Burgenland museum celebrates 100 years as renovation continues

The Burgenland State Museum celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gala on Thursday evening, ORF reported. The event, attended by nearly 300 guests, was held at the Orangery in Eisenstadt’s palace park because the museum is undergoing a major renovation.

Speakers discussed the museum’s past and future. Historian and former director Gerald Schlag said the museum’s role in shaping identity remained as important as it was when it was founded a century ago. “We were proud of our history, of our nature. And that has gradually become known internationally,” he said.

The renovation is expected to cost 12 million euros. The building was more damaged than initially expected, said Jutta Benedek, managing director of Landesimmobilien Burgenland, the state property company. “We had to revise and rethink the entire plan, and we are now on the current schedule, which is holding well,” she said.

Director Margit Fröhlich said the museum was planning for its reopening in mid-2027. It would display popular objects and search its storage collections for cultural treasures that had not previously been shown, she said.