Khevenhüller-Chronik: Austria's cultural jewel now in the UNESCO register!

Khevenhüller-Chronik: Austria's cultural jewel now in the UNESCO register!

In a glamorous ceremony in the Austrian National Library, the ceremonial entry of the Khevenhüller-Chronik in the "National Austrian Memory of the World Register" took place on December 16, 2024. As the OTS And so that the first document that receives this high award from the Austrian UNESCO Commission. Originally written in the early 17th century, the chronicle offers a unique insight into the history of the Khevenhüller family, whose roots go back to the 14th century. The careful descriptions on 770 pages and the artistically designed color boards make this work an inexhaustible source of knowledge about the socio-cultural and economic conditions of the time.

The significant appointment follows an extensive research and restoration project that was carried out in cooperation with the Hochosterwitz Castle and Mars (Mak Art Society). The chronicle was digitized and transcribed by the MAK to make it accessible to the public, the MAK explained in a blog-post . The restoration process included the careful treatment of the valuable materials in order to protect the manuscripts from damage caused by time and environmental influences. The chronicle is not only an impressive historical document, but also an authentic source of early history of industrialization in Austria, which offers insights into past fashion flows and the social structures of the time.

The project that has been running in the MAK for several years will continue to drive the digital recording of the chronicle. In the long term, the valuable legacy should not only be preserved, but also made known to the public. With its detailed representation of people and events, the Khevenhevenhüller-Chronik offers a liveliness that can hardly be overestimated in its importance for the cultural history of Austria.