After 1989, Austrian companies were among the first to invest in Europe’s “Wild East.” But in assessing political risk, they have to up their game
The strategy had seemed foolproof. When Austrian capital flooded the former Eastern Bloc after 1989, one of the main products offered by the banks were loans denominated in foreign currency – namely, euros or Swiss...
Like the trams and trains produced by Siemens, manufacturing is still part of Vienna.
Glowing sparks arc through the air as massive cranes transport steel structures while loud booms thunder through the assembly hall. At Siemens’ Mobility Division plant, whole fleets of subway cars are built, giving jobs to 1,300 workers. Special rules apply on the factory floor: Street shoes...
Biomedical research in Vienna is revealing the secrets of life, as two research institutes make breakthroughs in cancer treatment
The announcement came in April, with the publication of a cutting-edge biomedical application of a technology named “SLAMseq” in the prestigious journal, Science. Stefan Ameres of IMBA – Research Institute of Molecular Biotechnology – had laid the groundwork during research on...
It’s not easy to buy woodlands in Austria. You need passion,
roots in the local area and many millions
Cord Prinzhorn, the chief executive officer of an Austrian packaging company, is European new money. But his latest investment is classic Old World, Old Money: a forest owned for more than a century by the Rothschild family, roughly the size of Manhattan.
Forests...
Austrians like to show off their serious appreciation of classical music. But if you want them to erupt into joyful singing, you’ve got to play them some Austropop. And you may learn some Dialekt, too
It was two o’clock on a Friday morning. I’d followed a herd of
colleagues to Bettelalm: a sweaty underground cavern that has
no business in Vienna’s genteel...
Three women now head the parties of the opposition. A small revolution for Austria
Sometimes reality overtakes prophecy. Christian Kern was quicker with his resignation than was predicted in this column in the last issue of Metropole. His paradoxical intervention has surprised friends and enemies. He wants to be the Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) of the combined Social Democratic factions of...
The Austrian government has cut essential funding for feminist organizations and initiatives – a move that says a lot about its image of women
This did not come as a surprise. Right-wing politicians have long wanted women to get off the streets and back into the delivery room and the kitchen. The message: Women should make babies and casseroles, not revolution....
Founder, Vienna Textile Lab
“If synthetic dyes originate from crude oil, does it make sense to be using them for a 5-euro T-shirt you throw out after six months? It just doesn’t compute.”
Karin Fleck, 36, has a PhD in chemistry from the Technical University of Vienna (TU), but until recently, never worked as a chemist. So what’s she doing at the TU chemical lab...
Regional Secretary, PRO-GE Vienna
“Some say, ‘Live and let live.’ I can only live well if I can allow others to live well and be able to look after their needs.”
On Toni Steinmetz’s desk stands a small iron statue of the clock tower located in Enns, his hometown in Upper Austria. It’s not just a souvenir, but also a memento of his first...
