The Congress of Vienna in European Cultures of Memory

In 1814 and 1815 the Congress of Vienna attracted thousands of visitors to the Austrian capital. At the end of the Napoleonic era, nothing short of fleshing out a new order for Europe and an enduring system of peace for the continent was on the agenda. This major event will soon have its 200th-year anniversary. Various commemorative events have already been planned, and scholarly research on this topic has significantly intensified. Whereas for many years the Congress of Vienna was evaluated negatively, especially from national perspectives, it is now seen in a predominantly positive light: as a gathering in which a comparatively lengthy peace order was accomplished. The broad public however essentially remembers it as a sumptuous festivity, following Prince de Ligne`s popular quip: "Le congrès danse, mais il ne marche pas". Closely connected to the picture of the Congress in the general memory is also Prince Metternich. Only the most recent investigations have begun to put his one-dimensional image as a reactionary oppressor of freedom and of national unity into question. This project will start with these images and constructions. What are the existing interpretations of the Congress of Vienna and its results? Where did they originate? Which evolutions of negotiations, which courses of events and personalities have occupied the spotlight of remembrance? What is the relationship between these main points and their interpretations to the respective historical political situations? Which target was pursued and to which effect? Thus this project does not examine the Congress of Vienna per se, but, for the first time, the cultures of memory relating to this major event. It therefore aims to analyze a classic topic in a completely new way, appraising its role in European memory. At the same time it will close a gap in a research field, that like few others over the last two decades has interested both the historical sciences and the public as hardly any other. With this objective in mind the project analyzes various relevant sources of memory: historiography, newspapers, internet, encyclopedias, textbooks, exhibitions and feature films. Two levels of comparison will be therefore developed. First, the culture of memory will be explored by a diachronic comparison extending from the immediate repercussions up until today. Second, there will be a synchronic comparison that considers and perceives differentially the cultures of memory within various national contexts. Insights shall be gained concerning the connection among "Zeitgeist," space and historical understanding, the relationship between history and politics as well as the role of history in the shaping of identities. Lastly, an answer may be found whether the Congress of Vienna is to be understood as an European realm of memory.

Is the Congress of Vienna to be understood as an European realm of memory? The answer to this question was sought by the Hertha-Firnberg-project which took place at the universities of Innsbruck and Frankfurt/Main from January 2014 to May 2016. It arrived at the conclusion that despite all the strong national sensitivities the peacemaking and European character of the Congress of Vienna was emphasized all over Europe during different periods and played a role in European cultures of memory especially after the end of World War II.In 1814 and 1815 the Congress of Vienna attracted thousands of visitors to the Austrian capital. At the end of the Napoleonic era, nothing short of fleshing out a new order for Europe and an enduring system of peace for the continent was on the agenda. This major event had its 200th-year anniversary in 2014/15. The project used this on the one hand as an opportunity for a new research initiative in consideration of a classical topic, on the other hand to accompany the jubilee in a critical way. Thus this project does not examine the Congress of Vienna per se, but, for the first time, the cultures of memory relating to this major event, appraising its role in European memory.Two focus areas were in the centre of attention: the memories concerning the Congress of Vienna in the host country Austria and the memories concerning the Congress of Vienna in different European countries around the time of World War I. Further comparisons were drawn by the project-team and several experts within three international conferences. In the case of Austria the points of reference for a positive connoted culture of memory were far more numerous than in most of the other countries, where national disappointments concerning the results of the Congress and prejudices against the Congress of Vienna as a source of the Era of Restoration often dominated: The Congress of Vienna could symbolize glamour and glory of the past during the Austrian Empire as well as during the First and Second Republic. This way it had identity-constructing effects. Furthermore it could act as a brick within the construction of Austrias central role within and for Europe. But even in the host country the Congress of Vienna flinched from an unambiguous interpretation one reason why it never rose to the first row of events to be remembered within Europe. Nevertheless it is obvious that especially after 1919 and after 1945 it was seen as peace-making and European and exploited this way. Insofar it can in the end be understood as an European realm of memory. However the chequered history of memories of the Congress of Vienna recollected not least an old insight in the context of the jubilee: How strongly the view of history depends on the stance of the observer.