Industrial culture in dialogue - Basic research on the apprenticeship workshop of the Old Wharf at Korneuburg

The Old Wharf Korneuburg has shaped the image and to a certain extent also the identity of the city of Korneuburg since 1852. It is one of the most important industrial cultural sites in Lower Austria and was, especially in the period from the founding of the State of Lower Austria in 1922, the largest shipyard facility in Austria with an international reach, along with the Linz wharf. An urban redevelopment of the industrial area is underway, including a small part of the Old Wharf which consists of listed buildings. Except for a master thesis (Wunderl 2008), there is no in-depth research on the history of the wharf. Many objects and documents related to the Old Wharf have found their way into the City Museum of Korneuburg, but up until now the extensive collection of ship models, textiles, technical equipment, photos and documents has only been recorded in small parts by museum volunteers. In particular, there is a lack of structured interviews with contemporary witnesses, especially former "Werflter:innen", who could provide important information about the objects not only from a technical but also from a socio-historical point of view, as well as insights into the everyday working life as an important context for the interpretation of the objects. In view of the large inventory, we focus on a small, but historically formative part of the wharf: the apprentice workshop. Through an intergenerational, dialogue-based Citizen Science approach, young people from Korneuburg will explore further aspects of the objects together with contemporary witnesses. The goal of the basic research project is the museological research on relevant objects and their enrichment through interviews with contemporary witnesses and findings from the intergenerational workshops. The results will be evaluated with regard to the historical and identity-forming significance of the training workshop and the Old Wharf as a basis for further research.

PI: Prof. Anja Grebe
Co-PI: Dr. Hanna Brinkmann
Project Partner: Museumsverein Korneuburg