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2020 EXHIBITION:
THE DANUBE – PEOPLE, TREASURES & CULTURES

From the Black Sea to Schallaburg Castle

Beginning is postponed!

Welcome to the exhibition “The DANUBE – People, Treasures & Cultures”, an inspiring upstream journey from the Black Sea to the straits of the Iron Gates gorge, and past the vast Hungarian plains to Schallaburg Castle in the Wachau region!

The Danube began to carve out its route millions of years ago. With approximately 2,800 kilometres in length, it is the second longest river in Europe and is unique in its eventful history and cultural diversity within the European continent. People have lived on its banks and used it for their purposes for thousands of years. Impressive cultures emerged along the river as far back as the Neolithic Age. Romans used it as a border for their mighty empire, and the Habsburgs as a lifeline for an empire that was called “Danubian Monarchy” for a reason.

The journey holds plenty of stories and narratives, for example about the dramatic sinking of the island of Ada Kaleh, about mysterious traces of the Neolithic Vinča culture on the Serbian banks of the Danube, about Prince Eugene’s battles against the Ottomans, and the fate of the “Danube Swabians”. The exhibition lifts the secret of Hungarian fish soup, takes a peek at traditional wineries (Lesehöfe), follows in the Nibelungs’ footsteps in the Wachau region, and fathoms the myth of “The Blue Danube”.

You will experience insights into the history of the Danube region and panoramic views of its diverse landscapes in stages rich in variety. People describe the life on the mighty river, while extraordinary exhibits create a vivid picture of its past, present and future. Your impressions will merge into the colourful mosaic that still characterises the Danube region today.

Curator Dominik Heher:

“We shall travel upstream, not in the flow direction of the Danube but against it, along the river’s unusual chainage, which starts at kilometre 0 in Sulina. We took a deliberate decision to do so to show that a river is not a one-way road, because exchange along its banks has always taken place in both directions. A close collaboration between numerous regional museums along the Danube has made it possible for the exhibition to show exhibits which have never been shown in Austria and which tell stories that open up new perspectives on the Danube. Our journey from Sulina to the Wachau was designed to inspire visitors to explore the Danube region beyond the walls of Schallaburg Castle.”

Kurt Farasin, artistic director of Schallaburg Castle:

“The ‘Danube’ exhibition welcomes you to an upstream journey from the Black Sea to Schallaburg Castle. It is a journey full of encounters with people, languages, museums and landscapes. These merge and tell a polyphonic story that we would like to share with our visitors. For it is only on a trip along the mightiest European river that we can fathom the wealth of the ‘Danube’ as a European treasure; only when we meet the people and their languages, cultures, landscapes and views will the Danube open its treasure chest of stories. These stories will no doubt turn out to be contagious and fuel the wanderlust for a Danube trip in each and every one of us.”

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