Wolfgang Jahn

This catalogue to the 2012 joint exhibition of Bavaria and Upper Austria in Burghausen, Braunau and Mattighofen is divided into two lavishly illustrated volumes. Volume one presents the development of Bavaria and Austria in medieval times. Hosted by the wonderful castle and city of Burghausen and directed the Bavarian part of the exhibition it shows the difference in firepower between Germany's largest Land and a medium-sized Austrian one. The first volume shows how Austria emerged as a Bavarian colonization project which, using monasteries as linking pins, slowly reconquered the land abandoned after the Roman collapse and defended it against Slavic and Hungarian intruders who proved to be more attracted to the open spaces of Pannonia suited to the husbandry of horses. Divided by the same language, the rulers of Austria and Bavaria started to clash from early on. The Habsburg were better than their Bavarian neighbors in leveraging their territories into commanding their adjacent regions too. Blocked from expansion into neighboring territories, Bavaria fractured itself into weaker components which turned it into a perpetual also-ran in the concert of European powers.

The second volume presents the story of Bavaria and Austria from the 16th to the early 19th century. From Catholic allies in the wars of religion against both Protestants and Ottomans, the Bavarians and Austrians clashed during the succession wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, too, Bavaria was mostly found at Napoleon's side who turned Bavaria into a kingdom. The history of 1806 onwards was treated separately in a smaller exhibition in Braunau. To Braunau, the location of Hitler's birthplace, was outsourced this largest of linking pins between Austria and Bavaria. Only because Hitler grew up in Bavaria and Linz did he speak a dialect the Germans could accept as their own. A Hitler speaking with a Viennese accent would never have been given a chance to rule Germany. This dark chapter of history was, however, well covered up by the joint exhibition which instead used much of the exhibition space and volume II to present Baroque splendor and fireworks. The jumbled Baroque matters were mostly due to the pet research agenda of the contributors than a guiding hand or theme. Thus, volume II looks splendid but lacks a message. Its space should have been used to present the history from 1806 to today - inspite of the potential howls of the tourist industry.… (more)