Stories

Austrian companies thrive all across Central and Eastern Europe. From kickbacks to bribes, booming business often also involves layers of corruption.

The Nobel-Prize-winning chemist Emanuelle Charpentier laid the groundwork for her stunning scientific discoveries at the Max Perutz Labs in the Austrian capital.

“I’ve got what you might call ‘helper syndrome.’ Being a lawyer is not just a profession for me – it’s a calling.”

Austria’s pandemic response upheld the country’s long tradition of opaque administration and little accountability – a special report.

“Corruption will never be 100% eradicated. But it’s important to set parameters and structures that show people that in the end, corruption doesn’t pay.”

Long-term expats will regain the right to vote in UK general elections later this year – a reform preceded by years of campaigning.

Maintaining the highest quality of life in the world is a costly endeavor – thankfully, there is always someone out there gullible enough to pay the bills. A satirical look at Austrian corruption.

Work on coronavirus has highjacked science, disrupting projects and schedules, particularly for women. Some see a chance to turn the crisis into opportunities for breakthrough thinking

Austria is no more corrupt than other European countries – although possibly more colorful. But the consequences for wrongdoers are often laughably mild. This may be changing.

The lure of Alpinism is stronger than ever– but there’s more to it than just the ascent. It’s about discovering the world from above, and the things in yourself that got you there.

“Politicians think we don’t like Vienna. In fact, the opposite is true: We’re critical because we love this city that much."

“Corruption has been with us as long as mankind, but there’s been progress: If you can’t expect to get away with something, you might think twice about committing it.”

"When I don't feel at home, I go to the coffeehouse"

Europeans are delighted by Donald Trump’s departure but the road ahead is bumpy. Can the Paris Accord reduce global warming? Can the Iran Nuclear Deal be resuscitated? Can NATO’s rudder be steadied? Europe hopes so. Biden does too.

In Vienna, you need to prove yourself worthy of your café of choice in what can be a lengthy application process.

Klubrádió faces being wiped off the airwaves in a matter of weeks, following a decision of Hungary’s media regulator, which was appointed by the ruling Fidesz party.

Between 1890 and 1920, Vienna was a world leader in design. An unlikely mix of imperial decree and cultural revolution drove the Wiener Ästhetik and left its mark on the city even today.

After a long international career, a chance remark brings a diplomat back to the Austrian capital he had known in his youth.

With the EU set to receive tens of millions fewer doses than promised, the newest delay is a huge blow to the bloc’s immunization plan.

“Vienna has a great coffeehouse culture, but sadly – or in my case, fortunately – a bad coffee culture when it comes to quality.”

Vienna police have taken a former FPÖ MP and BVT-security head in custody for assisting the escape of Jan Marsalek, mastermind of one of Europe’s greatest postwar financial scandals.

Vienna’s coffeehouses are a cherished pillar of the city’s cultural life – but that may not be enough to keep them alive.

“I’m not sure I know what fourth wave coffee culture is – but I know I’m the tsunami!”

Since mid-December, Trade, Travel and Post between Austria and United Kingdom have all been disrupted.

What remains of public trust in the state is vanishing rapidly as the coronavirus roars back into the region.

Southeastern Europe is one of the world's fastest shrinking regions. What drives so many young and well-educated abroad?

The world is waking up and (really) smelling the coffee – in all its glory, scope and complexity.

How the new director of the Vienna International School left her small town for distant places and turned her passion for learning into a mission to educate for change.

As a rogue US president is impeached (again), an Irish diplomat recalls its “grandeur and influence” in decades past.

A myth, a tradition, but most of all a very real place that many in the Austrian capital cannot imagine life without.

After years of seemingly endless growth, the pandemic plunged the tourism sector into deep crisis. Vacillating between hope and despair, Vienna’s hoteliers summon resilience and creativity

“I wish global politics were more like the global coffee community: We have no borders and we work together to make coffee better.”

As the world awaits a vaccine, Polymun, a small high-tech company provides essential ingredients for the first candidate to reach the EU Market.

Independent biotech firm Axon Neuroscience – in neighboring Slovakia – is developing a vaccine for COVID-19 with a uniquely targeted approach.

Populist leaders in Poland and Hungary delay the €1.8 Trillion seven year-budget proposal (2021-2027) over Rule of Law requirements.

A century after the founding of the League of Nations, international cooperation is still the answer to our “descent into cynicism, chaos and crisis”—in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“I’ve consciously chosen to continue my career in Vienna. I could have stayed in Hollywood, but as Caesar once said: ‘I would rather be first in this little village than second in Rome.’”

Alexis Eremia and Karin Granner have marshaled the Impact Hubs in Vienna and Amsterdam to focus on local, sustainable fashion brands.

It was a night of grief and terror. But in their unique way, the Viennese showed heroism, resilience and wit.

As nations around the world follow every twist and turn of the developing science to combat the coronavirus, Austrian researchers and companies could play a key role.

Some Viennese may play down any special relationship with death. But, then again, it’s probably better not to take any chances...

The shoe designer is blending the line between fashion and art with sculptural footwear.

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

“What you see in the pictures is not necessarily the reality. I don’t get flown anywhere in a private jet with a glass of champagne in my hand. In the end, it’s hard work.”

Superior craftsmanship and the willingness to pivot have ensured the longevity of Austrian fashion luxury brands like Swarovski and Wolford.

In Austria, every 5th person over 16 cannot vote, in Vienna, every 3rd. For democracy to flourish, we need to make these voices heard.

Electricity spells kosher for many an eco-warrior, with battery-powered cars seen as the answer to vehicle-generated pollution. An analysis by carmaker Volvo suggests it is not so simple.

