Welcome to Austria - A Summer Voyage in Pictures

Almost exactly 100 years ago, Austria became an attractive summer holiday destination, also in the world of advertizing. For the first time,  this exhibition at the Austrian National Library  shows posters, photographs, brochures and travel guides  from the history of tourism in Austria between 1900 and the 1970s. It is the first exhibition of this kind which centres around the art of advertizing and the history of tourism in Austria. At the same time it is a pictorial voyage through Austria, its public image and its history.

On show are the impressive works of many important Austrian artists and designers, such as Heinrich Berann, Alexander Exax, Ilse Jahnass, Hermann Kosel and Arthur Zelger who all praised the beauty of the Austrian landscape on pictures, posters and photographs. A personal insight into  the typical Austrian „Sommerfrische” is presented in private photo albums by early tourists, while the official image of Austria as a famous tourist destination with mountains and „Dirndlkleid” is shown on  the posters and photographs published by the Austrian tourist information offices and agencies. Also on show are early travel guides to Austria, among them the 22 volumes of „Woerl’s Reisehandbücher” in a beautiful red leather case from the property of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria.