Time capsule in the Garden Palace: disco ball and rainbow flag discovered!

Time capsule in the Garden Palace: disco ball and rainbow flag discovered!

The renovation of the historic Schönborn Garden Palace in Josefstadt, which has been in full swing for several months, is taking on more and more concrete forms. The Folklore Museum is temporarily using Pavilion 1 on the Otto Wagner site as alternative accommodation. The aim of the redesign, which is being led by Silberpfeil Architects, is to create increased permeability and accessibility.

As part of the renovation, the offices will be moved to the ground floor, which will provide additional exhibition space on the upper floor. In addition, expansions of the foyers and catering areas are planned. BIG managing director Beck emphasizes how important the punctual completion of the project is for the planned EU funding. Of the 25 million euros in renovation financing, 25 million euros come from the EU recovery and resilience fund, while the federal government is providing a further 2.5 million euros.

Redesign and time capsule

The roughest structural work has now been completed and the interior work and building services are in full swing. A particularly interesting aspect of the project is the placement of a time capsule in a section of the wall facing Laudongasse. This capsule contains, among other things, a certificate, a rainbow flag, soybean seeds and even a disco ball. Museum director Matthias Beitl explains that the selection of objects is intended to symbolize the diversity and values ​​of today's society.

Oliver Schreiber from the Ministry of Culture describes the sealing of the time capsule as a “historical moment”. Beck speaks of a “milestone” and promises that a beautiful house will be created for Beitl and the community. When sealing the capsule, Beitl also thanked the workers on the construction site and emphasized that the new house will benefit everyone.

EU funding and cultural future

In a wider context, Culture Action Europe (CAE) highlights upcoming changes to the Creative Europe programme. The European Commission is currently working on a proposal for the long-term EU budget 2028-2034, in which cultural funding also plays an important role. CAE has prepared a draft position paper on this, which sets out the vision for the future of EU cultural funding.

CAE's recommendations aim to integrate culture into the planned three main pillars of the new EU budget: competitiveness funds, national plans linking reforms and investments, and financing external actions. CAE members were invited to review the document and provide feedback to identify strategic opportunities to promote culture within the EU.