Under the theme “Power / Data / Language”, the Kulturpool Stakeholder Forum 2026 took place on 5 and 6 May 2026 at the kärnten.museum in Klagenfurt. Nearly 100 representatives from over 60 institutions across Austria accepted the invitation, including the Topotheque as a co-organiser.
The Topotheque was already the focus of the pre-programme on the opening evening: in a dedicated workshop and networking session, participants discussed how participatory projects can promote knowledge production and highlight local perspectives. Topothek initiator Alexander Schatek presented the work of the Topotheques and demonstrated how citizens, together with academic stakeholders, document local history and make it digitally accessible.
In the ensuing discussion, it became clear that, alongside technical standardisation and further development, what is needed above all is better exchange between academic research and volunteer amateurs. For it is only through this collaboration – despite all the areas of tension – that local knowledge can be responsibly tapped into and secured for the long term. Topics such as metadata quality, legal uncertainties, and the role of AI and semantic technologies were also on the agenda.
The Stakeholder Forum has once again demonstrated that the Topotheque is a key voice in the Austrian cultural heritage debate – acting as a bridge between the community, academia and digital infrastructure.
Click here for the recap on the Kulturpool website