Qwien opens new location: A center for queer culture in Vienna!

Qwien opens new location: A center for queer culture in Vienna!

Vienna is facing a cultural revolution in the field of queer history! QWIEN, which has functioned as an archive and research center since 2009, will open a new location at Ramperstorffergasse 39 on June 4, 2024. City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler emphasized the importance of this opening during a visit to the construction site: “With QWien we are creating a space in which queer culture and history is not only documented, but also actively continued to be written.” The even larger space will allow QWIEN to compete internationally with leading queer archives and museums, including the famous Gay Museum in Berlin and the IHLIA in Amsterdam, as the organizing team Andreas Brunner and Hannes Sulzenbacher emphasize.

The new location will house the impressive collection of over 10,000 books and nearly 25,000 magazines from more than 50 countries. This makes QWIEN not only the largest queer library in Austria, but also one of the most important in Europe. In addition to archiving, the focus is on research and educational work. Particularly interesting is the database on the victims of the National Socialist persecution of homosexuals, which was created with the support of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria. This database will be invaluable to both academics and the broader public, explains Sulzenbacher.

Exhibition and events in focus

With the new, larger space, QWIEN plans to offer a wide range of events, including exhibitions, readings and city tours. The demand for city and district walks increases particularly during Pride season, which underlines the relevance of their educational activities. “We will be queer, loud and cheeky, but will also be a place for broad discussions about queer topics in art and history,” assures Sulzenbacher. From May 2025, the new culture and research center will open its doors and act as a platform for the queer community and its history in order to bring it further into social consciousness. QWIEN will thus become the new central contact point for queer culture in Vienna, with the aim of promoting the diversity of queer identities and making them visible qwien.at reported.

The relevance of QWIEN's new location in Margareten cannot be overestimated. It is not only an expansion of the premises, but also a significant step towards greater visibility and recognition of queer culture, so that Vienna will now gain a new landmark in queer history, like this vienna.at highlights.