Culture

November 12, 2021: The opening day for the Christkindlmarkt dawned mild and hazy.  At a table by the window at Café Landtmann, my 4-ye...

In The Murder of Professor Schlick, author David Edmonds recreates the compelling history of Vienna’s contributions to scientific philosophy. The book will come out in paperback on March 29, 2022.

To say that Angus Robertson knows Vienna well would be an understatement. Bilingual thanks to his German mother and Scottish father, he moved to Vien...

In this special exhibition, the Literaturmuseum explores how both Stefan Zweig and his stories travelled across the world.

Whether you prefer the sleepy countryside or the sombre beauty of 19th century Vienna: here are five Austrian TV shows we recommend!

A sampling of the breakthrough artist Egon Schiele’s wrenching self-portraits and an eclectic selection of 12 others to follow.

In Snow Country, a new novel by Sebastian Faulks, readers learn about love and consciousness in Austria’s interwar chaos.

Despite a complete overhaul, an iconic cinema retains its soul.

Derived from German “sprechen”, “šprehati” is colloquial Bosnian for speaking, one of many borrowed words that are now a vital part of the Bosnian language.

Austro-Bosnian director Nina Kusturica has put the issues of displacement on film, while challenging the orthodoxies of entrenched power.

The Bosnian language is still not sufficiently recognized as an important mother-tongue in Austria. A linguist wants to change that.

Austria takes pride in its museums. While some only open their doors “gratis” on certain days, others even go so far as never charging.

Out of over 200 international films presented at Viennale 2021, Metropole has selected the top ten to share with you.

The Vienna Tourism Board keeps having artworks censored on social media. The solution? Now, Vienna is on OnlyFans.

Insightful and heartfelt, the book was honored for its success at capturing the struggles of growing up. 

Vienna’s theater scene is enriched by a multitude of actors, groups and playwrights who have roots in Turkey and a very diverse outlook.

A collection of Billy Wilder’s work as a reporter in Vienna and Berlin reveals his early influences and the verve of the roaring ’20s.

A far-sighted study on the language of Nazism, the book by Austria’s great satirist is finally available in a full English translation.

In spite of its dramatic staging, an early play by the librettist of Der Rosenkavalier struggles to connect.

The MAK rolls out a long overdue red carpet for the women artists of the Wiener Werkstätte, shining a light on their contributions to its legacy.

A host of independent publishers and translators are introducing some of Austria’s key literary voices to the Anglosphere.

In local author Keith Gray’s latest novel, a group of small-town teenagers shed their childhoods as a tree sheds its leaves

The Library’s annual “Lit Fest” hosted a provocative discussion about cultural Vienna, Jewish diaspora, memory and identity.

The Austrian writer's enchanting short stories reveal his love of nature in elegantly simple prose

While the Great Powers wrestled over the fate of the Adriatic city-state of Fiume, its residents had their own sense of who they were, argues historian Dominique K. Reill.

Seeking to restore its 1960s allure, the iconic cinema is currently remodeling, partially financed by a cinephile crowdfunding campaign.

Anne Applebaum introduces us to the elites responsible for democratic backsliding in her new book, Twilight of Democracy.

Mozart’s Pamina is world famous, but the soprano who first breathed her to life has been forgotten.

Austria is a cultural powerhouse and more than willing to invest public funds in the arts. But where does all the money go?

Best known as the author of a children’s classic and (possibly) a pornographic novel, Felix Salten has never been given his due in his hometown – until now, that is

A blockbuster exhibition celebrates the Fluxus artist’s 100th birthday, but offers only a fragmented view on his grand vision.

The Kaffeemuseum presents the city’s long-standing love affair with caffeine through tours, courses and countless artifacts from yesteryear.

Whether as a painter, musician or tireless advocate for peace and freedom, the remarkable multitalent left his mark on postwar Austrian culture.

Set in the gloaming of the Habsburg Empire, Katja Perat’s ardent debut novel is a fictional coming-of-age memoir from the daughter of the world’s first “masochist."

