The Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Media Library), part of the Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Museum of Science and Technology), preserves Austria’s audiovisual heritage. From shellac records to video files and beyond: over two million audio and video recordings document historical events, contributions to cultural life and the history of television and radio, contemporary memories and personal accounts.
The collections are permanently preserved in both physical and digital form, safeguarded for the public, and made accessible both in person and online.Over 650,000 media items are catalogued in the Österreichische Mediathek, more than 140,000 of which can be listened to and viewed online via the Mediathek’s website as part of the Digital Collection. In addition, web exhibitions on various topics are curated by experts, offering interesting perspectives on the historical documents. The Audiovisual Atlas enablesusers to listen to and view audio and video documents directly at the locations where the events took place. Materials for educational purposes are compiled and prepared in dedicated teaching packs.
The Österreichische Mediathek also supports research projects, cooperates with numerous institutions in the fields of music and theatre, other media archives, the Austrian Parliament and many other memory institutions, and also offers events, a podcast and even more opportunities to discover Austria’s audiovisual cultural heritage.
