The Vorarlberger Hof in Dornbirn is celebrating its 105th anniversary. The inn is closely linked to social democracy in the country. Although the building will make way for a new building, the old spirit will continue to live on.
Although the Vorarlberger Hof closed its doors at the end of last year, the Vorarlberg SPÖ did not miss the opportunity to properly celebrate their traditional inn on Wednesday evening. Even federal party leader Andreas Babler paid his respects to the historic house at the 105th anniversary celebrations. The prominent visit gives an idea of the importance of the inn for the Ländle SPÖ. The “secret command center” of the Reds has survived two world wars and strong headwinds from the “conservative superiority” in the country. And even today, the Vorarlberger Hof is still considered the “red dot in the Black Sea.” The Vorarlberger Hof was, so to speak, the first address of social democracy in the country. From 1919 until the 1990s, the building was home to the regional organization of the SPÖ – with a few interruptions. Until recently, the pensioners’ association was located on Viehmarktstrasse, but in a few months the Dornbirn city party will also be moving to temporary premises – as is well known, the Vorarlberger Hof will be demolished and rebuilt.Socialists were often not welcome. The idea for the Vorarlberger Hof grew not least from this harsh political climate in the country. Reds were once not welcome in many middle-class inns. The few Dornbirn innkeepers who permitted social democratic events were defamed as “social innkeepers” in the “Volks-Blatt”, the party newspaper of the Christian-social camp. So we had to have our own clubhouse. For this reason, the “Workers’ Home” association was founded 122 years ago. Its goal was to create a safe home for the social democrats in Dornbirn. On March 27, 1919, exactly 105 years ago, the building at Viehmarktstrasse 3 was finally acquired by the “United Carpenters” cooperative and put into operation to open a clubhouse. In February 1934, however, the building was confiscated and expropriated by the Dollfuß regime. The Vorarlberger Hof was not owned by the association for over 13 years during the corporate state and the Nazi regime. It was not until May 1948 that the club members managed to get their “farm” back. However, it was by no means free: the building had to be bought from the “owners” for a lot of money. A place where education was upheld. Much more than just eating, drinking and politicizing took place in the Vorarlberger Hof: it was an event location, home to youth and women’s schools and The starting point for the founding of other associations, including the “Kinderfreunde” and the “Naturfreunde”, which still have an important socio-political function today. An excerpt from a report by the historian Werner Bundschuh shows how difficult it was for the founders and club members : “Young people waving red flags triggered increased defensive reflexes on the part of the civil society and increased the harassment by the authorities. How petty they were at ‘Children’s Friends’ events is shown, for example, by the ban on a photo presentation of ‘Max and Moritz’ in the workers’ home.” In order to alleviate the disappointment of the countless children who had flocked to the clubhouse at the time, a Games afternoon organized. Even the church back then allowed itself to be harnessed to the ideological wagon and even branded the children’s friends as “un-Christian” from the pulpit. What does the future of the Vorarlberger Hof look like? The idea of the Vorarlberger Hof should live on in the future – albeit in a new guise : “Our predecessors have renovated, converted and preserved the building over the last few years to the best of their knowledge and according to economic possibilities. We want to continue this tradition and modernize the Vorarlberger Hof and make it fit for the future,” explains “Arbeiterheim” association chairman Thomas Niedermair about the new building plans. “Such a large project presents the club with major challenges. It is particularly important to us to highlight and preserve the historical significance of the building as a ‘red dot in the Black Sea’. This task also includes a home-style restaurant for all Dornbirn residents.” Offices and apartments are also to be set up in the new building. The plans are currently in the approval phase and work could begin as early as the middle of this year. In two to three years, the Vorarlberger Hof should shine in new splendor – and write many new stories
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