Fall 2015

Dear Readers,

The year 2015 presents itself with a barrage of anniversaries, from the 650-year celebration of the University of Vienna, the 200- year anniversary of the Congress of Vienna reshaping Europe after the Napoleonic wars, the liberation of Austria 70 years ago leading to the regained independence through the Austrian State Treaty in 1955, before ultimately joining the common project of a European Union (EU) 20 years ago: 2015 provides for countless multi-thematic articles which could fill a book!

Thus, faced with the difficult challenge to choose among this wealth of interesting stories, we have opted not to withhold any from our esteemed readership and dedicated the next two issues of Austrian Information to the numerous anniversaries instead. The present issue focuses on the 150-year anniversary of Vienna’s grand boulevard, the Ringstrasse: We take a tour along its circular path to describe the distinct representative and residential buildings, telling the stories of the multiple anniversaries they represent along the way.

After the return of Anja Mayer to Vienna, this issue also presents me with an opportunity to welcome our new colleague Julian Steiner, a George Washington University graduate and former radio journalist. Thanks Julian for a promising start, energizing our team with creative ideas!

Yours truly,

Thorsten Eisingerich