Klagenfurt. Museum director Arthur Ottowitz points out the regional connection and historical significance: “Former governor Hans Sima had close ties to Bleiburg/Pliberk and the Werner Berg Gallery.” The exhibition reconstructs Sima’s political life through photographic highlights – from his early days as a member of parliament to his retirement from politics. The focus is not only on the 1972 conflict over bilingual place-name signs, but also on Sima’s role as a bridge builder between cultures and nations in the Alps-Adriatic region.
Exhibition in four languages – a symbol of his vision
A key feature of the exhibition is its multilingualism: all content is available in German, English, Italian, and Slovenian. This reflects Sima’s political vision of positioning Carinthia as an active partner at the intersection of three countries.
“Sima planned to give Austria’s southernmost province an active role at the intersection of the three countries Austria, Italy, and the former Yugoslavia. He therefore intensified specific projects within the framework of the Alps-Adriatic Cooperation. The fact that this exhibition is presented in four languages is designed to underline this,” emphasizes contemporary history professor Oliver Rathkolb, who curated the exhibition together with Villach museum director Andreas Kuchler and contemporary historian Petra Mayrhofer.
Oliver Rathkolb (left) and Dr. Peter Kaiser, Governor of Carinthia (right), at the opening of the Hans Sima exhibition.
A peek into the private archive
The exhibition is being financed by the Hans Sima Private Foundation, which is dedicated to researching Carinthia’s contemporary history. Its chairwoman is Ulli Sima, Vienna’s acting city councilor for urban development, mobility, and public utilities, and granddaughter of the former governor. “The events surrounding the 1972 place name dispute preoccupied my grandfather until his death. He meticulously collected notes, photos, and other documents from his active career and made them available to posterity by establishing the Hans Sima Private Foundation,” recalls Ulli Sima.
With its stop in Bleiburg/Pliberk, the exhibition is now also finding its way to a particularly symbolic area of Carinthia—a mark of dialogue and recognition.
A politician at the front line of historical tensions
Hans Sima was a politician who bore responsibility in turbulent times – not only in Carinthia, but also beyond the state borders. For Governor Peter Kaiser, one thing is certain: “He was ahead of his time, not only in connection with the place name sign issue, which left him with a certain trauma. Today is the time to officially say thank you to Hans Sima. He was a great governor and set an important course for our state. Throughout his life, he stood up for his convictions and beliefs.“ Oliver Rathkolb classifies Sima historically as a ”modernizing personality.“
Multimedia approaches and accessible communication
An additional highlight of the exhibition is the inclusion of representative excerpts from the ORF III documentary “Hans Sima: A Politician’s Life in Turbulent Times.” An audio guide in four languages not only makes the exhibition more accessible to international guests, but also assists visually impaired visitors on their tour.
Political work with a lasting legacy
Hans Sima was not only governor, but also a member of the Carinthian state parliament, a member of the Federal Council, and a member of the state council. As a consistent advocate of dialogue, especially with the Slovenian ethnic group, and as a promoter of art, culture, and education—for example, through his support for the founding of the University of Klagenfurt—he left a long-lasting mark. His resignation in 1974 in the wake of the place name sign conflict marked the end of his active political career, but his ideas and work remain highly relevant—as this exhibition impressively demonstrates.
Join us for an international conference exploring how music shaped postwar Europe during the Cold War and Détente. Co-hosted by the University of Chicago, the University of Vienna, & VICCA (Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History and Arts) the event brings together leading scholars to examine the role of cultural diplomacy in fostering civic life, international collaboration, and societal reconstruction after 1945.
This conference celebrates the longstanding partnership between our universities and highlights the enduring power of music to connect communities and inspire understanding across borders.
September 17th, 2025 Concert at the Austrian Embassy
Lydia Rathkolb (Soprano), Diégo Tosi (Violin), Maximilian Flieder (Piano)
songs and music by Gustav Mahler, Alma Mahler, Béla Bartók, Hanns Eisler, Fritz Kreisler, Eric Zeisl, and Leonard Bernstein
September 18th, 2025 Conference at the John W. Boyer Center in Paris
Welcome Paolo Privitera (IIRP Faculty Director, University of Chicago), John Boyer (University of Chicago), Christina Lutter (Dean, Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna), Sebastian Schütze (Rector of the University of Vienna)
Panel 1 Music Diplomacy as Industry Subsidy, Danielle Fosler-Lussier (The Ohio State University)
Panel 2 Music Policy and French Post World War Denazification Policies in Germany and Austria. The political representations in the French press, Marie-Bénédicte Vincent (Université de Franche-Comté)
Impact of US Musical Policies in Austria and West-Germany, 1945-1960s, Oliver Rathkolb (University of Vienna/VICCA)
Panel 3 Mahler the Untreatable: Conscious Reception and Unconscious Transmission in Postwar Germany, Seth Brodsky (University of Chicago)
The Cologne electronic music studio and the Cold War in West Germany in the 1950s, Jennifer Iverson (University of Chicago)
An opera for all regimes. Werner Egk’s Columbus and his postwar career, Michael Custodis (University of Münster) and Friedrich Geiger (University of Music and Performing Arts, Munich)
Cultural Reconstruction and Reconciliation through Opera: Austrian and German Gastspiele in Paris, 1947-1957, Anthony Steinhoff (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada)
Panel 4 Soviet Music Policies Abroad, Kiril Tomoff (University of California, Riverside)
Official, Unofficial, Intimate: Ukraine and the Musical Cold War, Peter J. Schmelz (Johns Hopkins University)
Panel 5 Latin American Musical Diplomacy: The Special Case of Cuba during the Cold War, Rubén Gallo (Princeton University)
Concluding Remarks A Brand-New Spring Is to Begin, Out of the Ruins of Berlin: On the Futures of Music Diplomacy after 1945, Phil Bohlman(University of Chicago)
Co-hosted by the University of Chicago, the University of Vienna, and VICCA
This symposium, The Long History of Viennese Modernism 1900 to the Present, will examine and discuss the development of Viennese modernism since the late 19th century in the fields of music, literature, visual arts, design and architecture.
