Erasmus - Kultur und Landeskunde Österreichs

In today's post I would like to write something about places I visited during my stay in Tirol. This Erasmus was quite unusual because of the situation with COVID-19 but thanks to my local friends I managed to get to know this piece of the world a bit better. To be honest, I've chosen Innsbruck because of the mountains, so the pandemic world crise didn't destroy my plans so much :) (All of the pictures axcept from Serles were taken by me.) Seegrube It's a mountain station (on 1905 m) on mountain range Nordkette and perfect viewpoint - you can see the whole city of Innsbruck and the valley of Inn. There is a cable railway from the center of Innsbruck, but I went there on foot. Ebner Joch 1957 m. Breathtaking view for Achensee - the biggest lake in Tirol. Be careful if you have something to eat, because black birds know tourists well and expect you to share with them everything you have, bread, fruit, even chocolate. Patscherkofel 2246 m. Dur

When it comes to national heroes and celebrities, I always try to take a look on 'ordinary people' who became famous just because they spent their lives living according to their convictions, values and faith. Today I would like to write a few words about Franz Jägerstätter . There are many important names connected with the World War II, but what I've found fascinating about his life is that he never actually tried to become a hero, rather he just could not avoid it. He was born in 1907 in Sankt Radegung (North Austria). His parents were so poor that they could not afford getting married; his biological father was killed during the World War I and Franz received his family name after his step-father, who decided to adopt him. As a young man, Franz could not find his place on the world, he tried to work as a miner in Styria, was a leader of a motocycle gang, had a daughter out of wedlock, and eventually came back to his family land in order to take care of his step

 When it comes to medien, we usually think of TV, newspapers or Internet. But what about books or theater play? Today I would like to write some words about famous writer - Elfriede Jelinek, whose works concentrate on feminism, politics and social problems. She was born in Mürzzuschlag (northeastern Styria) but was raised in Vienna by Roman-Germanian Catholic mother and Czech Jewish father. Her parents expected her to become musical 'wunderkind', so from the early age she was taking classes in piano, organ, guitar, violin and viola. Eventually, Elfriede graduated Vienna Conservatory with an organist diploma. She studied art history and theater at the University of Vienna but had to discontinue her studies due to anxiety disorder. In that time she isolated herself from the whole world for a year. She spent time watching TV and writing. Jelinek's output has included radio plays, poetry, theatre texts, polemical essays, anthologies, novels, translations, screenplays,

In Vienna everything is connected to music, even toilet, where you can enjoy classical works while... you know :) Today I would like to say a few words about Wiener Klassik - First Viennese School . This name refers to three composers of the 18ht-century Vienna. Joseph Haydn Known from development of chamber music - a form of classical music, composed for a small group of instruments, f.e. piano trio (piano and two other instruments, usually violin and cello). He was born into a poor family but as teenager he was given the possibility to sing in a choir thanks to his wonderful voice. He also learn to play piano, violin and music theory. He composed over 100 syphonies, 80 string quartets, operas and masses. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart He was born in Salzburg and lived only 35 years. His father was his first music teacher. From the early age he shown excellent technical skills and music memory; he was said to be 'wonderful child'. Mozart wrote his first composition a

Yeah, when it comes to art and architecture, Vienna is definitely worth seeing. But what I found especially fascinating about Austrian architecture is the connection and 'cooperation' between nature and new technologies. There are many furnicular railways that make access to the beauty of the nature easier, f.e. for families with children or disabled persons. Today I would like to focus on the highest mountain road in Austria - Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße . The idea to build a road in Hohe Tauern National Park on 2504 m was born in 1924 but at the begining no one believed that architects are really going to create something like that, since not many people had private means of transport and Austria was still suffering from economic catastrophy after the First World War. A few years later, in order to give job to unemployed, the government revived the project and decide to carry it out. Finally, it was opened on 3 August 1935 . Soon it became more popular and belov

After my first week in Innsbruck I was really suprised how much meat and sweets people eat in Austria. In Polish cities half of the restaurants is vegan and eating sweets is not popular among teenagers and young adults since being 'fit' is fashionable. When I asked locals about their eating habits, they answered: 'Well, we have mountains, we are into sports, so we can eat unhealthy'. For me eating is always an important part of traveling, so I would like to take a look at traditional Austrian food and drinks. Leberkäse Despite of the name, there is no cheese. It is a loaf with a piece of meat, usually beef, bacon, and pork cuts ground, mixed and then baked together. Traditional snack after hard working day or during night drinking. Blutwurst It is a sausage made of blood. People eat it cold or hot, also grilled. You can find versions with chilli, nuts and chocolate. Marillenknödel A fresh apricot in a dough, either a potato or quark-based, covere