OPEN GATES FOR HERITAGE DAY — NOW UNCERTAIN
Official letter from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture regarding the funding application (translation):
Vienna, June 11th, 2026
Dear Mr. Noever,
Thank you for submitting your funding application dated April 29, 2026, and for your interest in the funding programs of the Department of Arts and Culture of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport.
Your project was submitted for professional review to the independent expert advisory board (Cultural Initiatives Advisory Board) as part of the current selection process at its meeting on June 8, 2026, and was discussed in detail.
After careful review of all submitted materials, we regret to inform you that your application could not be considered for funding. Due to the large number of submissions, the high level of competition, and the limited availability of funding resources, we are required to make a highly selective assessment. The evaluation by the expert advisory boards and the allocation of funds are carried out according to established criteria. The Arts Promotion Act and the relevant guidelines are published on the website of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport.
Ultimately, taking into account the guidelines applicable to this funding program, the concept submitted did not sufficiently convince the advisory board.
We appreciate your understanding and wish you every success for your future activities.
Sincerely,
Vienna, June 11, 2026
On behalf of the Federal Minister
OPEN GATES FOR HERITAGE DAY — NOW UNCERTAIN
The future of this year's open gates for the Heritage Day is uncertain.
A live performance by avant-garde composer and musician Lukas Lauermann is planned as the artistic centerpiece of this year's gathering. Yet, following the withdrawal of funding by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture, it remains unclear whether the event can take place.
Peter Noever’s land art project "The Pit / Die Grube", together with the adjacent quarry, extends across a 4.5-hectare landscape at the intersection of two world cultures — a geopolitically significant crossroad at the beginning of the Eurasian Steppe. Over more than five decades, the site has evolved into a unique dialogue between art, architecture, and nature.
Donations are greatly appreciated:
The Pit Foundation
IBAN: AT29 4300 0406 9877 0001
BIC: VBOEATWW
Heritage exists only as long as it is experienced, shared, and defended. Keeping places like "The Pit / Die Grube" accessible is not a symbolic gesture; it is a cultural responsibility.
Whether the gates to the land art project will open this year remains an open question.