Austria’s Hills Are Still Alive, 60 Years Later

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In Salzburg, an anniversary of “The Sound of Music” looks grand through a child’s eyes, even if the locals are gazing elsewhere

The little girl peered out the train window at the green, rolling hills of Austria, the country she had visited in her mind every day for months.

“Dad,” she said, “Maria was on one of those mountains!” Her eyes lit up.

The Austrians around us did not stir.

It has been 60 years since the Julie Andrews classic “The Sound of Music” opened in movie theaters. It still enchants American viewers, but, despite bringing millions of dollars in tourism revenue to their country each year, it befuddles many Austrians.

For all those Austrians: The film tells the story of a nun who becomes a governess to seven Austrian children, brightens their lives with song, marries their father and helps everyone flee the Nazis. It is oh-so-loosely based on the lives of the singing Von Trapp family, who escaped Hitler and settled in Vermont, where they still run a cozy lodge with excellent pretzels. » | Jim Tankersley | Visuals by Laetitia Vançon | Jim Tankersley traveled with his family to Salzburg, Austria, to report this story. | Thursday, August 28, 2025

Fury as Austrian Court LEGALISES Sharia Law in Europe...

Aug 21, 2025 | A court in Austria has ruled that Sharia law does not contradict Austrian legal values, allowing an arbitration case to go ahead under Islamic legal principles.

Related video in German here.

Kaiserschmarrn: How the Original Austrian One Is Made

Apr 32, 2022 | Kaiserschmarrn is perhaps Austria's most popular dessert – and rightly so!

There are various legends around its origins, but they all agree on one thing: The name refers to Kaiser Franz Joseph I.

His wife, Empress Elisabeth – known to most as Sisi – was reportedly the first person to be served Kaiserschmarrn.

We traveled to the Austrian capital of Vienna to find out how the imperial dish is prepared.

Habsburgs' Homeland | European Royal History

Jul 15, 2025 | Habsburgs' Homeland - Long before Habsburg became the name of a European ruling dynasty, it was the name of a castle at the foothills of Austria, in what is now Switzerland. According to legend, the name "Habichtsburg" derives from the hawk bird "Habicht", and this stronghold still stands 500 meters above sea level on what is called Wülpelsberg.

Beautiful Salzburg City Centre Day & Night | Ein Spaziergang durch die Getreidegasse

June 14, 2025 | Salzburg in Austria is famous for being the birthplace of Mozart . It is a beautifully preserved baroque city with many important buildings.

This video is a brief walk along the main street, the Getreidegasse, to show the contrast between the night and the day when Salzburg is overrun with tourists.

Salzburg is the fourth largest city in Austria.

The video is intended to give an impression of the atmosphere in the town centre. It is not a travel guide.

Why Vienna’s Coffee Houses Are a Real Institution!

Feb 15, 2025 | Even if they offer a wide range of coffee specialties, Viennese coffee houses are not only about having a hot drink or some good food. Their special atmosphere invites you to stay as long as you wish without feeling pressurized to order again or to pay instantly. Taking your time is the motto: whether that means reading the newspaper, chatting with your friends or watching people passing by. Vienna’s coffee houses are a real institution and were made a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Austria's Far-right Freedom Party Leader Herbert Kickl Is Asked to Form a Government | DW News

Jan 6, 2025 | The far-right Freedom Party has been given a mandate to lead the Austria, after the collapse of coalition talks between centrists. President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the Freedom Party's leader Herbert Kickl with forming a new government. If he's successful, Austria would have the country's first government led by the far-right since World War II.

Verwandtes Video hier.

Austria’s President to Meet Far-right Leader amid Coalition Speculation

THE GUARDIAN: ‘New path’ to power may be opening for FPÖ after collapse of talks between country’s centrist parties

Austria’s president has said he will meet the leader of the country’s far-right Freedom party (FPÖ), amid speculation that the pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam party will be tasked with trying to form a government after centrist parties failed to find agreement.

The Alpine country of 9 million has been plunged into political crisis after the collapse of coalition talks aimed at keeping the far right out of government. On Sunday it appeared the FPÖ – narrowly the most voted-for party in September’s parliamentary elections – would be most likely to benefit from the turmoil. » | Ashifa Kassam | Sunday, Januray 5, 2025

Sonia Mota: Christmas in Vienna: A Most Iconic Stay at Hotel Sacher | Simply Slow Traveler

Dec 7, 2024

Austria Election: Why Are Young People Voting for the Far-right?

Oct 18, 2024 | There has been a series of far-right victories across Europe - most recently in Austria. The country's far-right Freedom Party won a historic victory in the general election, securing 29% of the votes. Young people, in particular, are voting more for the far-right, but why?