In Sylvia Petter’s debut novel All the Beautiful Liars, Katrina Klain arrives in Vienna in search of the lost pieces of her life.

Thanks to successive lockdowns and closed cinemas, streaming has become an even bigger part of our pandemic lives, and while many productions grinded to a halt last year, this spring’s lineup features an iconic superhero indulging in ’80s nostalgia, a Victorian sci-fi extravaganza, a comedy icon revisiting one of his most beloved characters, an animated Bollywood melodrama and a madcap Spanish road saga.

A young Austrian label is taking the world by storm, writing a metropolitan success story for the ages.

This year we celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday. This brand-new video series takes you on a musical pilgrimage through Beethoven’s Vienna.

Designed in Austria and produced in Germany, this ingenious face mask brings back non-verbal communication in times of corona.

Close-knit ties triumph over trauma in Anna Goldenberg’s moving family memoir of torture, exile and ultimate homecoming.

The bestseller by a society caterer and celebrity chef in interwar Vienna was aryanized, her name erased from history. Now, a century later, her granddaughter reveals her story.

Martyn Rady’s new history of the Habsburgs argues that their empire was undone by the very things that once made it mighty.

An independent fantasy western made in Austria, Wienerland has international festivals buzzing.

After delays and controversy, Albertina Modern opens with an extensive review of Austrian art from 1945-1980.

“The Light that Failed: A Reckoning” by IWM fellow Ivan Krastev and NYU professor Stephen Holmes explains what went wrong with Western liberalism.

Austria’s premier film festival enters the pandemic age with extra screens and a great selection of world cinema.

“Beauty, like a butterfly, is fleeting. Like a spectacular sunset, it’s there for a moment – and then it’s gone.”

Once a burgeoning capital of fashion, Vienna lost its design industry with the Jews who supported it and has struggled in the decades since. But the next chapter may be different.

A stellar cast and memorable songs transports the Civil Rights movement to the #BlackLivesMatter era

You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy the wide world of contemporary art – but enthusiasm and courteousness helps.

A musicians' initiative to do aerosol studies made the Festival's 100th anniversary possible after all. From here, the studies will help the Vienna Philharmonic and others stay safe from COVID-19.

What the movie 'Love Sarah' lacks in drama, it almost makes up for in charm.

At the Viennese label Kids of the Diaspora, founders Leni Charles and Cherrellone do everything together – even motherhood – creating a space where everyone belongs.

A search for self in lost memories, crafting a more inclusive historic Hollywood, the final triumph of the greatest basketball team ever and a send-up of American interstellar militarism all vie for your attention.

A history and a memoir, the Swedish journalist's And in the Vienna Woods the Trees Remain is the story of a family, reconciling the past, and the power of friendship over politics.

The autonomy of the internationally renowned Hungarian University of Theater and Film Arts is undermined by a government-controlled restructuring.

Lush and ultimately shattering, Leopoldstadt is a loving portrait of Jewish life in early 20th century Vienna, and a heartfelt embrace of Stoppard’s own immigrant story.

In celebration of the Festival's 100th anniversary, the last surviving member of the Women's Orchestra at Auschwitz, now 95, spoke by video about the role of music in her life.

Shot in just 25 days in the summer of 1994, Richard Linklater’ s disarming look at flirtation, friendship and conversation opened the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, leading to two sequels and a creative partnership.

Wife, mother, traveler – humble but headstrong Ida Pfeiffer took the world by storm by circumnavigating the globe her way.

In Tyll, widely-acclaimed German-Austrian author Daniel Kehlmann reinvents a medieval legend to unmask the fatuity of rulers and the wisdom of tricks.

In the 2020 summer of Covid-19, the famed Film Festival continues with cautionary measures for anxiety-free evenings of memorable performances and international cuisine.

In New York City, piano sales surged during lockdown. In Vienna, “a small awakening” – but little support from Stadt Wien.

As Austria’s art sector is taken hostage by COVID-19, the government’s response struggled to find form.

Yale professor Frank Snowden’s sweeping analysis of pandemics over the centuries concludes that while science advances, people do not.

