Wieder frei! (Free again!) 1945 Courtesy of the Austrian National Library The first official poster from the Red Army was printed in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, and distributed after the liberation of Vienna from Nazi rule on April 13, 1945. It informed the public about the Moscow Declaration of October 30, 1943, in which the Allied powers announced that Austria would be reconstituted as an autonomous state. St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, along with the red, white, and red banner, symbolizes the newly won freedom of Austria. In its propaganda, the Red Army repeatedly emphasized that it was able to save the city of Vienna, and its cultural monuments, from complete destruction. Unfortunately, this proved not to be the case with St. Stephen's. During the last battle, this symbol of Vienna caught fire and was heavily damaged.

Exhibition of Austrian posters in co-operation with the Austrian National Library and historic photographs by eminent Austrian photographer Erich Lessing. Exhibition catalog, designed by Blanka Pasternak.

Posters from the Austrian National Library and the Hoover Library and Archives covering the period 1945-55 can be seen at: http://www.onb.ac.at/sammlungen/plakate/siteseeing/wieder_frei/
(This virtual exhibit was created by the Austrian National Library. A flyer about the exhibit, in German, is also available).

The Third Man (1949)

Screening of the classic film noir thriller in the exhibit pavilion
from May 3 until May 21 at 12 pm and 2 pm.

Directed by Carol Reed, with a stellar cast led by Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten, this haunting movie set in post–World War II Viennamasterfully evokes the atmosphere of the occupied capital during that troubled time and portrays—through stunning photography—such memorable landmarks as the Wienkanal, the tunnel through which the Wien River makes its way through central Vienna to join the Danube.

Political Neutrality in Europe: Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden conference hosted by the Hoover Institution on May 2, 2005