Exhibition Horror Patriae
Heimat Temple

There is nothing neutral about names given to places of origin. The Latin word patria can refer to a city, village, or even the house you were born in. Its German translation, Vaterland (fatherland), already sounds more official, like a nation with borders and an army that will ask a sacrifice of you. The German word Heimat (literally, homeland) is special, to the extent that it has become known in English, too. It conjures up villages, unspoiled nature, a sense of belonging and roots, and the safety of tradition. It is the seemingly safe haven of home, far away from politics.

The notion is deeply political, however. Heimat was a key term for German nationalism. It first rose to prominence during the Industrial Revolution. Farmers left their villages to become workers, and traditional ways of life seemed in need of protection. This task was taken up by the late-19th-century Heimatschutz (homeland protection) movement. It aimed to preserve and promote the “right” kind of architecture, songs, clothes, and customs, as well as condemn the “wrong” ones. This movement was highly influential in Austria and especially in Styria. Memorial plaques like the one on display commemorate fallen war heroes. They too are celebrated as protectors of the Heimat, in both a military and a cultural sense.

The Heimatschutz movement inspired and influenced Graz’s Folk Life Museum, founded in 1913 as part of the Joanneum by folklorist Viktor Geramb (1884–1958). He was succeeded by Hanns Koren (1906–1985), who also held political offices in Styria and initiated steirischer herbst. You will learn more about these two men later.

In its more sinister moments, Heimatkunde (local studies) became a form of racist pro-German propaganda, especially in ethnically mixed regions. Karl Haiding (1906–1985), the founder of the Trautenfels museum, is a key historic figure here.

Folklorists were eager to protect the traditional Styrian costume, or Tracht. They carefully reconstructed costumes for men and women from different regions. Staged photos from the 1980s published by Leopold Stocker Verlag represent the atmosphere of “conservative” patriarchy. Strangely, they seem to insist that a man should at any time have his choice of at least two women.

Folklore, tradition, and the patriarchal order dominated the “official” and regional identities of postwar Austria. This prompted the decisive resistance of artists and writers, especially women. VALIE EXPORT (born 1940) was and remains one of the most influential among them.