Vienna is a melting pot of different cultures. Many people from other countries have made the city as their home while some prefer to work here and have even brought their families.
The Turkish are some of the early workers in Vienna. They were recruited to Austria in the past as guest workers or Gastarbeiter for the construction and export industries. It was made possible through an agreement between the Turkish and Austrian governments signed in 1964.
This year marks the 50th year of the presence of those guest workers from Turkey. And to commemorate this occasion, a new exhibition entitled “Avusturya! Osterreich!” is now being held in Vienna specifically at the Museum of Folk Life and Folk Art or Volkskundemuseum in the Josefstadt district. The exhibit is aimed at showcasing the experiences of the Turks in Vienna and how they felt to be in the Austrian capital at that time.
A group of Turkish and Kurdish first generation migrants called Verein Jukus is in place in Vienna. Group members have done interviews with the original Turkish guest workers across Austria since 2012 and excerpts of their interviews will be presented during the exhibition.
The exhibition will run until September 28th. On the 29th, a film about guest workers in Vienna will also be shown at the Volkskundemuseum. City tours have also been organized.
The Turks make up 20 percent of the non-EU foreign workers in Vienna together with those from Bosni-Herzegovina, according to a 2005 Biffl report.
