Verein Museum Arbeitswelt celebrates its 40th birthday on Saturday

“It is possible to move mountains with an idea, to motivate people and to create a sustainable club history, which was even recognized in 2019 with the Austrian Museum Prize, the republic’s highest award for museums,” says Stephan Rosinger, artistic director of the museum World of Work (MAW).

Since April 30, 1987, the opening of the legendary state exhibition “Work/Human/Machine – The way into the industrial society”, this has been illuminating the development of the working world with great success and international attention. But the history of the museum goes back further: as early as 1979, during a study trip by union students to the industrial museums in England, the idea of ​​creating something similar in Austria matured. Inspired by England, the group returned home with great enthusiasm. In 1982, the association Museum Arbeitswelt was founded, whose first president was Sepp Schmidl, President of the AK-OÖ, who came from Steyr.

Despite the structural crisis in Steyr’s economy, from today’s perspective, action was taken on the political stage in a visionary manner. As the historical center of iron processing and industrialization, Steyr offered itself in several respects as the founding site for a museum of work. In 1985, the former object XI of the Austrian Arms Factory was bought by the museum association and in preparation for the OÖ. State exhibition completely renovated until 1987. With the realization of the idea of ​​a working museum in the then poor district, a development was initiated that turns today’s Wehrgraben into a cultural and educational quarter in which the challenges of the 21st century are dealt with on many levels.

“The museum sees itself as a place where we can sharpen the tools we want to use to face the future,” says former MEP and co-founder of the association, Josef Weidenholzer. To this day, the MAW is therefore about the designability of the (working) world. “We see the Museum of Working World as a center for discourse, a meeting place and a stage – in addition to high-quality exhibitions, we always offer an extensive educational and cultural program. Since last year also increasingly in public space with the CulturContainer,” adds Rosinger. “Our vision is an open house for a constantly learning society that deals with the ‘where from’ and the ‘where to’ of our working world in a variety of ways,” says commercial manager Maria Vogeser-Kalt.

All of this is to be celebrated all day on Saturday, June 11, from 10.30 a.m. with a birthday party for the whole family with free admission. Anyone who would like to get to know the people behind the idea and history of the Museum Arbeitswelt or want to be part of it yourself should take this opportunity. In addition to the Museum Arbeitswelt association, long-standing partners such as the Paraplü integration center and the still young Ukrainian community from Steyr will also be present. The current show “Made in Steyr” is open all day with free admission and can be visited with free guided tours. For all those interested in history, tours are also offered to the new depot, which has housed the association’s collection of objects since this year.

It starts at 10.30 a.m. with a panel discussion on the topic of “Creating community with community building” as part of the Open Studios Steyr. Children can then discover the research stations of the Children’s University of Steyr before the clown theater “Tarkabarka” starts at 11 a.m. The festival is accompanied by burgers at Glück Auf, African specialties from Tamu Sana from Linz and Buburuza ice cream and Das Kleine Schwarze in Steyr.

In the early afternoon, things continue with a handicraft and play area by Kinderfreunde Steyr-Kirchdorf and a creative zone by the children’s cultural center KuddelMuddel from Linz – including giant soap bubbles. As a further highlight, the join-in concert for young and old at the Kinder’s Soundkist’n starts at 3 p.m. in the CulturContainers.

At 5 p.m., there will be a brief look back and forward to the history and future of the association Museum Arbeitswelt, which has been running Austria’s only special museum on the subject of work for 35 years. The former EU parliamentarian and co-founder of the association Josef Weidenholzer as well as the President of the AK Upper Austria and Chairman of the Austrian Trade Union Federation Andreas Stangl are expected as guests. The musical accompaniment comes from the political band Betty Rossa before the Viennese Tschuschenkapelle – founded in 1989 – makes the audience dance with Balkan sounds. The yellow tone DJs will play the festive finale from 9 p.m.