Vienna Past and Present

Carmen and Stephen
  • 4.3 (10)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Dive into the depths of Vienna's history with 'Vienna Past and Present'! Join Carmen and Stephen on a journey through the centuries as they unearth lesser-known tales from Vienna's past. From Habsburg jaws to guilded halls, each episode brings to light a new facet of the city's rich tapestry and links it to sites that you can visit in the present day. Whether you're a history buff or a curious listener, 'Vienna Past and Present' has something for everyone. So, pour yourself a Grüner Veltliner and tune in for stories and friendly banter about the world's most livable city.

  1. FEB 15

    Vienna Survival Guide: Lüften, Sundays, and a Bucket of Water

    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!

    41 min

  2. 12/14/2025

    The Florentine Diamond: Lost, Found, and Packed in Cardboard

    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!

    28 min

  3. 11/13/2025

    Zeitgeist: Runaway Nuns!

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

    15 min

  4. 10/28/2025

    The Habsburg Vampire Panic: When Maria Theresia Took on the Undead

    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 viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. 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

    29 min

  5. 09/30/2025

    Felix Baumgartner: Living on the Edge

    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 viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. 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

    32 min

  6. 08/13/2025

    Wilhelm Reich: The Prophet of the Better Orgasm

    In this episode, we uncover the strange and fascinating life of Wilhelm Reich, a once-promising Vienna-trained psychoanalyst whose career took a sharp turn into uncharted territory. From a scandalous youth and mentorship under Freud to his unorthodox theories on "orgastic potency," Reich's ideas often teetered between groundbreaking and eyebrow-raising. We follow him across the Atlantic, where he invented the Orgone Accumulator (a.k.a. the cosmic orgasm box), clashed with the FDA, tried to win over Einstein, and even claimed to battle UFOs in the Arizona desert. Visionary, eccentric, or both? Either way, his story is a wild ride through sex, pseudoscience, and space energy. 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://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/04/archives/back-into-the-old-orgone-box.html https://projectmailer.net/pm/The_Mailer_Review/Volume_10,_2016/Mailer%E2%80%99s_Use_of_Wilhelm_Reich https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/en/about-us/history/ https://www.wilhelmreich.at/wp-content/uploads/Hebenstreit_Diplomarbeitsauszug-2.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Reich https://www.scribd.com/document/409496302/brady-the-strange-case-of-wilhelm-reich-pdf https://oe1.orf.at/artikel/328444/Film-Der-Fall-Wilhelm-Reich https://www.lennygibson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Reich-review.pdf Movie about Reich (Apple+): https://tv.apple.com/at/movie/the-strange-case-of-wilhelm-reich/umc.cmc.4d5kpivmlampf1bsyguxnu6my?l=en NYTimes article : https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1957/12/07/87342935.html?pageNumber=20

    38 min

  7. 07/19/2025

    Gänsehäufel - Vienna's beloved goose pile

    This week, we're headed to the seaside! Or at least, as close as Vienna gets— we're talking about the Gänsehäufel, the beloved island in the Danube that's been offering sun, swims, and skin (lots of it) for over a century. We dig into the evolution of this uniquely Viennese summer escape: from its early days as a kind of naturist commune founded by Florian Berndl, to a city-led takeover (with a surprise return of good old Sexy Karl), to its glory days in Red Vienna and post-war nudist boom. We also reminisce about our experiences with Japanese baths and KOA—yes, Kampsites of America. Why the K? And how do you pronounce it? Sunburns, socialism, and public nudity—it's all here. 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://www.filmarchiv.at/de/filmarchiv-on/video/f_030HDAllma6h1gTTStWtQ0 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4nseh%C3%A4ufel https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florian_Berndl https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/G%C3%A4nseh%C3%A4ufel https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20210831/ums-nackte-ueberleben https://geschichtsgreisslerei.at/gaensehaeufel/ https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000061895606/kabane-und-liebe-sommerresidenz-im-gaensehaeufel https://www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/baeder/uebersicht/sommerbaeder/gaensehaeufel.html https://www.travelportland.com/culture/sauvie-island/

    35 min

  8. 05/31/2025

    Zeitgeist: 12 Points to Austria!

    Try as we might to talk about literally anything else, Eurovision keeps pulling us back in. Are we closet fans? Maybe. Probably. OK, fine—yes. In this Zeitgeist episode, we set out to cover a range of current topics... but then Austria won Eurovision again, and suddenly we're back, clumsily covering a topic we know little about. But we do know that  JJ has officially captured our hearts. Stephen watches the winning entry live on air and—shockingly—realizes he might actually enjoy the whole dramatic spectacle. Resistance was futile.  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://dietagespresse.com/damit-oesterreich-teuren-esc-2026-nicht-ausrichten-muss-marterbauer-ruft-3-000-mal-fuer-schweden-an/ Wasted Love, Austrian Eurovision entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coGaxAWtp58 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/arts/music/eurovision-how-to-win.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JE8.MzUg.jbIOX3S6CkWM&smid=url-share 'It's going to be expensive': Austria frets about price tag of hosting Eurovision 'There is anxiety' - RTE 'fears' winning Eurovison & facing huge staging costs, claims Ireland's first winner Dana | The Irish Sun JJ & Conchita Mashup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaTvgfopHkU

    29 min
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4.3
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Dive into the depths of Vienna's history with 'Vienna Past and Present'! Join Carmen and Stephen on a journey through the centuries as they unearth lesser-known tales from Vienna's past. From Habsburg jaws to guilded halls, each episode brings to light a new facet of the city's rich tapestry and links it to sites that you can visit in the present day. Whether you're a history buff or a curious listener, 'Vienna Past and Present' has something for everyone. So, pour yourself a Grüner Veltliner and tune in for stories and friendly banter about the world's most livable city.

Information

  • Creator
    Carmen and Stephen
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Vienna Past and Present