The altogether 20 meter high monument with a four meter high bronze figure of Lueger at the Stubentor was erected in 1926 and has been causing debate for years. Again and again, critics have called for a redesign or even removal. The controversial building has been sprayed with the word “shame” since last year. City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler invited to a round table with around 40 participants in May in order to bring together the various positions and stakeholders.
“Extreme positions are not possible”
“It was interesting that in the end it became clear that the extreme positions are not possible,” said Kaup-Hasler in an interview with APA. It had become clear to the “representatives of the cancel culture” that “it would not lead to the goal of simply clearing away the monument”. That coincides with her attitude, so the city councilor: “We must not remove everything that bothers us from the history of the city – which is also a guilty, painful one – from the public.” Those at the other end of the spectrum of opinion stand and thus take a conservative, sustaining position, would have understood at the same time: “We cannot insist on the current situation.”
As a conclusion, the head of the cultural department, in consultation with Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), is now taking the path of artistic contextualization. How this will look is of course still completely open. Because the corresponding tender, which is being processed by the city’s own KÖR (art in public space), is currently being drawn up and will probably not be ready until autumn 2022. Kaup-Hasler expects that in the course of 2023 the winning project will be awarded a prize by a “top-class” jury that has yet to be filled and that implementation can then begin. There is no budget yet. It is also still open whether an open or invited competition will be advertised.
Check whether the statue and the base can be changed
But why the long lead time? On the one hand, the technical prerequisites must be precisely clarified, the city councilor led the meeting. This applies not only to questions of statics – the subway runs under the monument site – but above all what kind of interventions are in accordance with the monument protection. This result also depends on whether and to what extent the pedestal and statue may be attacked even if the complex is artistically redesigned. The check has to be carried out meticulously, “because otherwise we would receive umpteen submissions that would not be technically feasible”.
On the other hand, there is a need for preliminary scientific work that will be commissioned soon and that should also be included in the tender. It is not only about the concise elaboration of the ambivalence of the person Lueger – local political merits versus pioneers of anti-Semitism – but also a kind of cultural-philosophical guide for a contemporary culture of remembrance. The entire process should be set up as broadly as possible and, according to the head of department, be nothing less than an international prototype for “how a city can deal with such a monument”.
“Shame” lettering remains for the time being
Until it can be implemented, a kind of temporary artistic use at the location is conceivable for Kaup-Hasler. Consider promoting one or two temporary projects through the KÖR. Incidentally, the “Shame” lettering will continue to be displayed on the monument for the time being – not least for pragmatic reasons. Because chemical cleaning would only further damage the already attacked base substance – and “I also don’t feel like wasting taxpayers’ money that we clean, renovate and two days later it is smeared again”, explained the Vienna City Councilor for Culture: “That is why I would I say: ‘Let it be!’ “