An archive

Lotte, a life in 52 weeks

One year of her life every Monday morning, from her first summer away from the lake in 1966 to the house on the Attersee today.

@lotte.falkenau · Charlotte, called Lotte. Attersee, since 1948. One year of her life every Monday.

The account opens on Monday, 4 January 2027, with 1966.

One year, one Monday. 1966 on 4 January 2027, when she was eighteen; then 1967, 1968, and on, until 2026 on 28 February 2028.

In her words. She dictates, her granddaughter types, she cuts. A few photographs and a short caption, signed “— C.” Her own line for each year appears here on the Monday it is posted.

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Inside real history. Around every year, what actually happened: on the lake, in Austria, in the world, what a Semmel cost and what the radio played. 1307 entries, each with its source.

Before the account

1948Charlotte Falkenau, called Lotte, is born on 14 May in her family's old house on the Attersee, a lake in Upper Austria.
1950Hias, the family's boatman, plants a walnut tree behind the boathouse. It is still standing.
1956–65She goes to boarding school in Vienna and spends every summer at the lake. The house still has a cook and a gardener.
1962Her older brother Poldi drowns in the lake. He is eighteen. The family never talks about it.

1960sLotte 18–21 · 4 years

1966

Lotte 18

She finishes school in Vienna. Her aunt Resi drives her to Menton, on the French coast. It is her first summer away from the lake.

Her 1966: 4 January 2027

At the lake

1965 (context)The Attersee region passes one million overnight stays; Seewalchen advertises Austria's longest motorway slip road.¹
1965–66The Attersee lakeside communities have formed a clean-water association (Reinhaltungsverband) against sewage in the lake.²
16 MayScheduled flights between Linz and Frankfurt begin.³
23 JulA new road tunnel opens at Hallstatt, taking traffic out of the lakeside village.³
18–19 AugSevere storms sweep Austria and cause heavy damage across Upper Austria.³
8 OctThe new Linz university college (today Johannes Kepler University) opens.³

Austria

5 MarUdo Jürgens wins the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg with "Merci, Chérie", Austria's first win.⁴
6 MarGeneral election: the ÖVP wins an absolute majority, 85 of 165 seats.⁵
19 AprJosef Klaus forms the first single-party government of the Second Republic.⁶
19 AprGrete Rehor becomes Social Affairs Minister, the first woman in an Austrian federal cabinet.⁷
3–4 NovHeavy rain brings floods and mudslides to East Tyrol's upper Isel valley.⁸
1966A new Broadcasting Act, forced by the 1964 petition, prepares an independent ORF from 1967.⁹

The world

24 JanAn Air India Boeing 707 crashes into Mont Blanc; everyone on board dies.¹⁰
3 FebSoviet probe Luna 9 makes the first soft landing on the Moon.¹⁰
30 JulEngland beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time in the World Cup final at Wembley.¹⁰
AugChina's Red Guards launch the campaign against the "Four Olds"; the Cultural Revolution gathers pace.¹⁰
29 AugThe Beatles play their last concert, in San Francisco.¹⁰
6 SepSouth African prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd is stabbed to death in parliament.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

1966A Semmel costs 62 Groschen in Vienna; a loaf of black bread 4.85 Schilling.¹¹
1966A litre of loose milk: 3 Schilling. A litre of petrol: 3.32 Schilling.¹¹
1966A cinema ticket costs 11.66 Schilling; a single "Austria 3" cigarette 30 Groschen.¹¹
1966An inland letter costs 1.50 Schilling, its last year at that rate.¹¹

Culture

May–JulNancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" is Austria's number one for nine weeks.¹²
6 AugHenze's opera "Die Bassariden" premieres at the Salzburg Festival.¹⁰
Aug–NovFrank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" holds number one for thirteen weeks.¹²
Dec"Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago goes to number one into February 1967.¹²
1957–1975The Steyr-Puch 500, a Fiat 500 with an Austrian engine, is built in Graz.¹³

Sources (13)

1967

Lotte 19

She moves to Vienna, lives with her aunt Hilde and reads manuscripts for a small publisher. In April the Eurovision Song Contest comes to Vienna.

