Listening to the Middle Ages: exhibition brings poverty then and now to life

What connects Giulio, a blacksmith who worked in Bologna almost 500 years ago, with a single mother from Styria who recently lost her job? Both are afraid that they will soon be unable to pay their rent. How does it feel to have existential worries? An exhibition at the University of Graz provides personal insights into experiences of poverty then and now. Listening stations give a voice to people from the Middle Ages. The exhibition opened on 5 March 2026 in the foyer of the University Library Graz.

For over a decade, historian Tanja Skambraks has been researching poverty and poverty reduction in the Middle Ages. “Research suggests that 50 to 70 per cent of all people at that time were affected by economic poverty. Wars, epidemics and famines following crop failures repeatedly led to supply shortages,” says the professor at the University of Graz. The scholar is particularly interested in people's personal perspectives. Medieval sources provide a wealth of information that opens up this perspective.

As part of a seminar led by Skambraks, history students have now created audio stations based on various historical texts, giving a voice to those affected in the Middle Ages. At the same time, they convey interesting facts about the everyday life of the poor, how beggars were treated, the experiences of sex workers, social advancement and decline, as well as poverty reduction and voluntary poverty as a Christian ideal.

These listening stations are part of the exhibition “(Leben und) Überleben in Armut in Mittelalter und Gegenwart”, a collaborative project between the University of Graz, Caritas Styria, Akademie Graz, and La Strada.
The exhibition can be seen until the end of March in the foyer of the University Library Graz. Guided tours are also offered for school classes, and on 24 March, the organisers are hosting a panel discussion on the topic of experiencing poverty and knowledge of poverty with perspectives from the past and present.

Ein gutes Leben für alle: (Leben und) Überleben in Armut in Mittelalter und Gegenwart

Exhibition duration: until 31 March 2026
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Guided tours for school classes: 12 and 17 March 2026; for further information and registration, please contact tanja.skambraks(at)uni-graz.at

Panel discussion: ‘Armutserfahrung und Armutswissen. Perspektiven aus Vergangenheit und Gegenwart’: 24 March 2026, 6.30 p.m., reading room of the University Library of Graz

The Master's programme Historical Science opens doors to interesting fields of work in the communication of historical knowledge.

Gudrun Pichler

Related news

Legal scholar Clarissa Groß on European values at the EU’s external borders

The tense situation in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta has been making headlines for weeks. The exodus of thousands of Moroccans has once again placed migration and border policy at the very top of the EU’s agenda. Clarissa Groß, a research assistant at the Institute for European Law, is examining the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), the design and practical implementation of the new border procedures, and their compatibility with the right to personal liberty as part of her doctoral thesis. She recently visited the Greek island of Lesbos, which remains a migration hotspot, to assess the situation on the ground.

Graz is a magnet for 750 physicists: international conference on campus

Whether in mobile phones, medical devices or solar power systems: physical phenomena are part of our everyday lives. The vast scope of this discipline will be explored at a major conference taking place at the University of Graz from 20 to 25 September 2026. More than 750 scientists will transform the campus into a European hub for physics.

A fresh start, a calling, holidays: what draws people from other career paths to teaching

They used to develop software; now they teach maths in the classroom. Career changers are expected to help address the shortage of qualified teachers in Austria’s schools. In their doctoral theses at the Institute for Educational Research and Teacher Training at the University of Graz, Melanie Gürentz and Claudia Mair examined how these new teachers perceive their new professional roles.

Talent Talks bridge the gap in career guidance

The Styrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO Steiermark), the Styrian Chamber of Labour (AK Steiermark) and the AMS are joining forces when it comes to training young people and, through the “Talent Talks”, are creating a seamless pathway to career guidance. This takes preparation and follow-up support – just in time for the start of the term and the scheme’s tenth anniversary – to a whole new level. A new survey conducted by the Talent Centre among 2,687 former participants to mark the anniversary shows just how important this development is. Of the young people who received follow-up support from the Talent Report, 74.6 per cent stated that they had a good understanding of their own strengths and talents following the Talent Check. Without follow-up support, the figure was 66.5 per cent – a significant difference of 8.1 percentage points.