OUR HISTORY

The Political Academy of the Freeedom Party of Austria is constantly evolving

We engage in a continuous improvement process ourselves, both in terms of content and methodology. Learning should not end right before those who are teachers themselves or organise education. That requires courage, to keep attempting something new, and the willingness to learn the necessary lessons from our mistakes. Anything else would be unrealistic and hostile to learning. Therefore, we do not shy away from exploring new areas of education, didactics or related disciplines.

OUR HISTORY

1972

October: Foundation of a Liberal Education Facility, first housed provisionally in the FPÖ parliamentary club.

1973

Office moved to Kolingasse in District 9, purchase of the “Baden training house”, first successful seminars with as many as 550 participants. Head of the Board of Trustees: Member of the National Council of Austria Dr. Tassilo Broesigke, Managing director: Prof Fritz Wolfram

1974

The training house in Baden is renovated, the development phase of the political academy is completed, the political/scientific working group, also known as the Atterseekreis, starts its work.

1975

The first big public event of the FPÖ Political Academy with Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Hans Dietrich Genscher, on the topic “Liberal Responsibility for Europe” with more than 500 participants.

1976

Record year and record number of participants since the establishment of the FPÖ Political Academy . An average of 25 persons per seminar, aged 38 on average. Management and editorial department of ‘Freie Argumente’ (Free Arguments) moved to the FPÖ Education Institute.

Atterseekreis: two focal points in political/scientific working group:

Studies on the draft of a Research Organisation Act

A series of events on the reform of the Market Organisation Act

1977

Atterseekreis: Elaborating a liberal economic concept, continuing a discussion on liberalism

Further construction work at the training house in Baden

Moving the offices of the FPÖ Political Academy from the parliamentary club into a large office: Vienna 1, Grillparzerstr. 7/7a

1978

Largest extension of the FPÖ Political Academy's activities so far, number of participants reached record levels.

The publication series of the FPÖ Political Academy was re-created, issue 1: Alexander Götz: Speech at the Federal Party Day in 1978

1979

1^st Weißensee Talks “Freedom and Security in the Social State of the 1980s”

Newspaper documentation further developed

1980

Half-day argumentation training for the first time

Training events on party work, in cooperation with the Friedrich-Neumann Foundation for the first time

Chairman Broesigke steps down from his office to become President of the
Court of Auditors

Member of the State Parliament Horst Schender is appointed Head of the Board of Trustees, managing director: Dr. Christian Allesch

1981

Newly developed methodology concepts at basic political seminars to achieve high motivation

Visit by the delegation of the British group from Liberal International on 20 November 1981

Dr. Allesch resigns from his position as managing director

1982

Weißensee Talks “Public debt and Unemployment” resonate in the media

1982 was marked by grand Schober Festivals (50^th anniversary of the death of Chancellor and Chief of Police Dr. Johannes Schober): Celebration at the birth place of Perg (Upper Austria), Schober Symposium and celebrations in Linz

Research and training on defence policy and comprehensive national defence together with the political academies of the SPÖ and ÖVP

Decision to establish the Schmerling Institute together with a scientific advisory group, scientific and historical activities as an advisory body (Research into the history of the liberal camp, events)

Managing director: Lothar Gintersdorfer

1983

First seminars for conceptual advertising

Festivities on occasion of the 160^th anniversary of the birth of peasant liberator Hans Kudlich

1984

First international Bodensee meeting of liberal politicians takes place in Bregenz on 8 September

Foundation of own magazine “FBW Information”

1985

Working group “Protestants in FPÖ”

1986

“30 Years of FPÖ” festivities in the Auersperg Palace, accompanied by the publication series “30 Years FPÖ”

1987

Constructive cooperation with the Office for Defence Policy of the Federal Ministry of Defence: including joint seminars of the three political academies of the SPÖ, ÖVP and FPÖ.

Joint seminar with the Friedrich Neumann Foundation on the topic “Culture and Environment in Central Europe”

1988

Scholarship holders of the Friedrich Neumann Foundation (Berlin) visit the FPÖ Political Academy

Schmerling Institute: Symposium on the fall of the First Republic of Austria

Head of the Board of Trustees: Mathias Reichhold, managing director: Member of State Parliament Lothar Gintersdorfer

1989

New: Media training seminars

Head of the Board of Trustees: Mathias Reichhold, managing director: Harald Göschl

1990

The Young Academy is offered as a whole package, including a number of seminars that build on one another. Environment Service Office at the FPÖ Political Academy as of 1 April. Head of the Board of Trustees: Member of the National Council Mathias Reichhold, managing director: Walter Meischberger

1991

Youth Congress with RFJ “Politics and Media” in Linz

Youth meeting with liberal youth groups from Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia and Croatia

Foundation of the Schmerling Club

Head of the Board of Trustees: Andreas Mölzer, managing director: Elisabeth Franz

1992

“TOP 200” project (Youth Political Forum) created

New type of seminar for pupils and students

New unit for foreign political/scientific issues

1993

Prof. Fritz Wolfram, who served for many years as the first managing director of FPÖ Political Academy, dies in Vienna at age 87.

