Join us as we travel to the festive, snowy alps and explore how locals and visitors alike ring in the New Year. In this video, Austrians and Americans share their personal memories and traditions—feasting on raclette or goulash, sipping sparkling wine, watching the annual broadcast of “Dinner for One,” and gathering outdoors to admire fireworks and enjoy a midnight waltz. Discover the heartfelt stories and cherished rituals that define an Austrian New Year (German: "Silvester"), connecting past and present, family and friends, as the old year gracefully gives way to the new.

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Thank you to our interviewees who made this video possible: Max, Leandra, Johanna, Christian, Philipp, Constanze, Kara, Mel, Lilly, Adrienne, Xavier, Bernhard, and Julia!

In this episode, we are joined by Judith Eiblmayr, a distinguished Austrian architect and insightful writer on the history and evolution of architecture.

Our conversation highlights the extraordinary life and legacy of Elizabeth Scheu-Close, a trailblazing Austrian-American architect. Born in 1912 Vienna, Elizabeth—often known as Lisl—was exposed to some of the most influential thinkers and creatives of her time, inspiring her early passion for architecture.

Despite the challenges of entering a field largely dominated by men, she pursued her dream with determination. Her journey led her to the United States, where she earned a degree from MIT in Boston and later established herself professionally in Philadelphia. In 1938, she and her husband, Win Close, founded the firm Close and Scheu Architects, through which she contributed to numerous significant projects, including Ferguson Hall at the University of Minnesota.

Elizabeth Scheu-Close is celebrated today as one of the most important figures in modern Austrian-American architecture.

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Find more from our guest, Judith Eiblmayr: https://www.eiblmayr.at/de/

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Intro and Outro Music: https://archive.org/details/lp_franz-lehars-the-merry-widow_dorothy-kirsten-robert-rounseville-the-mer

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Who we are: The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) promotes an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including the lands of the former Habsburg empire, by awarding grants and fellowships, organizing lectures and conferences, and publishing the Journal of Austrian-American History. We engage with a broader public audience through digital programming, including videos, podcasts and blog posts.

For more information go to https://www.botstiberbiaas.org or follow us on our various social media accounts!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botstiberinstitute

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Auf Wiedersehen! / Until next time!

In this episode of The Botstiber Podcast, host Luke Morgante sits down with Megan Brandow-Faller, a professor of history at the City University of New York - Kingsborough, to discuss her forthcoming book.

"Child Creativity in the Visual Arts: From Secessionist Vienna to Postwar America," will trace the origins of Franz Cižek's ideas on child creativity and examines how these ideas migrated across the Atlantic, further developed by educators such as Emmy Zweybrück and Viktor Lowenfeld.

Keep an eye out, the book will be published with Bloomsbury Academic in 2025!

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Intro/Outro Music: https://musopen.org/music/2326-scenes-from-childhood-op-15/