The Short Life of Ruth Maier

Exhibition in the crypt of the Austrian War Memorial in the Äußeres Burgtor of the Vienna Hofburg at Heldenplatz from September 18, 2025 – October 15, 2026.

Ruth Maier was born in Vienna in 1920 and experienced the so-called Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich as a teenager. As a Jew, she was no longer allowed to attend public school and fled to Norway in 1939, where she met the lyricist and her future partner Gunvor Hofmo in 1940. But in 1942, Ruth Maier's life ended after only 22 years with her deportation from Oslo and her murder in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The exhibition is a cooperation with the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW).

Book individual guided tours for groups of 5 or more through the Austrian War Memorial in the Äußeres Burgtor of the Vienna Hofburg Äußere Burgtor and the exhibition: kulturvermittlung@hgm.at or +43 664 8876 3811.

*Please note the following closing days: December 24, December 25, December 31, January 1, 2026.

The Burgtor is open at irregular times and can be visited free of charge during these times. Guaranteed access can only be ensured as part of a booked tour with the HGM cultural mediation team.

Exhibition Imprint: Exhibition by the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance, the HL-senteret Oslo and the Wiener Volkshochschulen. Texts: Winfried R. Garscha Editors: Christine Schindler, Ewa Maria Mork, Barbara Brunmair English Translation: Howard Goldman Translation into easy language (German): Betina Aumair & VHS Wien IEB participants (Anita Sajnal, Gudissa Abesolom, Cobaye Mbaye, Wajid Mangal) Design and Layout: Peter Egelseer Copyrights: The Ruth Maier Archive/The Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies, National Library of Norway, Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes, Ulrike und Winfried R. Garscha www.doew.at, www.hlsenteret.no, https://www.vhs.at/de/info/basisbildung & https://www.vhs.at/de/info/pflichtschulabschluss

© HBF/ Daniel Trippolt