The exhibition team

After two pan-European tender procedures, the National Fund commissioned the successful team to curate the new Austrian exhibition at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in late April 2014. In March 2015 it commissioned an architect to design the exhibition.

Curation and science

In late April 2014, the National Fund awarded the winning team the curatorship of the new exhibition in Block 17 of the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Team Curator and Scientific Director
Team Curator and Scientific Director, from left: Albert Lichtblau, Birgit Johler, Christiane Rothländer, Barbara Staudinger, Christoph Mai, Hannes Sulzenbacher (c) Alex Kubik
  • Hannes Sulzenbacher (Curator, project leader): Freelance curator. Numerous exhibitions, predominantly in Jewish museums, e.g. Hohenems, Frankfurt am Main, Munich and Berlin; co-Director of QWIEN – Center for Gay/Lesbian Culture and History.
  • Dr. Albert Lichtblau (Scientific Director): University Professor of History and Deputy Head of the Center for Jewish Cultural History at the University of Salzburg until 2019. Numerous oral history projects, UNESCO Documentary Heritage (“Memory of the World”/ “Gedächtnis der Menschheit”): Oral History Interviews with Victims of National Socialism from Austria – Lichtblau Collection (Österreichische Mediathek)
  • Dr. Birgit Johler: Cultural scientist, curator at the Folklore Museum at the Universalmuseum Joanneum since 2019 and responsible for the museum’s reorganisation, previously curator at the House of Austrian History. Other exhibitions, e.g. at the Jewish Museum Vienna, Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art Vienna. Work on the Nazi period, among other things, and leader of the research project “Servitengasse 1938”.
  • Dr. Christiane Rothländer: Historian specializing in National Socialism, Austrofascism and the history of psychoanalysis. Lecturer at the University of Vienna.
  • Dr. Barbara Staudinger: Historian and curator specializing in Jewish history. Director of the Jüdisches Kulturmuseum Augsburg-Schwaben, Director of the Jewish Museums Vienna from mid-2022. Previously Director of the Institute for the Jewish History of Austria, St. Pölten, curator at the Jewish Museum in Munich.
  • Dr. Siegfried Göllner: Historian, specialising in Nazism, denazification, historical children’s welfare and sport history. Collaboration on various contemporary history research projects, including “The City of Salzburg under Nazi rule”.
  • Christoph Mai: Responsible for project organisation. Head of the Associations Friends of the Jewish Museum and Friends of the Vienna Library.

Design

In March 2015, the National Fund commissioned the architect Martin Kohlbauer to design the new Austrian exhibition at the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Architect Martin Kohlbauer, the designer of the Austrian exhibition in the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. (c) Daniela Klemencic
  • Architect Mag.arch. Martin Kohlbauer: Freelance architect in Vienna since 1991. He has worked on a wide range of projects in urban, educational, residential, office and hospital construction and is responsible for numerous exhibition designs, such as “Journey to no end of the world”, Beth Hatefutsoth, Tel Aviv; “Voices_Places_Times”, permanent exhibition at the Jewish Museum, Munich; “The New Austria”, Upper Belvedere, Vienna; “Typical!”, Jewish Museum, Berlin; “The Female Side of God”, Jewish Museum, Frankfurt.
  • DI Stefanie Diwischek: Project Manager at the Martin Kohlbauer Atelier