Conference and resolution on the protection of the Danube wetlands Anniversary celebration and commemorative publication: “20 Years of Education”.

1994

“Discussions on the state of the EU” with Foreign Minister Dr. Alois Mock, Dr. Jörg Haider, Vienna Industrial Association President Dr. Walter Wolfsberger, Avanti president Hannes Nouza, and the president of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Prof. Dr. Karl A. Schachtschneider Symposium to initiate dialogue between the FPÖ and Judaism, and a recognition of Ignaz Kuranda on the 110th anniversary of his death with Lothar Höbelt, Dr. Marcel Prawy, Prof. Robert Girtler, Bundesrat President Alfred Gerstl, Assistant Professor Walter Höbelt, Dr. Andreas Maislinger and Prof. Dr. Walter Simon. Symposium on “1934, the year of the Austrian civil war” with contemporary witnesses like former Education Minister Dr. Theodor Piffl-Percevic, former Interior Minister Franz Olah, and Reinhard Spitzy, former private secretary to the former Nazi Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. Publication: “Our world and the environment. Green questions – blue answers” with contributions from Prof. Dr. Alexander Tollmann and Prof. Hans Hass, among others.

Name change to “FPÖ Academy” and subdivision into three areas: “Training and Education”, “International Political Education”, and “Science and Research”, Managing Director National Council member Herbert Scheibner.

1995

Publication: “Jews and Germans” with contributions from Prof. Dr. Walter Simon, Gerhard Löwenthal, Thomas Chimowicz, Roland Girtler, Marcel Prawy and more, and an interview with Bundesrat President Alfred Gerstl.

1996

Ceremony and commemorative publication to honour the 40^th anniversary of the FPÖ’s founding
Economic conference in collaboration with the Institut zur Förderung von Liberalismus und Marktwirtschaft (Institute for the Promotion of Liberalism and Market Economies) on the topic of “Austria as a Business Centre: Between Aspirations and Reality”
Panel discussion: “The Future of the EUROpean Monetary Union”
Discussion event with Michael Bubik from the Evangelischen Flüchtlingsdienst Österreich (Evangelical Refugee Service of Austria) about aspects of the refugee and immigrant problem

Discussion on the euro with Dr. Susanne Riess-Passer, Undersecretary Dr. Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer, Prof. Dr. Bernd Thomas Ramb (Comprehensive University of Siegen), Prof. Dr. Andreas Wörgötter (Institute for Advanced Studies) und Alexander Dörfel (Oesterreichische Nationalbank)

Commemorative ceremony for Hans Kudlich, liberator of Austria’s peasant farmers

1997

“Discussions on Federalism” on “The Future of the Federal State in the EU” with Helmut Mader, President of the Tyrol State Parliament, Prof. Dr. Norbert Wimmer, Dr. Harald Trettenbrein of the European Commission in Austria, and Dr. Franz Linser, FPÖ Member of the European Parliament, moderated by Dr. Andreas Unterberger, editor-in-chief of “Die Presse”

1998

Economic conference in collaboration with the Institut zur Förderung von Liberalismus und Marktwirtschaft (Institute for the Promotion of Liberalism and Market Economies) on the topic of “The Future of the Pension System”

Ceremony to honour the 80th anniversary of the Austrian Republic

1999

Discussions on federalism in Graz: “The Dangers and Opportunities of Reforming the State Constitutions of Austria’s Federal States from a Democratic Perspective”

Campaign for the ecologisation of our social system

2000

Herbert Scheibner is appointed Minister of Defence. New Managing Director: Dietmar Hofreiter. Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Jörg Haider

Move into new offices at Eßlinggasse 14–16 in Vienna’s first district.

Conference on fighting poverty in Africa as a cause of migration

2001

Publications: “A liberated future, beyond left and right” (Jörg Haider) and “Our Changing Republic” anthology, edited by Prof. Dr. Lothar Höbelt.
Informational events on the new family law in Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck and Graz
Informational event on the impending currency transition from the shilling to the euro in Vienna’s Lugner City shopping centre

2002

Herbert Kickl succeeds Robert Sattler as Managing Director.