Guests:

Farid Hafez
Senior Fellow at Georgetown’s University Bridge Initiative

Ralph Schoellhammer
Head of the Center for Applied History and International Relations Theory

Maciej Kisilowski
Associate Professor of Law and Strategy

What's behind the Rise of Far-right Parties across Europe | DW News

Sep 30, 2024 | In Austria, the far-right Freedom Party is celebrating its first parliamentary election victory, winning around 29 percent of the vote according to preliminary results. The party has vowed to create what it calls a fortress against migrants. Chancellor Karl Nehammer's governing conservatives came in second, and have indicated they won't form a coalition with the Freedom Party under its current leader.

Far-right Freedom Party Finishes First in Austrian Election, Latest Results Suggest

THE GUARDIAN: Party wins 28.8% of votes ahead of centre-right People’s party’s 26.3%, according to near-complete count

The far right won the most votes in an Austrian election for the first time since the Nazi era on Sunday, as the Freedom party (FPÖ) rode a tide of public anger over migration and the cost of living to beat the centre-right People’s party (ÖVP).

The pro-Kremlin, anti-Islam FPÖ won 29.2% of votes, beating the ruling ÖVP of the chancellor, Karl Nehammer, into second place on 26.5%, according to near-complete results.

The opposition Social Democratic party scored its worst ever result – 21% – while the liberal NEOS drew about 9%. Despite devastating flooding this month from Storm Boris bringing the climate crisis to the fore, the Greens, junior partners in the government coalition, tallied 8.3% in a dismal fifth place. (+ video) » | Deborah Cole in Vienna | Monday, September 30, 2024

NYT: Far Right Wins Austrian Vote but May Fall Short of Forming a Government: The Freedom Party got nearly 30 percent of the national vote, but mainstream parties have vowed to join in a coalition government without the party’s pugilistic leader, Herbert Kickl. »

Austria: Far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) Wins Parliamentary Vote — Projections | DW News

Sep 29, 2024 | Following the parliamentary election in Austria, early projections indicate far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) will be the strongest faction in the parliament, beating the center-right conservatives for the first time ever. Immigration concerns and an economic downturn have dominated the electoral landscape in the Alpine EU nation.

Autriche : l’extrême droite triomphe aux élections législatives : Malgré sa victoire historique, le FPÖ devrait avoir du mal à former une coalition. »

Far-right FPÖ Set for Big Win on 'Fortress Austria' Platform | DW News

Sep 29, 2024 | Voting is underway in Austria in a general election in which the far-right has surged ahead by tapping into concerns about migration. The Freedom Party has pledged to create what it calls 'Fortress Austria' and prevent migrants from entering. They're polling ahead of the conservative party, but could be left out of government if other parties refuse to join them in a coalition, repeating a trend seen in other recent European elections.

Related articles here.

‘Moment of Truth’ for Austria as Far Right Senses Election Triumph

THE OBSERVER: Sunday’s poll result is on a knife-edge but populist FPÖ is looking to capitalise on fears about migration

The wiry, bespectacled man in the down vest, looking like an amiable ski instructor, beams on stage as the crowd chants “Herbert! Herbert! Herbert!”, waving hundreds of Austrian flags. Just after sunset behind the soaring spire of Vienna’s St Stephen’s Cathedral, Austria’s far-right leader Herbert Kickl tells voters they have the chance with Sunday’s potentially watershed national election to “take our country back”.

“Five good years,” Kickl promised the audience, with polls showing that his pro-Kremlin, anti-migration Freedom party (FPÖ) could for the first time win the most votes. “Volkskanzler!” supporters shout, using the “people’s chancellor” moniker once used to describe the Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, which Kickl has also come to embrace. » | Deborah Cole in Vienna | Sunday, September 29, 2024

NYT: As Austrians Vote, Far Right Awaits Its Biggest Success: The Freedom Party has made itself the country’s most popular party, with calls to bar asylum seekers. It is poised to come out on top in parliamentary elections for the first time. »

Professor Tim Wilson : Stephen Fry Picks Up Austrian Citizenship

Sep 24, 2024

This is one of your very best videos, Professor! I agree with your sentiments wholeheartedly. I also agree with Stephen Fry's decision. As a fluent German speaker, if I could, I would join him. This silly country is nothing to be proud of. I now feel ashamed to call myself British. I am a European with every fibre of my being. – © Mark Alexander

My Family and Other Nazis

THE GUARDIAN: My father did terrible things during the second world war, and my other relatives were equally unrepentant. But it wasn’t until I was in my late 50s that I started to confront this dark past

My family were all Nazis. My grandfather and grandmother. My mother and my father. My stepfather, my uncle – literally all of them were hardcore Nazis during the second world war. And after? Not a single one changed their convictions or voiced any regrets for the Nazi crimes. On the contrary, they denied or justified them, including the Holocaust and mass murder committed with their knowledge and, worst of all, sometimes their active participation. We were not exceptional – in Austria and Germany, there were many families like ours.

