Vienna Past and Present

Thinking of moving to Vienna? Already here but still confused? In this grab-bag episode, we present your unofficial Vienna Survival Guide—covering the less-obvious, entirely unwritten rules that no one explains until you've already broken them. From mastering the sacred art of lüften to emotionally preparing yourself for shops being closed on Sundays (yes, all of them), we've got you covered.
We also unpack the delicate science of tipping culture, the deeply ritualized world of Viennese coffeehouses, and the shocking news that Vienna recently received a top friendliness ranking—a development that has left us… skeptical.
Whether you're new in town or just trying to avoid another passive-aggressive note in your building hallway, this episode is your crash course in surviving—and maybe even thriving—in Vienna.
For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

The Florentine Diamond is one of Europe's most famous missing jewels—or at least, it was. In this episode, we trace the extraordinary journey of a 137-carat diamond from Renaissance Florence and the Medici dynasty to the Habsburgs, the collapse of empire, and a century-long disappearance that turns out not to have been a disappearance at all.
Along the way, we meet Empress Zita, who doesn't just have one of the best Habsburg names, but also ran one of the tightest ships in imperial history—successfully keeping a world-class secret for over 100 years. Carmen and Stephen also question the wisdom of transporting priceless crown jewels across the Atlantic in a cardboard suitcase, and are scandalized at the purported price of the diamond.
For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

If you saw some nuns escaping a retirement home to return to their former castle, what would you do? If you're at all unsure, you should hear the story of the nuns of Castle Goldenstein, the recent *darlings* of Austrian and international news. With low-speed car chases, hugging police officers, Stephen's stuffy sick voice, and social media stardom -- this episode really has it all. And the youngest nun is 81! Feel lazy yet? Yes... we do, too. 
Follow their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonnen_goldenstein/
For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

In our first Halloween episode, we sink our teeth into the true story of the vampire panic that swept through the Habsburg borderlands during the Age of Enlightenment—because nothing says "reason and progress" like mass fear of the undead. It all begins in 18th-century Serbia, where a shoeless peasant was said to have crawled out of his grave to reclaim his footwear… and maybe a little blood. From there, the hysteria spread across the empire, reaching even the court of Empress Maria Theresia herself. Her response? A vampire decree based on reports by her Dutch physician, Gerard van Swieten—the very man who would later inspire Bram Stoker's legendary vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing. Join us as we trace how the Enlightenment tried (and mostly succeeded) to drive a stake through superstition—and how bats somehow ended up taking the blame.
For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!
LINKS
Klenk+Reiter podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/74Ib9NB1WM4KdImJBWaiHD?si=14d7e9ebf36f4258
Arnold Paole - Wikipedia
Petar Blagojević - Wikipedia
The Theological and Esoteric Debate on the Existence of Vampires (17th–19th centuries). 2. An Epidemic of Vampirism in the Austro-Hungarian Empire 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_van_Swieten
https://www.onb.ac.at/mehr/blogs/untot-seit-dem-18-jahrhundert-der-erste-vampirhype
https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=wrz&datum=17250721&seite=11&zoom=33
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369848612000313
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250630-serbian-village-stakes-claim-to-the-first-vampire
https://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/sendungen/kalenderblatt/maria-theresia-verkuendet-den-vampir-erlass-100.html
https://www.thegreatprojects.com/blog/bats-associated-with-vampires

This week, we're freefalling into the story of Felix Baumgartner, Austria's very own daredevil skydiver who leapt from the stratosphere (literally). Along the way, Stephen valiantly attempts some German words with mixed results, Carmen learns a few things she probably should have already known, and together they try—and mostly fail—to understand what drives someone to jump out of perfectly good aircraft for fun. Is it bravery, madness, or just another day in the life of a man who redefined "living on the edge"? Join us as we parachute straight into the world of Felix Baumgartner.
For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!
 
LINKS
Felix Baumgartner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000280012/felix-baumgartner-obduktion-soll-todesursache-klaeren
https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000279972/felix-baumgartner-ein-teufelskerl-mit-eigenem-kopf
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/felix-baumgartner-in-numbers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASE_jumping
https://felixbaumgartner.com/base-jumper/
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/oct/16/felix-baumgartner-from-the-vault
https://www.redbull.com/int-en/red-bull-stratos-contribution-to-science
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/hall-of-fame/felix-baumgartner-first-person-to-break-sound-barrier-in-freefall