Austria seeks names for photos of former guest workers
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Historians in Vorarlberg, Austria are asking the public to help identify people in photographs of guest workers who came to the region from Yugoslavia 60 years ago.
The initiative began with a program called “Culture at the Station” featuring a mobile museum displaying the photos. Barbara Motter, a historian with the Dornbirn City Museum, explained they know the photos were taken in Dornbirn at the companies Hämmerle and Getzner Bludenz, and hope people will recognize faces and share stories.
Researchers also want to learn about the experiences of these workers, including their first impressions of Dornbirn and where they initially lived. Around 25,000 people in Vorarlberg currently have family ties to the former Yugoslavia, a testament to the lasting impact of the guest worker program. Renate Fussenegger, who came to Austria from Yugoslavia in 1968, shared her story at the museum, and several people were successfully identified from the photos during the event.
The “Culture at the Station” program will continue on October 9, 2026.
