Expats Prize
Austria’s
Quality of Life,
Denounce
UnfriendlinessAn Expat Insider study by
InterNations ranked Austria as
one of the unfriendliest countries
for expats to acclimate to, but
security and political stability
remain strong motivations for
moving here.
While Austria continues to be a
popular destination for expats,
the study released in early
September also named it the
second hardest country to settle
into, ranking it in 64th place- only one slot ahead of
Denmark, which is dead last - and the second unfriendliest
country, followed by Kuwait.
Globally, 42% of polled expats
reported having easily found new
friends in their respective host
countries, while the number is
only 25% for those residing here.
Yet, Austria remains a highly
valued destination for its security,
political stability, education and
health care system – 9 out of 10
polled expats (88%) think that
Austria is a secure country, 78%
deem it politically stable, 84%
value the quality of health care
and 89% consider the education
system’s quality to be high. In
Austria, only 92 expats were
polled, which is a sample of only
limited statistical value.
NEED TO KNOW: Some expats
find it rather hard to settle into
Austria, many of them see
language as the main obstacle.
One of many ways METROPOLE
hopes to help!
WHAT OTHERS SAID: “Nobody
likes to be penultimate. But just
maybe, some Austrians took
silent pride in it. Almost the
unfriendliest country in the world,
who else can pull that off?
(Except Kuwait).” –
Mirjam Marits, Austrian journalist,
Die Presse
IN OTHER WORDS
PHOTOS: FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: HANS RINGHOFER / PICTUREDESK.COM; FRANZ GRUBER / KURIER / PICTUREDESK.COM.A quick-and-dirty synopsis of last month’s headlines in Vienna
Back to School
On Monday, September 4,
the school bells heralded the
beginning of a new school year
in Vienna. After 9 weeks of
summer holidays, a total of
225,000 pupils got their chance
to “learn for life, not just for
school” – or were just happy to
see their friends again. Some
17,000 Taferlklassler (first-
graders) will start their school
career. Roughly 25,
teachers at 702 Viennese
schools are tasked with fanning
the flames of knowledge in their
pupils. Almost half of all
compulsory schools now offer
after-school programs, making
them Ganztagesschulen (full
day schools). A controversial
concept on the national level,
full day schools are a priority for
the City of Vienna, which sees
them as a way to offer the same
educational opportunities to
every child.
NEED TO KNOW: Drive
carefully around schools
(maximum 30 km/h) and
observe the slightly more
relaxed expressions on parents’
faces – and possibly some tears.
WHAT OTHERS SAID: “The
education prospects of children
still depend far too much on the
wallet of their parents.” – Jürgen
Czernohorszky (SPÖ), Executive
City Councillor for Education,
Youth and Personnel
Extended U1 Newly Opened
At 19.2 km, Vienna’s new longest
metro line will be the U1. It is now
five stations longer, stretching over
4.6 km, running from Leopoldau
in the eastern to Oberlaa in the
southern suburbs. Construction
began in summer 2012 and took
five years, costing a total of €
million. On September 2, a round
of grandees including Vienna’s
mayor Michael Häupl, Chancellor
Christian Kern and Executive City
Councillor for the Environment and
Public Utilities Ulli Sima (all SPÖ)
opened the new stretch of the line.
The five new stations are
Trostrasse, Altes Landgut,
Alaudagasse, Neulaa and Oberlaa.
NEED TO KNOW: You can now go
all the way to Therme Oberlaa
without ever leaving the U-Bahn.
WHAT OTHERS SAID:
“Expanding the public transport
network of the city guarantees
clean air, fewer traffic jams and
better quality of life.” –
Maria Vassilakou, Vienna’s
vice-mayor (Green Party)The Viennese (Anti-)Terror Wall
Austrian tabloid media – and journalist
pundits on Twitter – were up in arms last
month about construction in front of the
Federal Chancellery and the Office of the
President on Ballhausplatz. Dubbed
“terror wall” by indignant observers, they
railed against a project, conceived of in
March 2015 and costing €360,000, with
the intention of securing the area against
terrorist attacks. The wall was in fact
planned to consist of five blocks, each
80 cm high, 1 m wide and in total 40 m
long. Still, after public outrage decried
the “mutliation” of the historic square,
the Federal Chancellery and the Office ofthe President agreed to replace the
planned barrier with 42 bollards- costing €488,000.
NEED TO KNOW: Austria’s tabloids
wield a disproportional influence,
particularly in more parochial matters.
WHAT OTHERS SAID: “Berlin 1989:
David Hasselhoff sings and the wall
crumbles. Vienna 2017: David
Hasselhoff sings and the wall crumbles.
#mauergate”– Tweet by Mathias
Neumayr (@apo_), September 8,
referring to the affair and David
Hasselhoff playing a concert in Austria
on September 2