Stadtschlaining, Austria –
The organisers of the first conference called it ‘an immensely successful and inspiring occasion’ surpassing all expectations. It is therefore not surprising that many who attended that conference were also present at the second one. It followed an invitation from Dr. Gerald Mader, president of the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution. The conference was held in August 1995 in the medieval castle in the village of Stadtschlaining, Burgenland, Austria, where the Centre is located.
Like the first one, the conference was also intended to advance the establishment of a local peace museum. At the request of the host, the conference issued an appeal in support of the Centre’s project for the creation of a European Museum for Peace in the castle as an important contribution to peace education on the continent. The appeal was addressed to the municipality, the provincial government, and the federal Austrian Ministry of science, research, & art as well as the Ministry of education & culture.
The museum was opened in 2001. It had been preceded by a major exhibition, ‘War or peace: from the cult of violence to a culture of peace’ that was held in the castle in 2000 as an official exhibition of the Federal State of Burgenland. The Peace University in Schlaining, and the training centre for civilian peace-keeping and peace-building, together with the museum, have made the small village famous among the world-wide community of peace and conflict resolution academics, educators, students, trainers and activists.