Her 1967: 11 January 2027

At the lake

23 FebA storm with gusts up to 130 km/h crosses Upper Austria.¹
6 JulA severe hailstorm causes heavy damage in Upper Austria.¹
5 AugGmunden's rebuilt Kammerhof reopens on the Traunsee.¹
24 SepThe Grein Danube bridge opens, the first concrete bridge over the Austrian Danube.¹
22 OctUpper Austrian state election: ÖVP and SPÖ draw level at 23 seats each.¹
1967The Attergaubahn hits its all-time low: about 194,000 passengers in the year.²

Austria

1 JanThe inland letter rate rises from 1.50 to 2 Schilling.³
1 FebBruno Kreisky is elected SPÖ chairman at a party conference in the Wiener Stadthalle.⁴
MarGerd Bacher becomes the first Director-General of the reformed ORF.⁵
8 AprThe Eurovision Song Contest is held in the Vienna Hofburg; Sandie Shaw wins for the UK.⁶
1 OctORF radio is reorganised: Ö1 and the pop station Ö3 go on air.⁷

The world

2 JunStudent Benno Ohnesorg is shot by a policeman in West Berlin during a protest.⁸
5–10 JunThe Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria.⁹
25 AugWest Germany starts colour television at the Berlin radio show.¹⁰
9 OctChe Guevara is executed in Bolivia.¹¹
3 DecChristiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant in Cape Town.¹²

Everyday & prices

1 JanA letter stamp now costs 2 Schilling.³
1967A litre of loose milk jumps to 4 Schilling (3 in 1966); a Semmel costs 65 Groschen.¹³
1967Petrol: 3.40 Schilling a litre. A cinema ticket: 12.51 Schilling.¹³
1967A man's haircut in Vienna costs 16.17 Schilling on average.¹³

Culture

Feb–AprHerman's Hermits' "No Milk Today" is Austria's number one.¹⁴
May–Aug"Puppet on a String", the Vienna Song Contest winner, is number one for three months.¹⁴
26 MayThe Beatles release "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".¹⁵
1 OctÖ3's youth programme "Musicbox" starts; it runs until 1995.⁷
Oct–DecScott McKenzie's "San Francisco" is number one; then the Bee Gees' "Massachusetts".¹⁴

Sources (15)

1968

Lotte 20

In April she meets a young photographer in Vienna. In August Soviet-led troops invade Czechoslovakia. In September she spends three days in Trieste. She has not seen the sea since.

Her 1968: 18 January 2027

At the lake

31 JanThe glassworks at Schneegattern (Vöcklabruck district) shuts down.¹
7 MayThe chemical-fibre plant at Lenzing, on the Ager just below the Attersee, is opened.¹
5 JulA thousand farmers march through Linz over falling farm incomes.¹
6 JulThe Gosaukamm cable car opens in the inner Salzkammergut.¹
3 AugThe Anzenaumühle open-air museum opens at Bad Goisern.¹
OctSalzkammergut sailor Hubert Raudaschl wins Olympic silver in the Finn class in Mexico.¹

Austria

26 JanVienna city council votes to build a basic U-Bahn network.²
FebGrenoble Olympics: Olga Pall wins downhill gold; Karl Schranz is disqualified after his slalom re-run.³
7 Jun"Art and Revolution" action in Lecture Hall 1, University of Vienna; the press calls it "Uni-Ferkelei".⁴
Aug–DecAbout 162,000 Czechoslovaks reach Austria by October, some 208,000 by early December; most move on.⁵
21 AugWarsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia; Austria's border becomes the way out.⁶

The world

30 JanThe Tet Offensive begins in Vietnam.⁷
4 AprMartin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis.⁸
MayStudent revolt and general strike in France.⁹
6 JunRobert F. Kennedy dies the day after being shot in Los Angeles.¹⁰
24 DecApollo 8 orbits the Moon; the crew photographs "Earthrise".¹¹

Everyday & prices

1968Vienna: a Semmel 65 Groschen, a litre of loose milk 4.12 Schilling.¹²
1968Petrol 3.40 Schilling a litre; a cinema ticket 14.38 Schilling.¹²
1968A cold perm at the hairdresser costs 77.50 Schilling; a man's haircut 18.14.¹²
1968An inland letter costs 2 Schilling.¹²

Culture

1967–68Leica's M4 is the press photographer's camera of the moment.¹³
Mar–May"Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is Austria's number one, still on 14 May.¹⁴
Jun–JulPeter Alexander's "Delilah" is number one.¹⁴
Jul–AugLouis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is number one until mid-August.¹⁴
Oct–NovAdriano Celentano's "Azzurro" is number one; then the Beatles' "Hey Jude".¹⁴

Sources (14)

1969

Lotte 21

A storm tears tiles off the roof, and there is no money to fix it. In August Georg Hartl, the son of a Linz paper-mill family, comes to visit.

