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English History Siri

Burned at the Stake: The Story of the Viennese Witch

The fire went higher and reached Elisabeth Plainacher’s feet. Soon she would go down in history as the only person who had been burnt at the stake in Vienna for performing witchcraft. The Viennese folk gathered to watch the death sentence being carried out.  »Witch!” they shouted. Little did they know that bad luck was […]

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Allie Deutsch Experience

Viral Talks: Wien, zwischen Menschen und Hunden

»Wien, Wien nur du allein sollst stets die Stadt meiner Träume sein!« so sang der echte Wiener Rudolf Sieczynski um 1912. Als Fremdenführerin ist es für mich nicht schwer nachzuvollziehen, wie sehr der Wienerlied-Komponist seine Stadt liebte. Doch Wien wäre ohne die WienerInnen nicht Wien. Und aus diesem Grund, gehört diese Rubrik auch jedem, der sich […]

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English Experience Siri

How to become an art student at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

The old lady wished me good luck for my entrance exam at the Academy of Fine Arts when I left the subway station. With my huge backpack, parts of my easel sticking out, and two canvases under my arms, I was well prepared for the exam. While dragging my whole art equipment through half of […]

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Allie Art & Culture English History

To different times a different theater

Imagine sitting at the Vienna State Opera during a concert, sipping wine, trying out a cigar and eating a Schnitzel. That sounds quite nice, huh? If you close your eyes, you can almost hear people chit chatting around you, and even smell smoke and food around the theater. Now, imagine being the orchestra conductor trying […]

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Art & Culture Deutsch Siri

Der echte und unechte Jüngling vom Magdalensberg

Im gedimmten Licht des Raums Nr. 7 des Kunsthistorischen Museum Wiens dreht sich die lebensgroße Statue eines Jünglings langsam um die eigene Achse. Sie ist das Herzstück der antiken römischen Sammlung. Dabei ist diese Statue nicht das, was sie zu sein scheint. Der Jüngling vom Magdalensberg ist eine Fälschung. Und was für eine! Von seiner […]

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Allie English Experience

Viral Talks: a ballerina in Vienna

From the eyes of a tour guide, Vienna is indeed the most beautiful city in the world. But let’s be honest, a tour guide’s perspective might be historically accurate, but it will never be neutral. So, I sat down and realized, that the very best way to find out what makes Vienna so special, is […]

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Art & Culture English History Siri

An unheard-of talent: Nannerl Mozart

Everybody knows Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the most famous composer in the world. But do you also know his sister? Let me introduce you to the musical genius Nannerl Mozart. ⁠ The siblings Actually, her name was Maria Anna Mozart, Nannerl was her nickname, and she was five years older than her famous little brother. When […]

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Allie English History

Holy Roman Empire finally explained

Fundament to world history, shaping nations, politics and religion for one thousand years, the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) is one of the most recurrent topics in schools all around the world. Despite its undiscussed importance though – what in the world was the Holy Roman Empire? If you ever happened to lie about »obviously knowing« […]

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Art & Culture English Siri

Singing Austria

When I tell someone who doesn’t live in Austria that I sing in a choir, I always get a certain reaction: »That’s so Austrian!« or »That’s so cliche!«. So I sat down and wondered, why is it a stereotype to sing if you are Austrian? How to embrace an Austrian cliché I didn’t have to […]

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Allie English Experience

How to become a licensed Austria guide without losing it

When I started tour guiding, I was living the best 20 something life in Munich, Germany, working as a receptionist at the best hostel in town and drinking way too much beer. How it all began I remember a good friend came up to me one day and literally asked me why I was not […]