New center for queer culture in Vienna: QWien opens in June!

New center for queer culture in Vienna: QWien opens in June!

Vienna is preparing for a milestone in queer historical preservation! QWIEN, the center for queer history, will open a new location at Ramperstorffergasse 39 on May 1, 2025. After 15 years in its current location, the institution, which has been archiving and researching the queer history of Vienna and Austria since it was founded in 2009, now has big plans. “With the new location, we are joining the international league of queer archives and museums,” emphasize the founders Andreas Brunner and Hannes Sulzenbacher, comparing themselves with renowned institutions such as the Gay Museum in Berlin and IHLIA in Amsterdam, which are considered pioneers in queer historical documentation 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 its kind in Austria. “The queer city walks are a real hit,” says Brunner, pleased about the high demand for guided tours, especially around Pride season. The new facility will also provide an exhibition space for events and cultural activities, allowing QWIEN to raise awareness of queer issues and history among the general public even more than before. The opening is planned for June 2025. According to Sulzenbacher, these artistic and historical discussions should increasingly focus on queer content and emphasize its relevance for society as a whole QWIEN communicates.

A future-oriented approach

The work of QWIEN not only includes the archiving of personal and institutional legacies, but also the coming to terms with the National Socialist persecution of homosexuals, supported by the National Fund of the Republic. An extensive database for recording the names of victims is constantly being expanded and is available for university research. The new center will improve the quality of support for researchers and access to materials in a spacious reading room. “We will be queer, loud and cheeky,” announces Sulzenbacher, creating a space in which queer topics are presented in a lively and diverse manner.