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Eugene Quinn

Stories from Eugene Quinn

Clichés Aside: Is Vienna Really With-It?
Vienna may top the rankings of quality of life, but what about those mysterious qualities that make it “the-place-to-be”?
Eugene Quinn
Christopher Anderson
01/02/2012

Several recent surveys have deemed Vienna the vanguard in quality of life (Mercer) or green-friendliness (Siemens). But is Vienna fashionable? Is it ‘in’? The term ‘cool’ brings to mind the New Yorks and the Berlins. 

What about Vienna? 

Cities like New York never seem to grow stale; they remain at the cutting edge, always curious and changing. They’re creative and open, with a diverse social scene and vibrant nightlife. But just what is it that makes them ‘cool’?

09 Schleifmühlgasse
No More Vienna Clichés!
The Vienna Film Commission wants to help put the city on film, but avoiding kitsch can mean seeing the grittier side of town
Eugene Quinn
01/09/2010

There are big changes in Vienna’s 3rd district, with an enormous media hub rising out of the ashes of the old Schlachthausgasse, or Slaughterhouse Lane, in the oddly named St. Marx Quarter. In 10 years, ORF hopes to reunite its spread-out resources in one new building.

02 Social Democrat Michael Häupl
Häupl: Immigration Policy is Wrong
Vienna’s mayor calls for integration, not criminalization, of foreigners in Vienna
Eugene Quinn
01/06/2010

This is an election year in Vienna, and for the first time in 70 years, it’s unclear if the centre left SPÖ will hold on to its majority. On one side of the race is the Vienna-born leader of the Freedom party, Heinz-Christian Strache, and in the other, the Social Democrat incumbent, Michael Häupl.

08 The Night Porter
Vienna's Top 10 Film Moments
Eugene Quinn
01/05/2010
Austrian films have been garnering both critical attention and prizes in recent years. In honor of the Wien Museum's new exhibition, Vienna in Film, we choose our top-10 capital film moments. If you'd like to get a taste of how the city looks on celluloid, there is a splendid compilation of clips ('Shot in Vienna') on the Film Commission's website.

So what were our criteria? Intelligence, fresh perspectives, capturing the city's spirit and, of course, a good watch. Films that are curious about details of city life and bring a distinctive vision. Only half the films we've chosen were made by Austrians. But see these ten and you'll have a deeper understanding of what makes Vienna special.

09 Joan Fontaine and Lewis Jourdan
A House of Melancholy - Vienna in Film
An interview with Thomas Ballhausen, coordinator of the studies department at the Austrian Film Archive
Eugene Quinn
01/05/2010

When I meet Thomas Ballhausen, we are obliged to enter his offices via the gates to the Vienna Boys’ Choir because of the ongoing and sometimes intense protests against the redevelopment of that corner of Augarten. He is neat and intense, bookish and clearly passionate about his subject.

02 Donaukanal
Austrians Are, Well... Different
For one Englishman living in Vienna, the devil lies, as ever, in the details
Eugene Quinn
01/04/2010

Since arriving in Vienna from London, the author has noticed that it’s all those little details that give away that this is somewhere a bit special...

Driving

Drivers are more considerate here and will frequently stop to let pedestrians cross, even far away from a crossing. The most dangerous spot for pedestrians unfamiliar with this city is when they wander into a bike lane – beware of psychopaths on cycle paths.

Kos on Vienna
The Wien Museum Director gives his “personal take” on the city he’s spent his life interpreting
Eugene Quinn
01/04/2010

In a recent interview with Director Wolfgang Kos in the Wien Museum – the museum of the history of the City of Vienna – one couldn’t help being curious about his personal take on the city he spends his life trying to interpret. A man who knows the city so well must have some favourite Vienna things.

“I like the drama behind facades,” Kos began. “At first sight, it’s a beautiful city, which can be boring in a certain way. It’s a well-organised city, without shock and sensation. When you look at the history, Vienna is a well-criticised city, particularly from the intellectuals. And some of this criticism has been very witty.

05 Herbert Ploberger Oil Painting
Struggle for Vienna
Public intellectual Wolfgang Kos of the Wien Museum has staged a thought-provoking portrait of the city’s socialist inter-war years
Eugene Quinn
01/03/2010

It’s 1930 and in Vienna, a huge experiment is going on, to build a more healthy, harmonious and attractive future. The world is curious, following every move, eager to see whether a city council can transform its citizens with better housing, education and leisure. But while Red Vienna is being born, there are dark clouds on the horizon…

01 Belvedere Palace
Rethinking Vienna’s Image
The city’s tourism boss, Norbert Kettner is reinventing Vienna’s image around the world
Eugene Quinn
01/02/2010

Since 2007, Norbert Kettner has been exploring what Vienna means to tourists; why they come and why some don’t. Originally from Tirol, he worked previously at harnessing the city’s creative industries and nurturing them.

10 Norbert Kettner
Vienna’s Strategy: Looking Towards 2015
A new tourism campaign launched by Wien Tourismus hopes to rebrand the city for the young with the slogan “Now or Never”
Eugene Quinn
01/12/2009

Down a side street off Gumpendorferstrasse in the hip 6th District, in the sort of elegantly faded structure Vienna seems to specialize in (and which developers in London or New York can only dream of), I enter a huge hall with swish music and 600 of Vienna’s beautiful people. It’s late October and the smart suits have turned out in force to hear the future marketing strategy for Vienna up to 2015.

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