What happens when you set off on an expedition to find an ice-free passage east of Russia, only to discover that the Arctic is, in fact, absolutely full of ice? In this first part of our two-parter, we travel back to 1872 and the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition that would lead to the discovery of Franz Josef Land. Carmen and Stephen delve into the ambitious plans behind the voyage, marvel at the sheer number of Antonios among the crew, and commiserate with the explorers enduring months of darkness, freezing temperatures, and generally miserable conditions. Stephen also tries his hand at a new Viennese expression, because even in the Arctic, there's always time for a bit of Schmäh. And just as things get interesting, we leave you hanging in a proper Hängepartie until next time.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

What happens when Stephen takes the day off and Carmen suddenly finds herself interviewing a public transport expert? Well, apparently you call in the next generation! In this special bonus episode, Carmen is joined by her cousin's son Paul, who knows a frankly impressive amount about Vienna's trams, U-Bahn and trains.

Together they travel from Vienna's first horse-drawn tram in 1865 through smoky steam trams, the arrival of electricity, the heyday of the tram network, and the mysterious origins of Vienna's U-Bahn. Why does Vienna have a U6 but no U5? What exactly is a U-Strab? Why do some trams have numbers while others still have letters? And can you spot an abandoned U-Bahn station from a moving train?

Plus, Carmen discovers that she apparently lives on not one but two pieces of Vienna's public transport history — and Paul gets the chance to prove that he really does know his stuff. A special episode about the trains, trams and U-Bahns that keep Vienna moving, with a special guest who may just be better at this than we are.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

LINKS

• https://wienuncovered.com/geisterbahnhof-lerchenfelder-strasse-in-wien/

• https://www.public-transport.at/nummernsystem_strassenbahn_wien.htm
• https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Schaffner
• https://www.meinbezirk.at/hernals/c-lokales/erste-pferdetramway-fuehrte-nach-hernals_a873833
• https://www.planetizen.com/features/130700-mass-transit-and-manure-new-yorks-lost-era-horse-drawn-streetcars#:~:text=In%20November%201832%2C%20the%20Bowery,Side%20up%20to%20Union%20Square

Summer has arrived, which means it's time for the next installment of our Vienna Survival Guide. This time, Carmen walks Stephen through the finer points of surviving everyday Viennese life: why you must always open a window for some fresh air, only to immediately complain "es zieht!" (there's a draft!); our complicated relationship with air conditioning; the unwritten rules of elevator etiquette; and the active participation required whenever someone inevitably shouts, "Zweite Kassa bitte!" at the supermarket. We also dive into the great Viennese tradition of Raunzen—the fine art of complaining—which, strangely enough, is only possible because things generally work so well in the first place. This is livability, baby.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

It's time for another Zeitgeist episode: a grab bag of Vienna, history, and whatever else managed to distract us this week. We start with an update on everyone's favorite controversial statue: Sexy Karl. After his dramatic encounter with vandals, we ask the important historical questions llike whether the ancient Egyptians had the right idea by completely erasing their least favorite pharaoh from history.

Then we return to the ongoing saga of the Nuns of Goldenstein and catch up on the latest twists and turns since our original episode. Along the way, we decide that if someone doesn't respond to a message within 20 minutes, they should probably be reported missing.

Finally, we turn our highly qualified and deeply researched attention toward Eurovision and the World Cup, proving once again that confidence is not the same thing as expertise.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent (viennapastandpres on Instagram) or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

LINKS
Dunkelkammer podcast: https://dunkelkammer.simplecast.com/episodes/213-drei-nonnen-klagen-an-unsere-menschenrechte-werden-mit-fuen-getreten

In the second part of our Red Vienna series, the grand experiment collides with political reality. We follow the rise of Engelbert Dollfuß, the emergence of Austrofascism, and the escalating tensions that culminated in the Austrian Civil War of 1934. Along the way, Karl-Marx-Hof goes from model housing project to battlefield, and Vienna's socialist dream comes to a dramatic end.

Of course, we can't leave Red Vienna behind without reflecting on its lasting legacy, debating proper laundromat etiquette, and agreeing that "Millimetternich" might be one of the greatest political nicknames ever coined. Join us as we explore how a conflict that lasted only a few days helped shape Austria for decades to come.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent (viennapastandpres on Instagram) or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

LINKS

Exhibit at Karl-Marx-Hof: https://dasrotewien-waschsalon.at/sonderausstellung/auch-fuer-nichtschwimmer

City website with overview of Gemeindebau:https://www.wien.gv.at/kultur/kulturgut-gemeindebauten

https://www.ooegeschichte.at/archiv/themen/wir-oberoesterreicher/buergerkrieg-in-oberoesterreich

https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Republikanischer_Schutzbund

https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Heimwehr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Revolt_of_1927

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Dollfuss

What happens when a city decides to reinvent everyday life from the ground up? In this episode, we dive into Red Vienna—an ambitious socialist experiment that transformed the city in the 1920s with massive housing projects, public baths, and a bold vision of "luxury for everyone." From the monumental Karl-Marx-Hof to the world of communal laundries, we explore how Vienna tried to build a better society, one apartment block at a time. Along the way, we (once again) fulfill listener demand for more washbasin and washing machine facts -- because apparently that's what the people want. And just when things take a dramatic turn in 1933, we leave you with a cliffhanger… of a cliffhanger.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent (viennapastandpres on Instagra) or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

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 viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. 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 viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!