Take a quick walk through 100 years of Austrian history in photos at the National Library’s A Century in Pictures exhibition.
- Covers 1925-2025
- Iconic moments of the past
- But also images of everyday life
- In the gorgeous former court library
- Runs Mar 13 – Nov 2, 2025
- Book a short guided history tour* in Vienna
- See also:
Austria 1925-2025
(Foreign Minister Alois Mock and his Hungarian counterpart Gyula Horn cut through the iron curtain on June 27th, 1989; photographed by Robert Jäger; press photo © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)
2025 is a number with weight. The year brings, for example, three notable anniversaries in Austrian history…
In 1945, the allies defeated the Nazis and liberated Austria from the curse of national socialism. Ten years of “occupation” then ended in 1955, when those allies formally returned full independence to the country. Fast forward to 1995, and Austria joined the EU.
As a result, the library’s State Hall (the Prunksaal) hosts the small A Century in Pictures photo exhibition. Images of historical events combine with those of “the everyday” to document ten decades in the life of a country and its people.
The exhibition covers the years 1925-2025, and so begins shortly after the end of WWI. Austria-Hungary’s defeat in that war saw the empire disintegrate and leave behind just the small country of Austria.
One hundred years counts as a long time in a country’s history, offering a kaleidoscope of change and upheaval (unless you are Switzerland).
(Mounted policeman during the burning of the Justizpalast on July 15th, 1927: a key event that helped take the country on a path to civil war a couple of years later; photographer unknown; press photo © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)
In 1925, Austria found itself still settling into a new order, struggling economically, and pulled in different sociopolitical directions. The country soon fell into autocratic ways with a terrifying intensity until its post-WWII rebirth and evolution into today’s democratic and pluralist society.
You might be surprised to learn, for example, that Austria flirted with fascism and faced civil war in the years before Nazi Germany invaded in 1938. And the end of the Iron Curtain had special meaning in a country that actually bordered communist Europe.
And then we have all the cultural, social and technological developments within the modern era…from pop music to pandemic management.
The summaries in English give you a whirlwind tour of that history, while display walls feature photos for each era. Display cabinets contain covers or pages from contemporary magazines and newspapers.
Photo captions are in English, but much of what you see loses impact if you’re not familiar with the times. So simply consider the exhibition a bonus to the magnificence of the State Hall.
(Foreign Minister Leopold Figl shows the Österreichischer Staatsvertrag (Austrian State Treaty)on May 15th, 1955 from the balcony of Upper Belvedere. The treaty returned Austria to full independence following occupation by the allies post-WWII; photographed by Erich Lessing; press photo © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)
However, a closer look at the variety of photos does highlight some resonant moments, like the image of swastikas hanging off the side of the State Opera House.
Taking a wider view, the progression reveals how much has changed…and how much hasn’t.
Even the 80s and 90s seem like another world when you consider the clothes and cars in pictures. And yet you also see a poster campaign against violence against women from 2003/2004, and a 1997 warning about the need to do something about climate change.
(Strangely, no mention is made of the momentous occasion that was my 1995 wedding.)
Dates, tickets & tips
Walk through the visual historical highlights from March 13th to November 2nd, 2025. A ticket for the National Library’s State Hall includes the exhibition.
This Prunksaal location has a history that predates 1925 by about 200 years. The view inside this former court library is worth the ticket price in its own right.
Vienna has a number of other photo exhibitions to offer across the duration of A Century in Pictures. I can particularly recommend the Anton Corbijn exhibition at the Kunstforum Wien, for example. Especially his portraits.
And should you wish to explore the last 100 years of Austrian history in more depth, then an obvious address is…the House of Austrian History (just around the corner in the Neue Burg).
Another useful address is the Wien Museum on Karlsplatz square: the permanent exhibition of this “museum of the city” takes you through the chronology of Vienna. Plenty of art and culture rounds out the displays.
Consider this list of other museums with a focus on history, too.
How to get to the photos
Follow the tips in my State Hall overview article, but the entrance is on Josefsplatz square right in the centre on one side of the former Habsburg residential complex.
Address: Josefsplatz 1, 1010 Vienna