Austria Plans Holocaust Museum: Government Launches Feasibility Study
The Austrian Federal Government unanimously approved a feasibility study for establishing a Holocaust Museum. This marks the start of a politically and socially significant process which - more than 80 years after the end of the Second World War - is intended to permanently anchor the memory of the systematic extermination of Jewish life by the Nazi regime in the center of the capital.
The Austrian federal government has given the go-ahead for a feasibility study on the establishment of a Holocaust museum in Vienna. / Picture: © Bundeskanzleramt (BKA) / Hans Hofer
The decision comes amid a sensitive historical context: Austria is still being criticized internationally for having only hesitantly and incompletely confronted its role as a perpetrator of National Socialism. With the project that has been initiated, the government wants to send a visible signal against forgetting, against anti-Semitism, and for a self-critical examination of its history.
“Creating a place of commitment”
After the Council of Ministers, Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) spoke of an “imperative of historical responsibility”. Given the “unspeakable suffering” caused by the Nazi regime - and in which Austrians were involved in many ways - more than just symbolic acts are needed. “It is about a place that obliges - to remember, to learn, to be vigilant,” said the Chancellor.
The planned museum should be based on international models such as the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., or the Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam. At the same time, the planned institution will take on an independent Austrian perspective.
Dialogue with civil society and Jewish communities
State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), who will be responsible for the interdepartmental coordination of the study, emphasized the need for a broad social consensus. In the coming months, he said, the study would not only network with foreign institutions, but would also specifically seek dialogue with the Jewish Community (IKG) and other organizations relevant to the politics of remembrance.
State Secretary Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ), who is responsible for educational and cultural issues, also emphasized that the museum should not provide a “glorified view of the past”. “Austrians were not only fellow travelers, but also perpetrators in many cases. This reality must be at the center of any commemorative work.” She announced that in addition to museum planning, the online platform erinnern.at will also be further developed. The aim is to make existing places of remembrance in all federal states more visible, especially for young people.
A sign against current anti-Semitism
The planned institution is also a reaction to the renewed rise in anti-Semitism in Europe, as reported by ORF. According to recent studies by the European Parliament and the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), the number of anti-Semitic incidents has risen sharply again in recent years, not only on the internet, but also on the streets.
In an initial reaction, Yannick Shetty, NEOS party leader, praised the government's initiative. “Remembrance is not a question of the past, but of the future. In times when hatred and agitation against Jews are on the rise again, the establishment of a Holocaust museum is a strong signal - and long overdue,” said Shetty. The culture of remembrance must be institutionalized to stand up to the fading of eyewitness accounts.
Approval also from the Jewish Community
Oskar Deutsch, President of the Jewish Community of Vienna, also expressed his approval of the process that has now been initiated. The Jewish Community had already publicly called for the establishment of a Holocaust museum in 2022. “The fact that Austria is now determined to seriously consider such a project is an important sign - for the Jewish community and for the country itself,” explained Deutsch.
However, he also urged seriousness: “A Holocaust museum is not a tourist facility, but a moral institution. It is about truth, responsibility, and the legacy of the survivors.”
No timetable yet - but political unity
The German government has not yet given a concrete timetable. However, according to State Secretary Pröll, the feasibility study should be completed by the summer and presented to the Council of Ministers. It should clarify location issues, conceptual considerations, and financing.
Despite the unresolved details, there is a rare consensus within the government. From the ÖVP to the SPÖ to the NEOS, everyone agrees that the project is overdue and necessary.
As Chancellor Stocker concluded, “We have a duty. Not sometime, but now.” Around 15,000 Jews live in Austria today. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish community was one of the largest in Europe with over 200,000 members. Most of them were murdered by the Nazi regime or forced to flee. Many survivors never returned to Austria.