Tessa Zajac, curator of our current Reading Room exhibition

Among The Wiener Library’s unique holdings there are a collection of calendars dating from 1935 to 1950 which demonstrate the reach of Nazi Party ideology into the homes of ordinary German citizens. Throughout these calendars there is a strong militaristic association, coupled with an emphasis on children, sports and the importance of keeping oneself fit and healthy.

This exhibition reveals the ways in which these everyday materials were used to spread Nazi Party propaganda, while calendars included from after the war demonstrate efforts to commemorate resistance members and political fighters. One, for example, features Hans and Sophie Scholl members of the White Rose, a student group in Munich that was active in the non-violent resistance movement in Nazi Germany, on the front cover.

The Wiener Library’s current Reading Room exhibition was created by intern Tessa Zajac.