“Lebensborn” – Exhibition Opens
The “Lebensborn” home in Wienerwald served as a maternity hospital in Lower Austria from 1938 to 1945, aiming to increase the birth rate of children deemed particularly “valuable” according to the racist population policy of the Nazi regime. This topic was explored in the participatory project “MEMORY LAB” by the LBI for War Consequences Research. The traveling exhibition was on display in St. Pölten until November 27, 2024, and is currently being showcased at the City Museum of Dornbirn. The OIS Center supported the project with content and funded the participatory part of the research.
“On the Edge of Wienerwald – The Lebensborn in Feichtenbach” is the title of the current special exhibition, created by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for War Consequences Research in collaboration with the Institute for History at the University of Graz. The Open Innovation in Science Center accompanied the project with content and financed the participatory aspect of the research.
The title was deliberately chosen to emphasize that the location is not in the center of Wienerwald while also hinting that this important topic has previously been at the periphery of scientific interest.
“White Spot”
The former Wienerwald home in Feichtenbach (Lower Austria) is considered a “white spot” in Austrian contemporary historical research. In a project that has been ongoing since 2020, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for War Consequences Research, in cooperation with the University of Graz, is investigating the history of this maternity home operated by the SS organization Lebensborn, where more than 1,200 children were born between 1938 and 1945.
The involvement of citizens as co-researchers opened new opportunities for constructive engagement with the history of the home. Individuals whose biographies or family histories are connected to the home in various ways were actively involved in the process of historical analysis, alongside people from the local community. Workshops facilitated the imparting of historical research skills and the work with historical and biographical sources.