A Growing City
How has Vienna changed over the last few decades? What is it like to live here now? This section explores how residents have experienced Vienna’s many transformations. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Vienna’s population has grown. The wars in the Balkans; Austria joining the European Union (EU); the EU’s expansion into Eastern Europe; and the refugee crises in Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine – these have all made Vienna even more international and diverse.
Today, Vienna is widely considered an affordable city that provides a high quality of life. Nevertheless, global neoliberalism hasdeeply affected Vienna’s economy and its residents’ work life: rents are rising; employment is more precarious; and the income gap is widening. Global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change pose additional challenges for urban planners and residents alike.
The stories a museum can tell are always incomplete, and we can only include a small selection of objects and narratives. Do you want to help us locate things that exemplify Vienna’s contemporary culture? If so, please write to: ausstellung@wienmuseum.at