My thoughts about Oris, about all its organizational and presentational forms, its role and significance are preceded by considerations on the relation of Austria to Croatia, to former Yugoslavia. At the same time, I would leave out the narrative of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the period of National Socialism. But not entirely. In fact, the founding era and the period around the transition from 19th to 20th century has left on almost the entire Balkans – whereat Catholic countries Slovenia and Croatia have never considered themselves part of it – common urban and architectural traces. To date, one Viennese or Austrian feels in the urban and morphological substance of Zagreb more at home than in Munich. Vienna has also always had contacts with former Yugoslavia. Plečnik and Fabiani connected us with Slovenia. But in perception, Croatia was always present too.