The Fürstenbergers

In the Middle Ages they were powerful lords of castles and loyal servants of the emperor, in the 16th and 17th centuries victorious generals and influential diplomats, in the Age of Enlightenment magnificent rulers over extensive territories in Swabia, Bohemia and Lower Austria and in the 19th century successful entrepreneurs and art-loving patrons of the arts.

This state exhibition was dedicated to the Fürstenbergs, one of the oldest and most important families of the German high nobility. In part closely linked to the Habsburgs, the history of the Fürstenbergs reflects important aspects of Central Europe's past. The exhibition, which was decided in 1989 - the year the Iron Curtain fell - deliberately sought to connect with the centuries-long shared past of the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany. The Fürstenberg Collection comprises objects that are unique in the world. The most valuable pieces, such as the Song of the Nibelungs (Hohenems Manuscript C) from the early 13th century or medieval panel paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder, were shown for the first time in Austria, at the Fürstenberg Castle in Weitra.

The majority of the unique art-historical exhibits on display were acquired by the Fürstenbergs in the 19th century, at a time of political decline and economic prosperity. However, the exhibition not only showed works of art, but also gave an insight into the ups and downs that this ancient German noble family experienced over the course of its eight-hundred-year history. However, the exhibition also told of other, seemingly unspectacular aspects of life befitting a noble family: hunting and forestry, agriculture and aristocratic education, politics and dealing with modern society were illustrated in the ramified family history of the Fürstenbergs.

At the opening of the state exhibition on May 11, 1994, Baden-Württemberg's Minister President Erwin Teufel referred to the shared history of his state and Austria. The region's former affiliation with the Anterior Austrian lands is still part of Baden-Württemberg's identity today. Governor Erwin Pröll said that a new connection, new cohesion and a new linking of Europe must be derived from the history of the Fürstenbergs in order to achieve the goals of “more security and peace” as well as “more prosperity and federalism”.

Federal President Thomas Klestil emphasized that the Lower Austrian Provincial Exhibitions are not only among the most important exhibitions in Austria, but have also taken on a Central European function long before the fall of the Iron Curtain. The number of 6.5 million visitors to the 26 provincial exhibitions to date alone shows the dimension, but also the special significance of these magnificent exhibitions of Austria's history and art, said the head of state.

Weitra Castle