New Center for Queere Culture in Vienna: Qwien opened in June!

New Center for Queere Culture in Vienna: Qwien opened in June!

Ramperstorffergasse 39, 1050 Wien, Österreich - Vienna is preparing for a milestone in the queer history! Qwien, the Center for Queere History, will open a new location at Ramperstorffergasse 39 on May 1, 2025. After 15 years at its previous place, the institution, which has archived and researched the queer history of Vienna and Austria since its foundation in 2009, has now been plans. "With the new location we are opening up to the international league queer archives and museums," emphasize the founders Andreas Brunner and Hannes Sulzenbacher and compare themselves with renowned facilities such as the gay museum in Berlin and Ihlia in Amsterdam, which are considered pioneers in the queer history documentation, such as ORF reported.

At the new location, visitors can expect a comprehensive library with over 10,000 books and almost 25,000 queer magazines from more than 50 countries - the largest collection of this kind in Austria. "The queer city walks are a real hit," Brunner is pleased with the high demand for tours, especially around the Pride season. The new facility will also offer an exhibition space for events and cultural activities, which can make Qwien even more aware of a general public for queer topics and history. The opening is planned for June 2025. Those artistic and historical discussions are to focus more on queer content and emphasize the relevance for society as well, according to Sulzenbacher, as well as Qwien communicated.

a future -oriented approach

The work of Qwien not only includes the archiving of personal and institutional discounts, but also the processing of the National Socialist persecution of homosexuals, supported by the republic's national fund. An extensive database for recording the victims is continuously expanded and is available to university research. The new center will improve the quality of the care of researchers and access to materials in a generous reading room. "We will be queer, loud and cheeky," announces Sulzenbacher, and thus creating a room in which queer issues are presented alive and diverse.