Stories

“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.

“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.

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.

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

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 Nightby Dardis McNameeSome 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.”

Vienna made music ... and music made Vienna. As told by “Metropole” writers – a libretto for life in the Austrian capital. With an overture by our Editor in Chief Dardis McNamee.

Matthias Naske has been director of the Vienna Konzerthaus since 2013 where he works on bringing music to a broader audience.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was severely tested in the 20th century and is still finding its way back to prosperity and internal stability.

A century after the end of the Habsburg Empire, and 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Vienna has finally resumed its role as the hub of Central and Eastern Europe

He’s made over 30 albums and tours all over the world. Yet, although he’s grateful for this substantial career, he’s never had the feeling that he’s “made it.”

Vienna's population is growing fast, but the city's commitment to social housing means people in all parts of society can still afford to live here.

The Central European University finds a safe-haven in Vienna. Amid the optimism of the move its rector warns of the dangers of complacency  

Vienna continues to grow, blending into the new millennium while keeping its Old World charm. The how and the why.

In September, over 220,000 Viennese students went back to school. Some go willingly, some have to be dragged, but Austrian parents have a stock response to unwilling schoolgoers: Blame Maria Theresa

On Friday, 27 September 2019, Roger McNamee, Evgeny Morozov, Max Schrems and Shalini Randeria will be talking about Facebook and how it's changing our societies on the panel "Social Networks or Social Nightmares?" at the Vienna Humanities Festival.

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.

METROPOLE and GLOBSEC will be cooperating on a range of activities, initiatives and events in the upcoming months to promote democracy in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

At a Vienna Design Week-sponsored event earlier this year, panelists discussed “the direction in which toilet trends will flush us and how w...

Imagine you are planning a dinner party in your home, your city. A mix of people coming together to spend time with each other. Your job, as...

Bins full of sorted junk, sewage, waste - and all that trash...For all cities, garbage is a fact of life that must be managed - but for Vienna, waste ...

Digital, green, innovative – what's the real deal behind the buzzwords?

Come the hour, come the woman. Leading the interim government was going to be a tough gig, but she was ready.

“All components of public service – water, sewage, trash, energy – must remain in communal hands. Our public utilities belong 100% to the city. This is – and must – be important.”

“It’s really necessary to bring all the people together and talk as often as possible. Of course, you can’t make everyone happy because people want different things – but you can try.”

Twice a year, Martin Giesswein goes on a “digital detox,” foregoing the internet and all devices for a couple of weeks. Not an easy task.

“When people look at traffic lights, they see only red, yellow, and green. They have no idea about what lies beyond those colors."

Some of the best players in the world to compete for $600,000 in prize money.

At the Wien Museum, the US-educated Austrian scholar wants to use the incidents of history to question the way we live now.In Vienna, museums are ...

Forget the idea of Vienna as a big open-air museum. It's really one big playground.“Jackpot!” a young woman yells excitedly, after her boyfriend m...

From sports on its shores to a Hugo on the canal, the Danube is much more than Vienna’s Riviera.

As the natives flee town for their vacation, why not make the city your oyster?

Amid foreign efforts to undermine Western democracy, decisive questions increasingly can only be addressed in Brussels.So here we are, at press ti...

At a gaming café outside Vienna, Monika Racek, the CEO of the Admiral Casinos and Entertainment AG talks addiction, legislation and why old ladies pla...

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

More revenues, more products and more gambling addicts. With the state reaping both taxes and profits, laws mostly protect operators, not consumers. 

The interim government of bureaucrats is giving Austria far more than its first female Chancellor

The political chaos in London as the government and the House of Commons struggle to find a solution to Brexit has exposed serious flaws in the once-a...

“Economists,” American novelist William Gilmore Simms is quoted as saying, “put decimal points in their forecasts to show they have a sense of humor.”...

Nearly three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union, British policymakers have only just begun to acknowledge the stark choices d...

The Austrian Football League has long been a European powerhouse, with little help needed from across the pond.Building a broad fan base for a non...

In an increasingly gamified world, it matters who controls your character.

Those of us who reside in another member state live more “European” lives than anyone. Yet we feel disenfranchised.