Feldkirch exhibition highlights 1376 freedom charter

An exhibition at the Palais Liechtenstein in Feldkirch highlights a 1376 freedom charter that granted local citizens rights that are often associated with modern democracies, ORF reports.

The exhibition, titled “Freedom, No Ordinary Thing”, focuses on the charter issued by Count Rudolf V of Montfort-Feldkirch, the last Montfort ruler. The document is considered a rare historical record because it sets out principles that are still regarded as fundamental today.

Known as the “Magna Carta” of Feldkirch’s civic rights, the charter gave citizens the right to marry freely and choose where they lived. New laws could be introduced only with the consent of the citizenry, marking an important step towards municipal self-government.

Paragraph three granted Feldkirch’s citizens the right to elect their own Ammann, or mayor, according to Jennifer Moritz, head of the Feldkirch City Archives. “Other cities of this size did not yet have these rights,” she said, describing Feldkirch as a pioneer in the late Middle Ages.

Artist Christine Katscher studied the charter closely for the exhibition and made selected passages readable for visitors. She said the document showed that every form of social organisation needed rules, with language serving as the means by which people negotiate them and establish laws.

Katscher also said the charter explicitly referred in several places to women. “Privileges, rights and freedoms did not apply only to men, but also to female citizens,” she said.

Katscher studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the École des Beaux-Arts in Nantes. After working in Scotland, she moved to Vorarlberg, where she established and ran Druckwerk Lustenau. Since 2019, she has taught graphic design for art education at the Innsbruck campus of the University Mozarteum.

Maria Simma, head of Feldkirch’s cultural office, said the charter’s influence could still be felt in the city. She pointed to Feldkirch’s children’s city council, which she described as unique in Vorarlberg, saying it teaches children and young people how a parliament works.

Passages from the charter have also been printed on bags so that its message can spread through the city. The exhibition at the Palais Liechtenstein runs until September 15.