Category: Austrian News

Spring plants are beginning to bloom one to two weeks earlier than the average in the past decades. This is because January and February were almost consistently too mild, explains Geosphere Austria (formerly ZAMG). Therefore, many plants’ development started significantly earlier than in an average year. For example, forsythia and dirndl are already blooming in many places at lower altitudes. The flowering of the apricot has also already begun, as in the Wachau, in the Vienna area and northern Burgenland around the Leithagebirge. “This means that the development of the…

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Vienna is the first destination in Austria to make it onto TIME Magazine’s list of “World’s Greatest Places.” Since 2018, TIME Magazine has been selecting a list of the “World’s Greatest Places.” This year, Vienna also made it to the top 50 destinations. What makes Vienna a top travel destination for TIME Magazine?In its citation, TIME Magazine praises Vienna as a “classical city, modernized” and highlights those developments that have made the federal capital the world’s most livable city in various rankings. These include, for example, bicycle and pedestrian friendliness,…

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The City of Vienna is on the lookout: 21,000 positions must be filled by 2030. For this reason, one starts now a large personnel offensive, including an advertising campaign, as mayor Michael Ludwig and personnel city councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky (both SPÖ) communicated on Friday. The fields of work, so it was assured, are various. Employees are being sought in social, technical or even digital areas.In total, the city employs around 67,000 people. For example, the City of Vienna is now organizing its job fair for the first time to fill…

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Austria’s households have submitted around 3 million vouchers for energy cost compensation. This corresponds to a relief volume of 440 million euros, calculated by the Ministry of Finance on Friday in a release. However, of the vouchers submitted, around 365,000 were rejected due to incorrect information, so only a relief volume of 375 million euros was realized. Applications are still possible until the end of March. The vouchers can be presented to the respective electricity provider, reducing the annual bill by 150 euros. As one of the first anti-inflation measures,…

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Fines for violations of the cell phone ban behind the wheel will be increased – and significantly. Cell phone behind the wheel: higher fines to be paid in futureIf drivers are caught while driving, it will cost 100 euros instead of 50 euros. If payment is refused or drivers are caught in a speed trap with a cell phone in their hand, the fine can be up to 140 euros. Previously, it was 72 euros. The Traffic Committee of the National Council passed a corresponding amendment to the Motor Vehicle…

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Housing again became more expensive in the fourth quarter of 2022. The increases in operating costs, in particular, were considerable due to high inflation. At the end of the year, average rents, including operating fees, stood at EUR 8.9 per square meter, representing a price increase of 7 percent. Operating expenses increased by 6.2 percent across all rental segments, which was the “highest quarterly increase in the previous year since 2006,” according to Statistics Austria. Operating costs include fees for water, sewage, garbage collection, and common charges such as elevators,…

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The coming days will be spring-like mild, up to 20 degrees in large parts of Austria. Only on Sunday, a low will make itself felt again. In the coming days, significantly warmer air masses will reach us again in the gradually developing southwesterly flow and be slightly foehn. Only on Sunday an offshoot of the current Atlantic low Gerson will make itself felt—the weather outlook from UWZ man Roland Reiter in detail. On Friday, the sun will shine widely. Any early morning fog will quickly dissipate, and only a few…

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Corona pandemic trends in Austria have been declining again since early March. Mask requirement in Vienna’s public transport system to endFor the second year, the Covid forecasting consortium expects a decline in hospitalized Covid-19 patients. According to the latest forecast, the assessment assumes that the number of infected patients in intensive care units will remain roughly the same and show a downward trend in normal wards. Vaccination line at Austria Center Vienna to be closedThis is the current Corona situation in Austria’s hospitals1,336 Corona-positive patients were in Austrian hospitals on…

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Mayor Michael Ludwig has promised thousands of Vienna residents a new windfall. But the money is not directly deposited in the account. During his speech at the Vienna SPÖ club meeting, Vienna’s city leader Michael Ludwig announced a whole new relief package for citizens plagued by inflation. Several cash bonuses at once are intended to make housing affordable. Because the government is running out of time to decide on a possible rent break and no solution is in sight, Vienna is now moving forward with its 5-point program: A large…

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