27/12/2025
Within the framework of the Creative Europe project „(In)Visible Traces. Artistic memories of the Cold War“, realized by BLOCKFREI in cooperation with , this series of upcoming posts seeks to draw attention to the less visible Cold War legacies inscribed in Vienna’s urban landscape— with a particular focus on Palais Epstein and its layered Cold War history.
On the façade of Palais Epstein, memory is present—but easily overlooked. The commemorative plaques marking Jewish remembrance, democratic reform, and the years of Soviet military command are embedded into the architecture rather than foregrounded. They do not demand attention; they require it. This quiet mode of inscription reflects how Austria has often approached difficult chapters of its past—through restrained acknowledgment rather than public confrontation. The Cold War presence of the Soviet headquarters is recorded in stone, yet remains largely invisible within everyday urban perception.
Moreover, the Latin phrase “Sunt lacrimae rerum”—“There are tears in things”—suggests that suffering is inscribed in history and in the material world itself. Its use of Latin at Palais Epstein signals distance and universality, framing loss as timeless rather than specific to a single actor or moment. This choice softens political responsibility while still acknowledging historical trauma. In this way, the phrase mirrors how difficult pasts in Austria are often remembered: present, but deliberately muted.
📷Credits: BLOCKFREI
#(In)visibleTraces
