Austria
The unfairytale life of two European princesses
Wounded by their husbands’ infidelity and shattered by the deaths of their only sons, Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France defied court protocol in a bid for independence
The enlightened rule of the Empress Maria Theresa
‘She hates to see anyone put to death’, said one contemporary of the monarch who abolished torture and serfdom and pioneered the practice of open weekly audiences with the public
A year to forget: good riddance to 2024
January. When the assisted dying bill comes in, I’ll be first in the queue. Non-stop nosebleeds, Covid-esque symptoms, leg cramps,…
Austria’s far right is shut out of power, again
Austria’s mainstream politicians are combining to ensure that the winners of last month’s general elections, the far right Freedom party…
Austria is becoming a nightmare for the unvaccinated
Salzburg, Austria Across Austria, the streets are alive with the sounds of drums and cow bells. Ever since the Austrian…
Europe gripped by a fifth wave
How quickly things change. Just a month ago many EU countries were being praised for keeping some Covid restrictions in…
The fifth Covid wave could break Macron
The fifth Covid wave has started in Europe. Some governments are already imposing lockdowns and wage cuts for the unvaccinated…
The trouble with Austria’s vaccine passport plan
Are vaccine passports being used in other countries in an attempt to cut Covid infections – or to try and…
The frailty of love
In the months before the outbreak of the first world war, Anton Heideck arrives in Vienna. Family life offered him…
Austria’s ‘Islam map’ is dangerous
Austria’s government has unveiled a map detailing the locations of mosques and other Muslim associations all over the country. The…
Germany’s border controls risk an EU rupture
On Sunday, Germany halted most travel for those moving between the country and its neighbouring Czech Republic and Austria. After the…
Europe’s cities are becoming a refuge for Islamist extremists
Britain’s terror threat level has been upgraded to ‘severe’ this week, following jihadist attacks in both France and Austria. Raising…
High life
Wolfsegg, Austria I have finally understood what’s wrong with the modern world: motorways. These dehumanising slabs of asphalt covering our…
Swanky, stale and sullen
The summer music festival has had its day, says Norman Lebrecht
One of those films that never seems to end: A Hidden Life reviewed
Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life is a historical drama based on the true story of Franz Jäggerstätter, an Austrian who…
Tuning up to Linz
You never know who you might meet on a river cruise. It was my 89-year-old father-in-law, Noel, who first recognised…
Operetta is serious business in Bad Ischl – and seriously glorious
It’s the lederhosen that grabs you first. Two gents were walking down the street ahead of us in full Alpine…
Is it time to move to Austria?
Schloss Wolfsegg I was watching two very old men slowly approaching the open doors of the Pilatus airplane I…
Voters have no time for the flaccid centre
A depression has settled on the Liddle household ever since Norbert Hofer narrowly failed in his bid to become the…
The only Eurosceptic in the room
I was in Paris last week to take part in an EU referendum debate at Sciences Po, a French university…
Diary
To while away the time at airports, I like to spot celebrities. But pickings have been slim. Where is everyone?…
Sins of the fathers
This is a documentary in which three men travel across Europe together, but they’re not pleasurably interrailing, even though there…
My Schubert cruise was a transport of delight
Michael Henderson is transported to raptures on a Schubert cruise
Merkel’s folly
By making them more likely to attempt the perilous journey to Europe, the German chancellor is luring would-be migrants to their deaths
Vienna without the Austrians
Fischer’s is Austria made safe for liberals, gays, Jews and other Untermenschen riffraff, because it is a restaurant, not a…
