Hugo Portisch’s successful documentary series “Österreich I” and “Österreich II” made television history in the early 1980s. They provided significant impulses for the historical reappraisal of the First and Second Republics.

In the course of updating this remarkable audiovisual work, previously unused and unbroadcast material has recently come to the fore. Several institutions are now working together with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War, the Institute for Contemporary History at the University of Vienna, and the ORF archive to record around 1,000 interviews with contemporary witnesses. A database with detailed content information will be made available to the general public, researchers, and students.

Project management: Hannes Leidinger
Project collaboration: Karin Moser
Duration: 2022-2023
Funding body: ÖZF