Her 1969: 25 January 2027

At the lake

1 JanThe Lichtenberg transmitter above Linz starts a colour TV test programme.¹
12 May–6 JunA typhoid epidemic in Upper Austria.¹
6 JunThe Prehistoric Museum opens in Hallstatt.¹
1 JulThe Lenzing fibre and paper companies merge into Chemiefaser Lenzing AG.¹
2 OctA new grammar school and a technical college open in Vöcklabruck.¹
19 DecThe new hospital in Vöcklabruck opens.¹

Austria

1 JanORF's first colour broadcast: the New Year's Concert from Vienna.²
26 SepGeneral collective agreement: 43-hour week from 1970, 42 from 1972, 40 from 1975.³
3 NovVienna's U-Bahn construction officially begins at Karlsplatz.⁴
DecThe Working Hours Act (BGBl. 461/1969) writes the same steps into law.⁵
1969The second TV channel, FS 2, goes daily.⁶

The world

2 MarConcorde makes its first flight, in Toulouse.⁷
21 JulNeil Armstrong steps onto the Moon, just before 4 a.m. Central European time.⁸
15–18 AugThe Woodstock festival in New York State.⁹
21 OctWilly Brandt becomes West German chancellor.¹⁰
29 OctThe first message is sent over ARPANET.¹¹

Everyday & prices

1969Vienna: a Semmel still 65 Groschen; loose milk 4.20 Schilling a litre.¹²
1969Petrol 3.40 Schilling a litre; a cinema ticket 15.17.¹²
1969The Puch Maxi moped goes into production; it will be built until 1995.¹³
1969A man's haircut: 17.90 Schilling, slightly cheaper than in 1968.¹²

Culture

Mar–MayThe Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is Austria's number one.¹⁴
Jul–Sep"The Ballad of John and Yoko" is number one through the Moon summer.¹⁴
Oct–Dec"Je t'aime… moi non plus" by Birkin and Gainsbourg is number one.¹⁴
DecThe Archies' "Sugar, Sugar" goes to number one into March 1970.¹⁴

Sources (14)

1970sLotte 22–31 · 10 years

1970

Lotte 22

Georg, the young man from Linz, comes to Vienna once a month to take her to dinner. In April Bruno Kreisky becomes chancellor. In October she meets his mother.

Her 1970: 1 February 2027

At the lake

10 JanLabour dispute over the new 43-hour week at the Schneegattern glassworks.¹
21 MarUpper Austrian writer Marlen Haushofer, author of "Die Wand", dies in Vienna; she is buried in Steyr.²
10 JunThe Steyrermühl and Laakirchen paper mills in the Traun valley merge.¹
1 JulThe first Saab 105Ö jets of the Austrian air force arrive at Hörsching.¹
5 SepThe Cumberland wildlife park opens at Grünau im Almtal.¹
SepLinz primary schools introduce the free Saturday.¹

Austria

5 JanThe Working Hours Act takes effect: the normal week is 43 hours.³
1 MarGeneral election: the SPÖ becomes the largest party, two seats short of a majority.⁴
21 AprBruno Kreisky becomes chancellor of an SPÖ minority government.⁵
24 JulA Ministry of Science and Research is created; Hertha Firnberg is Austria's first science minister.⁶
5 SepJochen Rindt, racing on an Austrian licence, is killed at Monza; he becomes the only posthumous F1 champion.⁷

The world

10 AprPaul McCartney announces he has left the Beatles.⁸
11–17 AprApollo 13: an oxygen tank explodes; the crew returns safely.⁹
21 JunBrazil win the World Cup in Mexico.¹⁰
12 AugWest Germany and the USSR sign the Moscow Treaty.¹¹
7 DecWilly Brandt kneels at the Warsaw Ghetto memorial.¹²

Everyday & prices

1970Vienna: a Semmel 65 Groschen, loose milk 4.20 Schilling a litre.¹³
1970Petrol 3.40 Schilling; a cinema ticket 17.12, up a third in four years.¹³
1970A cold perm costs 82.15 Schilling; a man's haircut 19.61.¹³

Culture

1963Haushofer's "Die Wand" (1963), a woman alone behind an invisible wall, is a reader's book of the decade.¹⁴
Mar–MayAdamo's "Ein kleines Glück" is Austria's number one, still on 14 May.¹⁵
May–JunThe Beatles' "Let It Be" is number one.¹⁵
Jul–SepSimon & Garfunkel's "El Condor Pasa" is number one.¹⁵
Sep–NovMungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" is number one.¹⁵

Sources (15)

1971

Lotte 23

She marries Georg Hartl from Linz in June, in the small chapel below the house. It rains. Their children will carry her family name. Her mother gives her pearl earrings.

Her 1971: 8 February 2027

At the lake

23 JanThe worst pile-up in Austrian motorway history, on the Westautobahn at Linz.¹
3 MayHeinrich Gleißner resigns as governor; Erwin Wenzl becomes Upper Austria's governor.¹
12 MayCensus: Upper Austria counts 1,229,972 inhabitants.¹
17–18 JulAustria's 7th federal gymnastics festival is held in Linz.¹
13 AugThe Linz university college is named "Alma mater Kepleriana".¹
26 AugThe Attergaubahn's street-running stretch from Attersee station to the landing stage closes.²

