#EchosOfHer: The Women’s Museum Hittisau
In a quiet alpine village in Austria, a striking cultural space stands with purpose and clarity: the Women’s Museum Hittisau. Since its founding in 2000, the museum has served as a vital platform for preserving, examining, and amplifying women’s histories—particularly those so often omitted from dominant narratives. Its very existence is a bold act of remembrance and resistance, grounded in the belief that women’s stories matter deeply, and must be seen, heard, and held in collective memory.
At the heart of the museum is its founder, Elisabeth Stöckler, whose vision was shaped by an awareness of how women’s contributions—especially those rooted in rural, working-class, and marginalised communities—are routinely sidelined or lost. In creating the first and only women’s museum in Austria, Stöckler challenged this erasure with a simple but radical premise: women have always shaped culture, knowledge, and community, and their stories deserve not only space but reverence.
A Living Archive of Women’s Impact
The museum’s rotating exhibitions uncover rich histories and lived experiences across generations. Rather than focusing solely on celebrated figures, it draws attention to the everyday labour, creativity,
resistance, and care that women have provided in every sphere—from agriculture to science, craft to politics, domestic spaces to public arenas. It refuses to flatten women’s roles into a single narrative, offering instead a diverse and dynamic view of what it means to live, struggle, and contribute as a woman.
Importantly, the Women’s Museum Hittisau embraces intersectionality—not as a trend, but as a responsibility. It opens space for the stories of Black and minoritised women, queer women, migrant women, and others whose identities and realities have been further marginalised by dominant systems. Through thoughtful curation and inclusive programming, the museum asks: Whose knowledge has been excluded? Whose voices do we still need to hear? What does it mean to truly honour women’s legacies?
Echoes That Resonate Beyond Borders
The museum’s work aligns closely with the mission of Anah Project and its ongoing feature series #EchosOfHer. At the core of both is a belief in the power of storytelling—as resistance, as connection, and as healing. Where Anah Project supports Black and minoritised women affected by abuse and systemic inequality, the Women’s Museum Hittisau builds understanding through cultural memory, showing how structural violence has shaped women’s lives across time, and how women have found ways to endure, organise, and rise.
These echoes—the ones shared, the ones silenced, and the ones still forming—resound across countries and communities. They remind us that gender-based violence and exclusion are not anomalies, but patterns rooted in long histories. They also remind us that every story recovered is a step towards justice.
Museums as Spaces of Change
The Women’s Museum Hittisau does not simply preserve the past; it uses history as a springboard for present-day reflection and social transformation. Visitors are invited to engage, question, and participate—through workshops, panel discussions, school programmes, and collaborative exhibitions. This approach turns passive observation into active learning, creating a space where people can wrestle with difficult truths and consider how they can be part of lasting change.
And so, we might ask: What role can museums and cultural institutions play in challenging gender-based abuse? How can we harness collective memory to build solidarity? How do we ensure that the stories of Black and minoritised women are not only remembered but placed at the centre of how we understand justice?
Carrying the Echoes Forward
The legacy of the Women’s Museum Hittisau lies not just in what it displays, but in the kind of world it helps to imagine. One where women’s voices are not an afterthought. One where visibility is power. One where remembering becomes a radical act of care.
For Anah Project, these lessons are deeply resonant. Through #EchosOfHer, we continue the work of amplifying the stories of women—especially those who have experienced violence, racism, and silencing. Whether through advocacy, creative storytelling, or community-building, we too ask: What will future generations remember of us? And how can we honour the echoes of the women who came before, so that the voices of the women to come can rise even louder?