A cavalcade of films new and old welcome starved cinephiles back last weekend.

Wolfgang Siemann draws on newly discovered notes and letters to paint a more nuanced portrait of diplomat and statesman Klemens von Metternich.

The Jewish Museum and a recently published book re-evaluate the myths surrounding Hedy Lamarr

Robert Musil’s epic Austrian classic gets cut down to size to explore love and identity across the boundaries of self.

Canceled or moved online in the age of Corona, the program of this year’s Wiener Festwochen seemed surprisingly prescient.

The sound of Austrian music reverberates even in times of the lockdown, from Vienna to New York. The Konzerthaus’s digital concert hall brings live music to your home.

Cultural life on Austria is on standby – but not quite. Many institutions are trying to keep the spirit alive online. We’ve compiled the best of Vienna’s cultural offerings you can enjoy from your couch.

Yale professor of medical history Frank Snowden’s sweeping analysis of pandemics over the centuries, concludes that while science advances, people do not. An unsettling but gripping read.

For the 250th anniversary of the great composer’s birth, Vienna has pulled out all the stops; join us in tracing his footsteps.

The Vienna Theatre Project meditates on MLK’s last night on earth in Katori Hall’s “The Mountaintop.”

The longest-running piece of musical theater of all time, Die Fledermaus captures an era, and (perhaps) the way Austrians like to see themselves.

There was a time when the Vienna school system was among the most respected in Europe. Current PISA results are far from that

In his first foray into cultural criticism, musician Dave Randall calls upon his readers to think outside the jukebox.

Love and Desire, War and Human Suffering in Ingeborg Bachmann’s Malina.

How Vienna continues to give musicians what they need and crave

Austria’s own Mr. Manners, Thomas Schäfer-Elmayer spills the beans on upholding traditions, ball season’s allure and gender equality.

Defying globalized monotony, Viennese dialect makes a musical comeback.

On the 30th anniversary of his death, the Austrian author’s acerbic wit still cuts through the pomposities and pettiness of a society hiding from itself.

It’s easy to be a film buff in Vienna: With not one but two film museums and numerous cinemas specializing in original-language fare, offbeat, indepen...

With high culture such an integral part of the Austrian identity, there are few positions as coveted and prestigious as director of Vienna’s B...

You couldn’t miss it if you tried. After the vast vineyards, golden sunflower fields, apricot trees heavy with fruit and century-old farmhouse...

The scene may feel like an impenetrable world from the outside. In truth, it’s within any art lover’s reach. The trick is knowing where to look – and how.

Philipp Blom sets out to demonstrate how rapid climate change can dramatically upset our social and economic structures, our everyday lives. It has ha...

The struggle over a rich literary inheritance opens questions of identity regarding the seminal writer, a Czech who was also Jewish but wrote in Germa...

Sleepy little town on the Danube – or hotbed of political intrigue and architecture? Surrounded by vineyards and just an hour from Vienna, Krems is both.

The movie "Ramen Shop" celebrates food and family – emphasis on the food.

With courses for all ages, bodies and skills, Europe’s largest contemporary dance festival can be very rewarding for novice dancers – if you’re willing to put in the work.

Ever since its inception, Impulstanz has grown in reach and output while welcoming all ages, all levels, all bodies.  The expansive world of contem...

A growing number of conventions and groups prove that dressing up doesn't have to end when you grow up.

50 years later, the documentary Apollo 11 takes you to the moon with newly discovered footage.

The Wir sind Wien festival brings theater, music and local culture to each of Vienna’s districts – one day at a time and free of charge.

Born out of the ashes of the Great War, the Salzburg Festspiele carries on Max Reinhardt's dream of a Europe united through culture. Where other...

Every day, new TV series pop up and disappear – most we will never remember. Every once in a while, though, a show like Game of Thrones (GoT) comes ar...

Artist Andreas Kattner shares his top 10 moments from the Venice Art Biennale.

Thiasus’ production of The Vagina Monologues brings real-life stories about the joys and sorrows of femininity to Vienna. When The Vagina Monologue...