People, encounters, places… the best from the Extinguished Countries.
Between 1869 and 1910, the population of Vienna grew from 630,000 to over 2 million. The Austrian capital was then the centre of a vast multi-ethnic empire that now encompasses 13 European states. As such, the city is home to the palaces of power, the famous Hofburg complex (now the residence of the Austrian President)… Continue reading Vienna’s lesser-known imperial past
Hungary has a peculiar relationship with the Habsburg Empire. It seems to distance itself from it, as if it had not really been a part of it. Differences made, this relationship is sometimes reminiscent of the difficult one that exists today between Hungary and the European Union. We asked Gabor Egry, a historian and director-general… Continue reading Hungary’s view of the Habsburg Empire
Artur Grottger was one of the most prominent Polish Romantic painters. He was born in 1837 in Ottyniowice in Eastern Galicia (now Otynevychi, Ukraine), and despite his very short life (he died at 30 years old in 1867), he became one of the most prominent Polish artists of the 19th century. He lived during the… Continue reading Artur Grottger: between art, political engagement and love story
Nestled between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein had a special relationship with the Habsburg Empire. It was not part of it, but its rulers lived in Vienna from 1719 until 1938. In the 19th century the principality adopted many Austrian laws, introduced the Austro-Hungarian Gulden as its official currency and signed a customs treaty with the… Continue reading Liechtenstein and the Habsburg Empire
For centuries Slovenia, parts of Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro were part of the Habsburg Empire. Bosnia and Herzegovina was administered by Vienna for several decades between the end of the 19th century and World War I. What remains of these historical ties in Austrian foreign policy today? We discussed this with Florian Bieber, director of… Continue reading A special relationship between Austria and the Western Balkans?
The history of the Habsburgs has its roots not in Austria, as one might think, but in neighbouring Switzerland. It is here in fact – and more precisely in the canton of Aargau – that the castle built in the 11th century by Radbod of Habsburg, who is considered the founder of the lineage, is… Continue reading The Swiss roots of the Habsburg family
Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustible liquid derived from petroleum. Its discovery is generally attributed to Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner who distilled kerosene from bituminous coal and oil shale in 1846. To obtain kerosene distilled from oil, however, one has to wait a few years and travel to the other side of the world: to… Continue reading The Habsburg origins of the kerosene lamp
Everyone enjoys hearing a nice, cheesy love story. Ljerka Šram and Milivoj Dežman’s love story is undoubtedly one of those tales of an unending and enduring love that people have always murmured about, a love that was never meant to end happily. Here is how it goes. Once upon a time, in a city in… Continue reading The tragic love story behind the Brestovac Sanatorium in Zagreb
Most of the world knows Ivo Andrić as a Nobel Prize-winning author. However, to Habsburg administrators of his home of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Andrić was a teenage troublemaker suspected of collaborating in the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. We spoke to Enes Škrgo, curator of the Memorial House of Ivo Andrić in Travnik, the author’s birthplace,… Continue reading The Nobel Prize Winner vs. Austria-Hungary
Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907) is one of the most versatile artists of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His message and own recognisable style are an absolute part of Polish culture and art today. Wyspiański was an accomplished artist as he was active in various fields of art, and in each, he always pursued… Continue reading Painter, writer and poet, Stanisław Wyspiański is the ultimate icon of Habsburg Kraków
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