Learning the language and norms of a place isn’t enough to truly become a part of it. You also have to learn about its culture and people.
In addition to great composers, here are five Austrian cultural giants you should know to impress your Austrian friends or learn more about the nation.
Elfriede Jelinek
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Elfriede Jelinek’s fame is associated with foreign literature and is one of Austria’s most successful and awarded authors.
Jelinek won the 2004 Nobel Prize for her unique literary piece which shows the ridiculousness of society’s clichés and their subjugating power”. However, she is controversial in Austria due to her prior communist party membership and criticism of her motherland.
Despite this, she has continued to get praise as a writer and novelist, and her current piece, Snow White, about sexual assault in sports, debuted at the Landestheater Tirol.
Hermann Maier
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Hermann Maier, nicknamed the Herminator, is a legendary Austrian alpine ski racer, the sport’s greatest comeback.
Maier was a talented youth skier from Salzburg, but the Austrian national team didn’t choose him. He didn’t let it stop him and won the Europa Cup in 1996. At the 1998 Winter Olympics, he survived a catastrophic piste collision to win two gold medals for Austria. His national hero status and Herminator moniker resulted.
After a 2001 motorcycle accident that almost cost him a leg, it was almost over. In 2003, the Herminator won the Super-G race in Kitzbühel, surprising everyone.
Locals in the Austrian Alps still adore telling tales about the Herminator, notably his down-to-earth approach and indomitable spirit.
Conchita Wurst
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Conchita Wurst may not be as famous as the others on this list but in Austria, she is just as significant.
Conchita Wurst (real name Tom Neuwirth) is an artist and vocalist. She campaigned for LGBTQ rights and won the 2014 European Song Contest. She is a household name in Austria, notably in Vienna, where she lives. But her rise to popularity hasn’t been easy, and in 2014, Austrians called for her to be replaced as the country’s Eurovision representative.
The celebrity is still recognized in Austria’s homosexual community and recently stated the Eurovision triumph compelled Austrians to discuss gender, whether they were ready or not.
Wolfgang
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Another famous Austrian actor is Christoph Waltz. He is most recognized in English for working with Quentin Tarantino and as Blofeld in the Bond series. Born in Vienna in 1956, he began his career in the Schauspielhaus in Zurich, Switzerland, before becoming a TV actor and then directing the German TV program If you dare (If you dare).
Waltz’s worldwide breakthrough came in 2009 when he was cast in Tarantino’s Inglourious Bastards. He has subsequently appeared in several US films, including Django Unchained and Water for Elephants.
Waltz, who speaks German, French, and English, is one of Austria’s most renowned people. He splits his time between Vienna, Berlin, and LA.
The Terminator
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Arnie, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, is Austria’s most renowned export. He is a retired bodybuilder, actor, film producer, and former California governor.
Despite his popularity and living in the US, Schwarzenegger still attends the annual Hahnenkamm downhill ski competition in Kitzbühel, which the local press loves to promote.
To many Austrians, he is still the youngster from a Styrian town who followed his aspirations, traveled to the US (without speaking much English), and became a celebrity while preserving his Austrian accent.
Arnie’s tale of conformist 1960s Austria to the liberal west coast US proves that believing in yourself can go you far.
