Österreichische Mediathek Austrian Mediatheque Technisches Museum Wien

History and Founding

The Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Mediatheque) is Austria's national archive for sound recordings and videos on cultural and contemporary history. It was founded in 1960 as the Österreichische Phonothek (Austrian Phonothek) by the Austrian Ministry of Education, initially without any pre-existing collection, with the mandate to systematically collect all records produced in Austria from that point forward. In 2001 it became a branch of the Technisches Museum Wien (Vienna Museum of Science and Technology), under which it continues to operate. The archive employs a team of around 19–25 staff, including technical specialists and subject-matter experts.

Collections and Holdings

The Mediathek holds over 2.5 million audio and video recordings, making it one of the most extensive audiovisual archives in the German-speaking world. Collections span from the late 19th century to the present and cover a wide range of formats — shellac records, vinyl, audio tapes, DAT cassettes, compact cassettes, CDs, DVDs, video formats (VHS, U-matic, Betamax, Betacam), and born-digital files. Notable collections include:

• The RAVAG and Red-White-Red Collection of historical radio recordings from Radio Verkehrs AG (founded 1924), covering Austrian media history and the post-war occupation period
• Live audio recordings of Burgtheater premieres from 1955 onward
• Live recordings of National Assembly sessions of the Austrian Parliament
• The Lichtblau Collection of interviews with victims of National Socialism (1986–2000)
• The collection of the Austrian Institute for Scientific Film (ÖWF), inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of Austria register
• Oral history interviews from the MenschenLeben project
• USIS (United States Information Service) radio broadcasts from the occupation era

Several collections have been included in Austria's Memory of the World register under the UNESCO Memory of the World programme.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The archive holds a comprehensive collection of Austrian radio and television broadcasts, making it the pre-eminent resource for researchers studying Austrian broadcast media history. The RAVAG collection in particular is a foundational source for early Austrian radio journalism. The archive also collects social media content related to Austrian political life.

Access and Usage

Parts of the collection are available online via the Mediathek's website, including more than 30 web exhibitions. The archive's visitor centre is located at Marchettischlössl, Gumpendorfer Straße 95, Vienna, open Monday–Thursday 12:00–18:00 and Friday 10:00–15:00. Because of rights restrictions, many materials are accessible only on-site.