“Traffic at the Vienna Opera House crossroads”, caricature from Der Morgen (issue of 19 August 1918)

Medium

The caricature addresses the huge restrictions on urban life when the effects of the war became apparent in the Vienna city scene. The busiest crossroads in Vienna is shown here – satirically exaggerated – as a wilderness empty of people and overgrown with weeds.

Partner

Wienbibliothek im Rathaus – Vienna Library in the City Hall

Wienbibliothek im Rathaus

Verwendet bei

Story

Vienna in the First World War – how the city changed

Chapter

‘Long jackets instead of Tailcoats’ – The Music Business in Times of Austerity

In the summer of 1914 there was a temporary cessation of performances at the Burgtheater and the Court Opera in Vienna, in the latter case on the basis of the argument that music should be silent while there was the noise of weapons. Hans Gregor, the director of the Court Opera, tried to intervene against the closure of his theatre, expressing the opinion that it was precisely in such difficult times that the people needed some form of diversion. The two theatres opened again in mid-October 1914, the Court Opera with a performance of Lohengrin, traditionally the first performance of the season.
Chapter

Goodbye to the world of yesterday

As the war progressed, the indications that a decisive change was taking place became increasingly obvious. The initial euphoric patriotism and enthusiasm gave way to disillusionment and often bitterness. The year 1916 was the decisive turning point in the perception of the war due to the increasing shortages and the unpromising news from the front. Emperor Franz Joseph I, the most important representative of the ‘world of yesterday’, also died that year.