Folklore Museum Graz

50 objects tell the story of the region

Exhibition curator Alexandra Riewe (center) with Elisabeth Schlögl (Museumsforum Steiermark) and Claudia Unger (Volkskundemuseum Graz)(Bild: UMJ/J.J.Kucek)

With the new exhibition "Who are you: Styria?", the Graz Folklore Museum not only raises the big question of Styrian identity, but also brings 50 Styrian regional museums before the curtain.

In addition to the large Universalmuseum Joanneum, around 430 smaller regional and private collections throughout Styria - mostly run on a voluntary basis - are busy preserving the cultural heritage of the province. A new exhibition at the Graz Folklore Museum in cooperation with the Museumsforum Steiermark is now bringing 50 of these museums to the fore with 50 of their exhibits and aims to answer the question: "Who are you: Styria?"

Telling the stories behind the objects
"Above all, we want to tell the stories behind the objects and bring Styrian history to life," says curator Alexandra Riewe. And so it is often not the exhibits themselves that impress, but the context in which they are placed: A few pieces of wood on a rope, for example, are only impressive when you know that they are part of the first ski lift on the Planai in Schladming and therefore represent a milestone for local tourism.

New exhibition at the Folklore Museum(Bild: UMJ/J.J.Kucek)

Many of the objects on display in the exhibition bear witness to a turning point in history: For example, there is the medical equipment of the first female doctor to work in the Murau district or the border beam from Bad Radkersburg, which was once part of the Iron Curtain. But the first left-handed scythe, which was produced in the Deutschfeistritz scythe factory and thus testifies to the end of forced re-education for right-handedness, is also part of the exhibition.

Dark hours in history too
But there are also objects that, despite their inconspicuousness, tell of the horrors of Styrian history: Shoes, for example, which were found in a forest on the Präbichl after the massacre of Hungarian Jews.

These leather shoes from the town museum in the old town hall in Eisenerz tell of a dark hour in Styrian history.(Bild: Thomas Caks)

Important work of the regional museums
The exhibition provides insights into the history of these objects not only in short wall texts and an exhibition catalog, but also in short videos that can be accessed in the exhibition via QR codes on a smartphone. The answer that this show gives to the titular question "Who are you: Styria?" is thus polyphonic and wonderfully contradictory. And it not only showcases the important work of regional museums, but also the tireless efforts of collectors who have contributed for centuries to ensuring that the history of the province is archived in all its breadth and preserved for future generations.

The show is on display until January 7, 2025. You can also see all the videos about the objects here.