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Comments Off on Gerhard Klinkicht – a decision with a clear conscience

Gerhard Klinkicht – a decision with a clear conscience


In the time period between 1933 and 1945, many people in Europe made very bad decisions. We know that from today’s point of view. I do not want to judge because I think nobody knows how he or she would have acted in those days. Instead, I would rather...
Comments Off on Who was Irene Harand

Who was Irene Harand


In the streets of Vienna we often recognize the names of famous people. There is the Falco-Staircase in the 5th district or the Helmut-Qualtinger Hof in Döbling. To the Viennese people, we do not have to explain who these gentlemen were. But in the first district there is hidden...
Comments Off on Halloween – Hello Wien! The veneration of the dead in Austria

Halloween – Hello Wien! The veneration of the dead in Austria


The Viennese singer songwriter Georg Kreisler already sang about it. “Death, he must be a Viennese!” For the Viennese have a very special relationship with death. This morbid nature is particularly noticeable on All Saints’ Day. Both Halloween as well as All Saints’ Day go back to the same...
Comments Off on “Austria is free!” – The symbols of Austria’s reconstruction after 1945

“Austria is free!” – The symbols of Austria’s reconstruction after 1945


On October 26, Austria celebrates its Austrian National Day. This is our Independence Day. When the Austrian State Treaty was finally signed on May 15th 1955, the country became a free state after a 10-year occupation after the end of the Second World War. Foreign Minister Leopold Figl proclaimed...
Comments Off on The Giant Ferris Wheel – And it still keeps spinning!

The Giant Ferris Wheel – And it still keeps spinning!


The Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna is regarded as one of the most popular and remarkable landmarks of the city. As a native Viennese, I had a soft spot for the Ferris Wheel since I can think. And as a tourist guide, I absolutely wanted to use it in...
Comments Off on Austria conquers Hollywood

Austria conquers Hollywood


On June 9th 2017 when Adam West died, even a part of my youth died. No, not because I’m a baby boomer. At the end of the 80ies and early 90ies, the Batman series from the 1960s ran as an eternally appearing repetition in Austrian national television.Little known fact:...
Comments Off on How to become a tourist guide…?

How to become a tourist guide…?


You may think that the profession of a tourist guide is a nice side job for history or art students in Vienna. But that is wrong: there is much more to it than a well-founded historical or art historical knowledge. The trade of the tourist is a strictly regulated...