Out of style for decades, the hat is making a gradual comeback, aided by local manufacturers who kept the custom alive.

Resisting government efforts to suppress independent media, seasoned journalists at the new crowd-funded website have sworn to “keep a check on power.”

“I would never write some kind of trend column stating what’s ‘in’ or ‘out.’ For me, that’s somehow so 2000.”

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.

COVID-19 has brought Vienna’s nightlife to a screeching halt, with clubs unsure of when they can reopen - and how to survive until then.

Vienna is full of sewing shops and DIY stores. We checked out some of them – and ended up printing 100 T-shirts.

Our publisher and CEO has been living in Vienna for 24 years but she can’t vote in the city she calls home. Time to change that.

The Austro-British filmmaker stretched the boundaries of documentary and film technique, exploring interactive storytelling and the application of virtual reality to the experience of art.

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

So there she was, on a Tuesday morning of what we now call the Corona Era, gazing at the walls of the little “water closet” decorated in Viennese style.

Although few argue with the importance of mastering German, the system needs to change – children of immigrants in Austria rarely receive the support they need.

The coronavirus lockdown has taught us a lot and may herald a new era of organizational flexibility, agility and adaptability.

Businesses that span generations are known for consistency, stability and tradition. Keeping these values alive is a continuous labor of love.

Families come in many shapes and sizes, but they share challenges. These Viennese are here to guide and inspire.

Red Vienna revolutionized urban living for the working class. Here’s how they did it.

Having relatives all around the planet makes for exciting family stories, but keeping in touch with your loved ones is also a constant challenge.

Under COVID-19 lockdown, domestic violence has predictably gone up. Intervention helps.

Families come in many shapes and sizes, but they share challenges. These Viennese are here to guide and inspire.

The recent budget-corona negotiations could lead to the creation of a fiscal union and a greater emphasis on sustainability.

European court ruling strikes down the transatlantic data transfer mechanism in a case initiated by the young Austrian data privacy advocate.

A cooperation between the Kunsthaus and the urban design project Schimmverein Donaukanal hopes to persuade the public of the pleasures on their doorstep.

“I often spoke to my friends about our wartime memories. I felt that it was something people had an urge to talk about.” 25 years after the massacre of Srebrenica, remembering is more important than ever.

It will be a summer like no other. This year due to Corona, many Viennese will opt to spend a good part of their holiday in the city. Lucky for us, there are few better places for relaxing in the shade and swimming in pools or rivers than Vienna.

The renewed struggle against discrimination is really two struggles: one about rights, the other about opinion.

“Understanding each child is like a puzzle that I piece together.”

The worldwide Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has now spilled over onto the supermarket shelves. A look at Austria’s own racially problematic icons.

“Being a single mom is intimidating; there are no safety nets. You could even say it’s existentially life-threatening.”

Alfred Adler and Jacob L. Moreno developed the theoretical foundations for family therapy in Vienna, building on the work of Sigmund Freud.

How the far-right deceives the public and undermines democracy. A conversation with linguist Ruth Wodak.

Inventing something new is one thing. Turning it into a product is quite another. Here's how founders and researchers take ideas to market

Can startups help reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals? In Vienna, Circle17 started an Impacthon to find out.

There is a new way to do good that promises to provide the tools to have the most impact – Effective Altruism.

On April 27, 1945, the Austrian Proclamation of Independence was signed and promulgated in the liberated city of Vienna. Today, Austrians celebrate 75 years of their Republic, a free, democratic and open country in the middle of Europe.

Getting our affairs in order in time of a crisis can be a huge relief for all parties, while protecting those you love.

This spring is different. A report from a Styrian in Vienna, as we all stay together apart.

Although the current situation is everything but easy on the labor market, things will certainly change again. Prepare now with the tips of our expert in recruiting.

From saving mothers to preventing blood clots and unraveling the secrets of our physical universe, Vienna’s scientists have advanced humanity through the ages.

How to make the April 5 International Day of Conscience really mean something.

“I like wearing the white coat. I always pictured them on mad scientists in laboratories – that’s what I wanted to do.”

The U.S. Pentagon funds critical studies in medicine and quantum physics in Austria. Does this threaten the country’s neutrality or academic freedom?

“I tell my students, ‘I can get your foot in the door, but then you have to open it.’ I’m the kind of person who once I get my foot in, I will bang that door down.”

Amid Austria’s glowing record of scientific enterprise, women’s involvement in the natural sciences has grown, albeit far too slowly. That may be changing.

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

“You could attach significance to any moment in history. Right now people are saying ‘Things are really changing’ – it’s about a search for meaning.”

STEM-tastic opportunities await Vienna’s children, even before their first science class at school.

“A [spending] limit for supercomputers? Well, it was unthinkable to fly to the moon before they managed to – but it wasn’t cheap!”

The Still of the Night by Dardis McNamee Some come to Vienna wishing it were Rome or Madrid, bistro nights in Trestevere, or partying on t...

You’ve probably been to “Tschuschistan” and you didn’t even know it. There is no border and you don’t need a passport. But if you’ve eve...

No one can say Vienna is a sore loser. After Austrian media picked up the Expat Insider study’s City Index ranking Vienna the second least friendly city for expats, the “news” spread like wildfire.

Austria’s music tech entrepreneurs are pushing Vienna into new areas of innovation .

… and call me in the morning. Can neuroscience prove that music soothes some of our biggest ailments?

In a fast-paced, digital world, Vienna’s master instrument makers seem to live a time apart.

Matschnig’s approach to DJing has been called everything from “experimental,” “post-club,” “hybrid,” to “deconstructed.”