The official postwar version of events stated that Austria had been the first victim of Hitler’s expansionist politics. The four victorious allies – Britain, France, the US and the Soviet Union – specifically approved this interpretation, which, some believe, got Austria and Austrians off the hook for their complicity in Nazi atrocities.

But not all Austrians accepted this version. Large parts of Austrian society still felt strong ties to national socialism, an aggressive Greater German ideology that rejected the notion of Austria as a separate country with its own history and mentality, and cultivated a deeply rooted antisemitism and anti-Slavic sentiment. My family, like many others, held on to their belief in Hitler and the Third Reich until they died. “We are not Austrians but Germans,” was the oft-repeated credo fed to me as a child. “And we will forever be proud of it.”

I was born in 1944, a year before the end of the war. When I was 10 I was sent to boarding school, far away from Linz, where I had lived with my mother and stepfather, and from Amstetten, where I had often stayed with my Nazi grandparents. Why my relatives sent me away is still a mystery to me. Maybe they were attracted by the fact that the school was high up in the mountains, surrounded by woods, far from the corrupting influence of the cities, from the Jewish, anti-German spirit, as my grandmother put it. Another bonus was that we had to learn a trade in school – I became a carpenter.

What they didn’t know was that the school was very liberal in spirit. Not a single teacher was an old Nazi, which was an exception in Austria in the 50s. As I spent most of my time in school, I was removed from the influence of my Nazi relatives, and soon began to doubt the wisdom of their beliefs, their Great German ideas, their antisemitism and hatred for Austria and democracy. In school, we were taught other beliefs. » | Martin Pollack | Tuesday, July 23, 2024

The Secret behind How Original Viennese Apple Strudel Is Made | Food Secrets

Apr 28, 2021 | Viennese apple strudel is probably the most popular dessert among the many great pastries Austria has to offer. It takes special skills and ingredients to make an original apple strudel by hand. We went to Vienna, Austria to see how an original apple strudel is made.

Putin Described as 'Most Intelligent Gentleman' by Former Austrian Foreign Minister | BBC News

Dec 7, 2023 | The former Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl, who hit the headlines when she danced with Vladimir Putin at her wedding in 2018, has moved to Russia. In an interview, Ms Kneissl claimed that “political pressure” had forced her out of Austria and described President Putin as “the most intelligent gentleman". It comes as this month European Union leaders are set to discuss imposing additional restrictions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, in what would be a twelfth round of sanctions.

In Hitler’s Birthplace, Soul-Searching Over a Poisonous Past

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Austrian government is turning the house where Hitler was born into a police station. But many think it should be used instead to teach essential lessons about history.

The building where Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria. | Marylise Vigneau for The New York Times
The Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, sitting just at the border with Germany, has a 15th-century church tower, cobblestone streets and cluttered rows of charming, colorful houses, some in green, pink and blue.

It also has a fraught historical burden. On the upper floors of the house at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 on April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler was born.

One recent afternoon, Annette Pommer, 32, a history teacher, stared through the window of the Sailer cafe at the three-story 17th-century building across the street where Hitler spent the first few months of his life. She could hear the pounding of jackhammers; an excavator was crawling over a pile of bricks at the rear of the house while workers in hard hats swept the soil.

For many years, Braunau residents say, few gave the house a second thought, except when tourists asked for a photograph, or the occasional neo-Nazi showed up on the anniversary of Hitler’s birthday with a candle or wreath.

But in 2017, the Austrian government, acutely sensitive to the house’s poisonous symbolism and potential for abuse, expropriated the property, and after a period of debate, announced the building would be renovated to become a police station. The goal was to stop it from attracting any modern supporters of Hitler and to sever associations with its painful history. Construction began in October.

“It’s a missed opportunity,” Ms. Pommer said.

Like many in Braunau, she had wanted the building to become a museum or exhibition space to explore Austria’s part in the Nazi regime, a usage that could provide an especially valuable lesson at a time when war again rages in Europe, antisemitism is rising and far-right parties are stirring.

“It should be about how people become Hitler,” she said. “It’s not a house of evil. It’s just a house where a child was born. But it’s right to explain what became of that child.” » | Graham Bowley, Reporting from Braunau am Inn, Austria | Sunday, November 19, 2023