Editorial

Our second winter at the OWA has begun. Beautiful misty atmospheres alternate with long-distance views. The summer at the OWA was filled with numerous events, and especially during the four micro-festivals as part of Through the Dark, the Otto Wagner Areal proved itself as a venue. The Franzi V. Space – already familiar to attentive readers – is alive and used throughout the year by various music collectives. Freely available space with appropriate infrastructure is rare, and all the more special in this setting. New ideas, collaborations, and fields of interest emerge from these encounters. You can read more about this in the interview with Martina Brunner from the Vienna Club Commission.

With the Interreg project Turning Points, we are at the beginning of a cross-border collaboration with the Museum of the City of Bratislava. The project focuses on social changes since the 1980s and examines how museums can contribute to strengthening democracy.

We are especially pleased to welcome three new team members in December: L’ubica Vol’anská will lead the Turning Points project, and Thomas Trabitsch will be responsible for communication. In addition, Laleh Monsef has taken over the management of the cultural mediation department in the house. Together with her team, she will prepare it to be fit for the future of the new museum. We warmly welcome our new colleagues!

‘Good luck,’ says the little pig on the cover. I join in this sentiment and wish us all a peaceful New Year.

Please read the following articles in the current issue 1/2026 of the News:


Schaufenster: Baustellen-Update: neue Treppen, alte Mauern und eine Sendung in die Zukunft

Schaufenster: Turning Points – Museums for a Democratic Future Ausstellungsprogramm

Programm der Kulturvermittlung

Veranstaltungen des Vereins für Volkskunde

Volkskunde/Europäische Ethnologie in Österreich

Digitales Museum

Neuzugänge der Bibliothek

Interview mit Martina Brunner (Vienna Club Commission)

Lieblingsobjekt