The aim of this interdisciplinary event is to identify similarities and differences as well as interconnections between the various cultural and artistic fields. In addition, the origins of Viennese Modernism, its impact in the interwar period and its reception after 1945 up to the present day will be reflected upon. A further focus will be on a comparative view of developments in other European cities, which will be incorporated into the discussion.
Playlist of all Panels, from the MAK official Youtube
Tue, June 10th, 2025, 6–7.30 pm Opening panel at the MAK Säulenhalle
Participants: Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Executive City Councillor for Culture and Science in Vienna Ralph Gleis, General Director, Albertina Lilli Hollein, General Director, MAK Markus Schinwald, Artist, Lecturer, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe
Moderation: Oliver Rathkolb, University of Vienna and Chairman, Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History and Arts (VICCA)
Followed by a reception
Wed, June 11th, 2025, 10 am – 6 pm Symposium in the MAK Vortragssaal
10–10.30 am Greeting Words Lilli Hollein, General director, MAK Oliver Rathkolb, University of Vienna and Chairman, Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History and Arts (VICCA)
Introduction Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Head of MAK Library and Kunstblättersammlung/Archiv Das MAK und die Wiener Moderne
10.30–12 pm Literature Norbert Christian Wolf, Professor of Contemporary German Literature, University of Vienna: 1900 davor/danach Bettina Hering, Dramaturge and former Director of Drama at the Salzburg Festival: „Von morgen bis mitternachts“. Zwischenkriegszeit – Exil – II. Weltkrieg Daniela Strigl, Author and Literary Scholar at the University of Vienna: Modernitäten, Avantgarden, Traditionen. Die Literatur von der „Stunde Null“ bis Covid-19
Moderated by: Klemens Renoldner, dramaturge and former director of the Stefan Zweig Center at the University of Salzburg
Presentations 20 minutes each, discussion
12–1pm Lunch break
1–2.30 pm Fine Arts, Design and Architecture Matthias Boeckl, Professor of Architectural History, University of Applied Arts Vienna: Wien um 1900 und die Folgen. Regionale politische und globale künstlerische Netzwerke Anita Kern, Designer and Cultural Scholar: „Gestalter ihrer Umwelt“. Die Zweite Wiener Moderne – Aufbruch und Vernichtung Mechtild Widrich, Professor and Director, Department of Art History, Theory and Criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Zwischen Mythos und Kritik: Feministische Auseinandersetzungen mit der Wiener Moderne
Moderated by: Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Head of MAK Library and Kunstblättersammlung/Archiv
2.30–3 pm Coffee break
3–5 pm Musical Awakenings Barbara Boisits, Head of the Department of Musicology, Austrian Academy of Sciences and Deputy Chairwoman, Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History (VICCA): 1900 davor/danach Anita Mayer-Hirzberger, Associate Professor of Historical Musicology, mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna: Zwischenkriegszeit, Vernichtung und Exil – NS und II. Weltkrieg Conversation with HK Gruber, composer, conductor and chansonnier: Die verzögerte Rekonstruktion der modernen Musik und Gegenwartsmusik
Moderated by: Gerald Heidegger, Germanist and head of the contemporary history/current affairs department, ORF Wissen
5–6 pm Closing discussion Wohin entwickeln sich die Gegenwartskünste in Wien und Österreich – über 100 Jahre nach dem Fin de Siècle 1900?
Participants: Daniel Ender, musicologist and Secretary General, Alban Berg Foundation, Vienna Lydia Haider, Germanist and writer, lecturer at several art universities in Vienna Peter Kogler, Artist and Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich August Ruhs, specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine, psychoanalyst (IPV)
Moderated by: Gerald Heidegger, Germanist and head of the contemporary history/current affairs department, ORF Wissen
Idea and concept: Oliver Rathkolb Program committee: Lilli Hollein, Kathrin Pokorny-Nagel, Lydia Rathkolb, Oliver Rathkolb