2004

Ewald Stadler becomes President

2006

Ceremonial event and publication: “50 years of the Freedom Party of Austria”
Managing director: Robert Stelzl

2006/2007

The FPÖ Academy is replaced by the FPÖ Political Academy.
President: Hilmar Kabas. Managing director: Dr. Klaus Nittmann, MSc.

2012

“Arab Spring in the Arab Winter” event with Dr. Peter Scholl-Latour. Hilmar Kabas, Member of the National Council Heinz-Christian and Member of the National Council Dr. Johannes Hübner with 350 participants

President: Hilmar Kabas, managing director: Dr. Klaus Nittmann, Msc

2013

Joint event with the Liberal Club: “Europe at Crossroads - the currency and democracy crisis of the European Union” with Prof. Dr. Thilo Sarrazin with 1,300 participants. Followed by a panel discussion with Heinz-Christian Strache, Dr. Andreas Unterberger and Horst Güdel.

2014

Publication: “Life after paraplegia – A guide for the handicapped and people in need of care”

2015

900 interested participants at the panel discussion “Europe threatened by Islamisation” with Federal Party Chairman Heinz-Christian Strache and Geert Wilders. Hosted by Harald Vilimsky.

“New Migration” event. With over 500 participants, live-streamed for the first time on the website of the FPÖ Education Institute with 35,000 viewers, and online on Facebook with 93,000 viewers. On the panel: Federal Party Chairman Heinz-Christian Strache and Dr. Thilo Sarrazin.

2016

Events:

“Symposium 60 Years of FPÖ”: Interview with Hilmar Kabas and round-table discussion with Deputy State Governor Dr. Manfred Haimbuchner, Deputy State Governor Johann Tschürtz, and State Party Chairman as well as Member of the State Parliament Mario Kunasek. 450 persons participated and 52,656 watched the event online.

“Middle East: War without borders - Terror without end?” conference. On the panel: Dr. Karin Kneissel (Middle East expert, journalist), Rima Darious (Syrian civil rights activist), Christoher Jahn (Red Cross Austria), Marie Therese Kiriaky, B.A. (Member of the Bureau of the Union of Eastern Christians in Austria) and Dr. Andreas Stupka (Colonel of the General Staff, military expert and strategist, State Defence Academy Vienna). 500 visitors

“Have we learned from history? New antisemitism in Europe” with 270 participants and 98,740 online viewers. Speakers and participants in the discussion arrived from Israel Raphael Eitan and Michael Kleiner, as well as the 3^rd President of the National Council Norbert Hofer and Federal Party Chairman Heinz-Christian Strache.

“Mass migration to Europe” with 850 participants and 119,056 online viewers. On the panel: Dr. Vaclav Klaus, 3^rd President of the National Council Norbert Hofer and Federal Party Chairman Heinz-Christian Strache.

The book “People’s Representative - Liberals and the Parliament” is published.

The book “Austria first: 60 Years of FPÖ: 1956-2016” is published.

2017

Publication "The motion is approved."

Comments on the Federal President's election 2016 Symposium "Austrian economic policy of the future - between competitiveness, social and ecological goals" with o. Univ. Prof. Dr. Christoph Badelt.

Publication "INFO KOMPAKT - The Freedom Party of Austria. History, Program, Organization, Contacts "

2018

Comprehensive re-branding process: changing the name of the institute into "Educational Institute of the Freedom Party in Austria. Society for Politics, Culture & Freedom of Speech ", new logo, relaunch of the website, bilingual and with a multimedia character, launch of the social media channels YouTube and Facebook.

Women's Conference 2018: "100 years of women's suffrage".

Symposium on the uprising in the Sobibor extermination camp "Sobibor - the unbreakable fragility".

Discussion meeting with political scientist Prof. Dr. med. Bassam Tibi: "Islamic immigration and its consequences".

Ceremony "1918 - 2018: 100 Years of the Republic / The FPÖ in the Government" with BPO and Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and the liberal Federal Ministers.

Publication "1918 - 2018 Res Publica - The Freedom and its Republic".

Restructuring of the "Young Academy" training program: basic course, advanced training, master's program and graduate club.

Discussion event "Political Islam and its dangers for Europe" with Seyran Ateş and Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

Documentary film "At the cradle of the Republic".

2019

Start of the documentary series on the history of the FPÖ, consisting of several short films.

Publication "Report of the Commission of Historians. Analysis and materials concerning the history of the Third Camp and the FPÖ".

Start of the new training course "Women's Academy".

Start of the new training course "Media Academy".

2020

Panel discussion on political Islam with ex-jihadist and author Irfan Peci.

Start of the new training course "Europe Academy".