At a press conference, the town of St. Veit presented the new Topotheque to the assembled media representatives in the presence of State Councilor Daniel Fellner, Mayor Martin Kulmer, the director of the city museum Stefan Regenfelder, and Topothequer and expert Hannes Trixner. As the responsible education and community representative for the state of Carinthia, the collection and communication work are more than a matter of the heart for State Councilor Fellner: „As someone passionate about history, I am delighted that with the Topotheque we have now created a digital space that preserves our collective memory and makes it accessible to all generations. This project is far more than just an archive — it is a living window into our past.“ The importance of preserving our memorabilia has also prompted the state of Carinthia to support municipalities in establishing a Topotheque.
Museum director Stefan Regenfelder sees the Topotheque as “a collective memory that emerges from the heart of urban society.” He invites all associations, institutions, collectors, and private individuals to contribute their historical materials.
The Topotheque begins with a large core of around 2,000 digitized historical materials, including photographs and drawings from the 19th and 20th centuries. These largely come from the extensive holdings of the city archives. Thus, in addition to the collection of photos and artifacts from the 20th century, this Topotheque offers a profound insight into the city‘s earlier history, dating back to its first documented mention in 1224. In addition, there are many fascinating photos from private collections that reveal diverse aspects of everyday life at that time. Anyone who wants to know how much a pack of baked peas cost „back in the day“ in the 1970s will find the answer here. Would you have thought that as early as 1970, there was a supermarket chain still very much in operation today? In the spirit of State Councilor Fellner: „The Topotheque offers enormous potential for schools and educational work: It makes history vivid, locally located, and digitally accessible – exactly the way young people learn today.“
Have fun browsing!
Education and Community Affairs Minister Daniel Fellner (left) and Mayor Kulmer, who himself can find many memories of his town in the Topotheque. © City of St. Veit an der Glan
Topothequer Hannes Trixner presents samples from the new Topotheque © City of St. Veit an der Glan
Mayor Martin Kulmer and museum director Stefan Regenfelder present their new topotheque on television © Alexander Schatek
A view of the main square before 1900. Just to compare this view with today’s is worth a visit. Also in the left corner building, the museum. © St. Veit an der Glan City Archives