Category: Austrian News

A rare natural spectacle drew attention to the skies over Austria on Sunday evening. Pink auroras could be seen on the horizon just after 6 p.m. in many parts of the country. Later on Monday night, the colourful celestial spectacle could even expand and intensify. Usually, auroras can only be seen in the far north, such as in Scandinavia. However, a unique constellation is currently making them visible beyond the Alps. The spectacular lights could also be seen from Lower Austria and Vienna on Sunday evening. The social networks were…

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Two hundred sixty-two thousand users of the Climate Ticket can currently use all public transport throughout Austria.Now, they are getting a wish they expressed in a survey fulfilled: From November 27, the ticket will also be available digitally. “With the digital climate ticket, public transport is even more convenient and comfortable to experience,” said Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) on Thursday. Install the app from ÖBB, Westbahn or Wiener LinienTo obtain this, install the ÖBB, Westbahn or Wiener Linien app on your smartphone and call the climate ticket there.…

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Austria has extended its border controls with Slovakia by a further twenty days, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior on Friday.Previously, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Slovenia had already extended the controls introduced at the beginning of October. The focus of the measures is the fight against people smuggling, it said. 19 smugglers have already been arrested at the borderThe Ministry of the Interior said that since controls started on October 4, the police have been able to apprehend 19 individuals smugglers at the Slovakian border…

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You can see it in the stores again; the Christmas season is starting. However, how much will the holiday season cost this year? Christmas 2023 could be expensive. After all, there has been strong inflation, sugar prices have exploded, and delivery and production costs have skyrocketed. Sweets, in particular, are affected by price increases. Christmas 2023 could be this expensive According to the website, Lidl’s dominoes, for example, will cost 6 percent more than in 2022, while the discounter’s spiced speculoos will be 33 percent more expensive at 1.59 euros.…

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Eating on the Vienna subway has been banned for almost five years. Almost a thousand warnings have been issued this year alone. What happens now? Since January 2019, food has been banned in Vienna’s subway: croissants, cheese sandwiches, and the like must stay outside! The ban on eating on the subway network was introduced almost five years ago and was met with plenty of skepticism and criticism, as a “Heute” survey showed. However, Wiener Linien took a different view. “Every day, around two million passengers use the stations and vehicles…

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Following the warmest September and the warmest October in Austrian measurement history, there are two record months in a single year to report. “As of Tuesday, October 2023, in the Austrian lowlands, it is 3.0 degrees above the average of the climate period 1991–2020, and in the mountains, by 3.4 degrees,” said Hans Ressl, climatologist at Geosphere Austria, summarizing the preliminary evaluation. October 2023 was 3.7 degrees above the mean in the lowlands.Compared to the 1961–1990 climate period, October 2023 was 3.7 degrees above average in the lowlands and 3.6…

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In some places in Austria, we are still sitting in the sun at around 20 degrees – and we are supposed to talk about winter tires. Yes, because from November 1, the situational winter tire obligation applies. The law on situational winter tire obligation in Austria applies from November 1 to April 15 of the following year, no matter what the weather is like. No matter how high the temperatures climb. Hence, “situational.” This means that in winter conditions (snow, slush, ice) only vehicles with winter tires are allowed on…

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On Monday, the southern foehn situation will strengthen over Austria. On the southern side of the Alps, it is often cloudy with cloud accumulation, and it rains more often during the day. Otherwise, from Vorarlberg to Salzburg, extensive cloud fields will pass through, and the sun will shine only occasionally. Further east, it will initially be partly cloudy due to fog or high fog. Otherwise, there will be frequent sunny spells in the first half of the day before more clouds move in. From the evening hours and during the…

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Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen addressed the nation on National Day. He pleaded for cohesion and warned against the consequences of divisive politics. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen gave his traditional National Day speech on Thursday evening. October 26, he said, was a day to celebrate all of Austria. Democracy, equality, human rights and peace are all reasons to celebrate. The latter gains importance in times like these: “We cannot be grateful enough for this peace. Because we live in a world in which this peace is anything…

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