The Topotheque of Obritzberg-Rust-Hain had already been founded in 2020 on the initiative of Helmut Beroun, but the launch event planned at the time fell victim to the lock-down. Now that more than 3,000 objects have already been collected by the Topothequers, it was time to present this treasure of history to a broader public and at the same time advertise it, old photos, newspaper clippings and much more, which is often found in attics and in boxes should not be disposed of, but rather handed over to the Topotheque team as evidence of the past for – at least digital – storage.
As part of this official presentation of the Obritzberg-Rust-Hain Topothek, which took place on Friday, February 23, 2024 in the Obritzberg community center, Mayor Daniela Engelhart highlighted Helmut Beroun‘s initiative and the commitment of the employees. Alexander Schatek, the founding father of this institution that now exists in many European countries to safeguard local cultural assets, reported on its origins and development, and Topotheque manager Helmut Beroun explained the Topotheque and its search functions. As a special example of the appeal, he presented a long-sought photo of the murdered Jewish community doctor Dr. Wilhelm Kollmann, of whom no picture has yet been found. Topothequers Andreas Geier, Marina Petuely and Angelika Beroun-Linhart presented further focal points. Marina Petuely explained that in her professional work in monument protection she always uses local Topotheques as sources, because interesting details of buildings can often be found in private photos. Often as a random accessory or background for the people depicted. President of the Lower Austrian state parliament Karl Wilfing, who came on behalf of state governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, emphasized the importance of these collections for the respective historical memory of the local communities: „History takes place and creates not only on the world stage, but also on a small scale identities.“
Music teacher Marianna Peter and her student Pia Müller musically accompanied the presentation ceremony with gentle horn sounds. Afterwards, the numerous interested parties were able to enjoy lively discussions and many took a look at this collection.