Electricity to a village was cut off when a Martin tried to bite through a high voltage cable. Villagers in Waengle in Reutte, Tirol, were left without power for several hours until the fault could be discovered at a remote Alpine junction box. A fire brigade spokesman said: “The animal was killed instantly but its […]
A rare wild Ibis named after British conservationist Jane Goodall has become the first member of the critically endangered bird species to fly over the Alps to the breeding grounds of northern Europe in 400 years ago. The rare Northern Bald Ibis lived in Europe for 1.8 million years before they were wiped out by […]
Glaciers shrinking faster than ever
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Austria’s glaciers shrunk last year faster than ever before according to the latest report by the countries mountain sports association the Alpenverein. Measurements carried out by a team of 20 experts showed that 97 percent of the ice giants had seen a significant shrinkage – with none of the 95 glaciers growing any larger – […]
Rain shortage worries farmers
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Austrian farmers have raised the alarm over a water shortage following an entire month in which some regions have seen no rain at all. Particularly badly hit has been the agricultural region of Burgenland where it is estimated the first rain will now fall on 1 April – meaning that the region will have gone […]
Saw Foot
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Jobless Austrian Hans Url almost died after he cut off his own foot and threw it in an oven so he could continue to claim unemployment benefits. The 56-year-old long term jobless man had been in a row with local job centre staff (AMS) at Mitterlabill at Feldbach in southern Austria after they told him […]
Flaming Idiot
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Fare dodger Andreas F burst into flames when he stepped on a high voltage railway electricity cable trying to take a short cut out of a station in Breitensee, Austria, from a bridge onto a platform roof. Police say a 39-year-old man is in a “critical” condition in hospital with severe burns.
Green Heart beats for 40 years
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Styria which promotes itself as the green heart of Austria is celebrating 40 years of the green heart campaign. The project was launched in 1972 to promote the Federal State of Styria which is the greenest state in Austria, with around 60 per cent forest as well as agriculture – whether pumpkins, apples or the […]
The extension of the North autobahn along the A5 is pushing up property prices in the Weinviertel. Local property agents say that the area has a good reputation especially among businesses and families who will find it a lot easier to get to the capital once the road extension is complete. The region offers the […]
Cafe Demel in Salzburg to close
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The famous Demel cafe in Salzburg is to be closed down. The Hofzuckerbäckerei Demel, or simply Demel as it is usually known, is a famous pastry shop and chocolatier in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1786 on the Michaelerplatz. In 1857, August Dehne (the son of the founder Ludwig Dehne) gave the company to […]
Frog march
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Spring is really in the air in Austria – quite literally. Hundreds of frogs are on the hop and are likely to be clearly visible on the country’s streets and roads as they wake up from their winter sleep and head off to water to breed. The annual migration to ponds causes problems for motorists […]