Vienna mourns the loss of Eduard Harant: a bridge builder of cultures died

Vienna mourns the loss of Eduard Harant: a bridge builder of cultures died

Wien, Österreich - The Austrian media entrepreneur and publishing director Eduard Harant died on July 16, 2025 at the age of 95. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig was deeply affected by the loss of this important bridge builders between nations and cultures. Harant's life's work and his tireless efforts for intercultural dialogue have left a lasting impression.

Eduard Harant was born in Vienna on May 19, 1930 and grew up bilingual as the son of Bohemian parents. He began his career in the media and publishing business, where he became director of the publishing house bookstore Carl Gerold’s son, the oldest publishing house in Austria. At the end of the 1980s, he founded the Compress Verlagsgesellschaft, which served as a publisher and agency for foreign communication. Under his leadership, compress eleven foreign offices in Central and Eastern Europe operated with around 30 employees who were responsible for cultural exchange and information spread between Austria and its neighboring countries.

commitment to intercultural exchange

Harant was actively committed to the democratic reorganization of Czechoslovakia. In 1989 he supported the velvet revolution and acted as an intermediary during the transition to a democratic government. His commitment contributed significantly to the promotion of cultural exchange between the countries. This endeavor was also expressed in his participation in the construction of the Karl Renner-Haus in Untertannowitz, which was opened in 2005 and promotes the exchange between Austria and the Czech Republic.

Another heart project of Harant was the support of the bilingual Vienna Komenský high school, where he was devoted to a marble table on the school building in honor. He was also founder of the Austrian-Czech society in 1994 and was appointed an honorary member in 2018. This society plays an important role in intercultural dialogue and has supported many of its initiatives.

recognition and awards

The international community paid tribute to Harant's extraordinary achievements with several awards. These include the T.-G.-Masaryk Order of the Czech Republic, the Centrope Prize and the Golden Rathausmann. Václav Klaus, the former President of the Czech Republic, described Harant as the best emissary of his country in Austria.

Mayor Michael Ludwig expressed his deep condolences to the bereaved and emphasized: "Thank you Eduard - Děkujeme, Eduarde!" These words reflect the gratitude for Harant's life's work, which for many serves as inspiration and guidelines in the intercultural dialogue. The last celebration in honor of his 95th birthday recently took place in the Swiss House and testifies to the appreciation he experienced in his life.

Eduard Harant's life and his commitment will be remembered as a significant contribution to international cooperation and intercultural exchange. His legacy continues in the relationships between the nations that he has promoted with his work.