Federal Constitutional Law
The Austrian Federal Constitutional Law (B-VG 1920) is the oldest republican constitution still in existence in Europe. It has been in force since 1920 (except for the years 1934 to 1945) and, although it has been changed numerous times, still shows the handwriting of Hans Kelsen in its structure and in many individual provisions.
The project "The Genesis of the Federal Constitution 1920" aims at tracing the genesis of the Federal Constitution on the basis of the most important sources and texts of the years 1919 and 1920, in particular the manifold preliminary drafts, consultation minutes, expert opinions and memoranda. These materials will be digitized, transcribed, and annotated both text-critically and from a legal-historical perspective.
The international and interdisciplinary project is a collaborative initiative of the FRQ, the Hans Kelsen Research Center at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, and the Austrian Center for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage at the ÖAW. It is funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Kick-off event on January 24, 2024
Report in the daily newspaper "Die Presse" from February 10, 2024
