the waygabounds

Back then it was the future

Have you ever heard of the Schallaburg? It is an old renaissance castle in Lower Austria, built in 1456. The castle itself is nice to visit, but what it makes it more interesting is the fact that it’s the place where the annual county exhibition of Lower Austria is held. This year’s exhibition is about the 1970ies in Austria. As you might have guessed, I wasn’t born back then (not for a decade more), but my mom and my dad, who had their rolling twenties during the 1970ies, wanted to see it. And what can I tell you – we all had a blast, it was such an interesting day! First of all: We had probably the most amazing tour guide ever (I’ll find out her name and post that one later, I promise). She told our small group that she was in her twenties too when the 70ies peaked; so she was an insider. She was very kind and knew a lot; our group took the longest time in there, because the guide was very patient and even made sure that I get all the connections and all the historical background needed to grasp the spirit of the 7oies.

That bike was blazin’ hot back then!

And that one was very different from how we see the world nowadays, I can tell you. I was very impressed by with how much verve people fought for what they believed in; they fought against a planned nuclear plant in Austria, for feminism, for emancipation – for everything. It was a time during which people – young people of all – weren’t afraid to speak out loud. They had visions, they had hope, they had a prosperous future ahead of them, Austria was a nation who got wealthier after the war. It was the right time for innovation, success and scandals.

“The Computer will never be a thing in private households” – yeah, right?

When we made our (slow) way through the exhibition I was amazed, all the time. It’s based on a lot of objects, on stuff you can look at, touch, on magazine articles, toys, tv-shows… Speaking of TV-shows: Did you know that back in the 1970ies TV anchormen smoked during they were hosting their shows? Or that in Austria we only got two weeks of paid holidays before that time (now it’s actually five)? The exhibition consists of different parts; you’ll learn about politics, media, everyday life, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle back then – or you’ll have a huge throwback, if you’ve been around during the 70ies. Long story short: Just go there, it’s amazing!!

Further Information:
Schallaburg
Die 70er – Damals war Zukunft
Schallaburg 1
3382 Schallaburg
www.schallaburg.at
Oh, and take a look at our awesome map

Opening hours:
March 19th to November 6th 2016
Mo – Fr: 9 am to 5 pmSat, Sun, public holidays: 9 am to 6 am
Admission fee is 11 Euros for adults, special rates for school groups, pupils and larger groups. Tours in English are 3,50 Euros per Person.

Useful tipps:

• Get a private guide, make sure that he or she was around during the 70ies; get your information first-hand
• Book and pay your tickets in advance, especially if you plan to go there on a rainy Sunday
• Go there early to have enough time to check out the very nice gardens after the exhibition

All pictures but the one with the bike are mine; the bike-pic was provided by Schallaburg.

#travel #austria #loweraustria #schallaburg #exhibition #review

Merken