The Imperial Palace Vienna: “Lichtblicke Österreichs – Chromotopia Austria” illuminates Austria’s democratic journey 

 80 years since the founding of the Second Republic of Austria 
70 years since the signing of the Austrian State Treaty 
30 years of Austria’s accession to the European Union 

2025 is a year of remembrance. Three defining anniversaries take centre stage—milestones that decisively shaped Austria’s path to democracy and its place within the European community. Eighty years ago, the Second World War ended and the Second Republic of Austria was born. Seventy years ago, the Austrian State Treaty was signed at the Belvedere, restoring Austria’s full sovereignty and independence. And thirty years ago, Austria joined the European Union, opening itself to a shared European future. 

These historical turning points are now being made visible through a special art project. Under the title “Lichtblicke Österreichs – Chromotopia Austria,” the Burghauptmannschaft Österreich, together with the renowned light and media artist Victoria Coeln, will transform the Neue Burg at Heldenplatz into a monumental artwork of remembrance, memory culture, and democracy from 1 October 2025, the anniversary of the Austrian Constitution. 

Three powerful symbols take centre stage: 

• 1945: On the left side of the façade of the Neue Burg, the broken chains of the federal eagle appear. As a symbol of the end of the Second World War and the birth of the Second Republic, they remind us that the catastrophe of dictatorship and war was followed by a new beginning in freedom and democracy. 

• 1955: The balcony of the Upper Belvedere—where, on 15 May 1955, the signed State Treaty was presented to the Austrian people—overlays the centre of the Neue Burg. This image stands for the end of the occupation period and the restoration of Austria’s sovereignty. At this precise point, the light artwork reveals a unique phenomenon: the dark balcony of the Neue Burg merges completely with the radiant balcony of the Belvedere through light art. Past and future are symbolically connected, both places becoming one—a new site of future remembrance. 

• 1995: On the right side of the façade, the stars of the European Union mark Austria’s integration into the European project of peace and values. Accession to the European Union represents an opening towards a shared future shaped by supranational cooperation and prosperity. 

Heldenplatz, one of the most central sites of the Republic of Austria, is also integrated into the artwork. Lines and symbols—such as the mural crown or the eagle’s head from the national coat of arms—transform the square itself into a large-scale space of living remembrance and encounter. These symbols are embedded within grids of light and shadow, symbolising societal frameworks that connect all elements of the light intervention. 

A central component of the project is its free historical and democratic contextualisation. At Heldenplatz, specially designed display boxes provide texts explaining the three anniversaries—1945, 1955, and 1995—in an accessible and well-founded way. The texts are authored by Helmut Wohnout, Director General of the Austrian State Archives and one of the leading experts on the history of the Second Republic; by the artist Victoria Coeln herself; and by political scientist Tamara Ehs. They invite visitors to engage with the backgrounds, meanings, and contemporary relevance of these key moments and to trace the connections between past, present, and future. 

“Lichtblicke Österreichs – Chromotopia Austria” thus understands itself not only as an artistic intervention in public space, but also as a contribution to remembrance culture. The properties managed by the Burghauptmannschaft Österreich—the Hofburg, Neue Burg, Heldenplatz, and Belvedere—have repeatedly been stages for central events in Austria’s history. They are witnesses to history themselves and stand for both ruptures and continuities in Austrian democracy and statehood.