A Weekend in Vienna: Day 4

My last day in Vienna started with an assignment called, Student-Led Tours. Our assignment was to pick a significant historical spot in Vienna, give some background information, and offer a deeper question to create a group conversation. The 20 students on our trip split off into 4 groups. The first group took us to St. Stephens Catacombs and asked about the burial process. The second group brought us to the Dutch house and inquired upon Mozart’s ambitious nature. The third group lead us towards another set of catacombs and added to our previous conversation. Lastly, my group introduced the Jewish Museum to everyone and posed the question:

Austria was pardoned from their role in WWII, but what could Austria have done to

reconcile with the Jewish community? Are museums and monuments enough or are

they tied to a bigger ethical dilemma?

Oddly enough our question has remained relevant weeks later as we embark on our next excursion throughout Italy. How do we remember and preserve history?

After concluding our Student-Led Tour, our program director, and Austria in Europe – History – professor decided to add another landmark to the tour because we were running ahead of schedule. We ended up at a rather unextraordinary “monument.” On our first day in Vienna we walked past this monument without a second thought – in fact, most of us didn’t think it was a monument but rather an informational guide for the tree that it sat in front of.

On November 2nd of 2020 – the night before Vienna was set to enter lockdown due to Coronavirus – a gunman opened fire on civilians in the Bermuda Triangle - an area of Vienna’s city center that is notorious for its nightlife. Since it was the night before lockdown more people were out and about enjoying their last night of freedom. Four civilians were killed and 23 were seriously wounded. The attacker was killed within 9 minutes of the shooting – police reacted fast. He was later identified as an ISIL sympathizer and the event was labeled an act of Islamic terrorism.

The government responded impulsively and created a simple concrete monument that resides in Desider-Friedman Platz today. The monument reads:

Im Gedenken an die Opfer des Terroranschlages vom 2 November 2020

In memoriam of the victims of the attack on 2 November 2020

As a class, we dissected the monument's flaws:

• The description is vague

• The victims’ names are not listed

• The event is not explained in detail

• The English translation doesn’t include terrorist

• The description is covered by spilled candle wax

• The monument doesn’t look like a monument

• The design is rather plain

• The location is odd

After the tour concluded we were given free rein until our prompt departure at 2. I ended up at a café, Go Wien. I sat and talked with friends – didn’t even order food just sat and relaxed. This weekend was draining.

To conclude our time in Vienna I grabbed a croissant and some vegan Gyoza from the nearby Spar for the bus home and got a scoop of gelato from a cute 2D gelateria. I passed out on the bus for a portion of the drive. Once home I made a gourmet PB & J and called it a night because I had class at 8 the next morning.

My time in Vienna was short but sweet, dramatic to say the least. My feet are still recovering. I miss the food and the art appreciation that you see everywhere. Vienna’s art scene is endless. Museums are abundant. Thousands of years of history written into the cobblestones. Everywhere you go you’ll smell delicious pastries, hear hooves trotting, and feel the crisp breeze. I'll return someday because Vienna made me fall in love with art history and architecture like never before. The detail of this city is immaculate. Nothing compares to the timeless nature of Vienna. Meine Lieblings Vienna.

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