Austria

25 AprFranz Jonas is re-elected Federal President against Kurt Waldheim.¹
15 AugNiki Lauda starts his first Grand Prix at the Österreichring and retires on lap 20.³
SepFree school transport (Schülerfreifahrt) starts with the 1971/72 school year.⁴
10 OctElection: Kreisky's SPÖ wins an absolute majority.⁵
1971The "small penal reform" ends the blanket ban on homosexual acts.⁶

The world

26 MarBangladesh declares independence; war follows.⁷
15 AugNixon ends the dollar's convertibility into gold.⁸
25 OctThe UN gives China's seat to the People's Republic.⁹
15 NovIntel launches the 4004, the first commercial microprocessor.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

1971Vienna: a Semmel 65 Groschen, loose milk 4.38 Schilling a litre.¹¹
1971Petrol 3.40 Schilling; a cinema ticket 18.81.¹¹
1971A cold perm before a wedding: 85.83 Schilling on average.¹¹

Culture

Jan–MarPeter Alexander's "Hier ist ein Mensch" is Austria's number one.¹²
Mar–MayGeorge Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" is number one.¹²
May–JunDanyel Gérard's "Butterfly" is number one into mid-June; then no official charts until November.¹²
1971Wolfgang Ambros releases "Da Hofa", the start of Austropop.¹³

Sources (13)

1972

Lotte 24

She and Georg, her husband, move to a flat in Vienna. His parents buy a new boat for the lake; the roof still leaks. In July she is pregnant.

Her 1972: 15 February 2027

At the lake

16 AprA strong earthquake centred near the Semmering is felt and causes damage in Upper Austria.¹
6 MayWels civil airport opens.¹
30 MayUpper Austria's first self-service petrol station opens in Linz.¹
20 JunThe "big steel solution" is announced: VOEST and Alpine to merge from 1 January 1973.¹
6 OctORF's new Upper Austria studio opens on the Franckstraße in Linz.¹
16 DecLinz's second Danube road bridge, the VOEST bridge, opens.¹

Austria

3 JanThe legal work week drops to 42 hours.²
31 JanThe IOC bars Karl Schranz from the Sapporo Games over advertising.³
7 FebTrixi Schuba wins Olympic figure-skating gold in Sapporo.⁴
22 JulAustria and the EEC sign a free-trade agreement in Brussels.⁵
SepFree schoolbooks for every pupil from the 1972/73 school year.⁶
9–10 OctIn Carinthia, newly erected bilingual place-name signs are torn down overnight.⁷

The world

21 FebRichard Nixon visits China.⁸
17 JunThe Watergate break-in in Washington.⁹
5–6 SepIsraeli athletes are taken hostage and killed at the Munich Olympics.¹⁰
7–19 DecApollo 17, the last crewed Moon landing.¹¹

Everyday & prices

1972The Vienna Semmel goes up for the first time in years: 70 Groschen.¹²
1972Loose milk 4.53 Schilling a litre; petrol still 3.40.¹²
1972A cinema ticket costs 21.59 Schilling.¹²

Culture

Jan–Feb"Mamy Blue" by the Pop Tops is the year's only listed number one; official charts pause.¹³
Mar"The Godfather" opens.¹⁴
AprPolaroid shows the SX-70 instant camera.¹⁵
1972Kodak's Pocket Instamatic brings the 110 cartridge.¹⁶

Sources (16)

1973

Lotte 25

In March her son Ferdinand is born in Vienna, and she leaves her job at the publisher. Austria has just introduced VAT.

Her 1973: 22 February 2027

At the lake

15 FebThe state steel firms are merged into VOEST-Alpine AG.¹
21 MayTraun is granted town status.¹
29 JunThe grave of Count Adam Herberstorff (1585–1629) is found in Altmünster church on the Traunsee.¹
12 JulÖsterreichische Stickstoffwerke in Linz is renamed Chemie Linz AG.¹
OctPanic buying across Upper Austria after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.¹
21 OctState election: ÖVP 28, SPÖ 24, FPÖ 4 seats.¹

Austria

1 JanValue-added tax replaces the old turnover tax: 16 percent, 8 for food and books.²
1 JanThe free-trade agreement with the EEC comes into force.³
28 SepGunmen seize a train at Marchegg; the government closes the Schönau transit camp.⁴
17 OctPoet Ingeborg Bachmann dies in Rome after a fire in her flat.⁵
29 NovParliament passes the time-limit abortion law 93 to 88.⁶

The world

27 JanThe Paris Peace Accords on Vietnam are signed.⁷
11 SepA military coup in Chile; Salvador Allende dies.⁸
6 OctThe Yom Kippur War begins.⁹
17 OctArab oil producers announce an oil embargo; prices quadruple by January.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

1973Petrol rises from 3.40 to 3.94 Schilling a litre in Vienna.¹¹
1973A Semmel 70 Groschen; loose milk 4.88 Schilling a litre.¹¹
1973A cinema ticket 23.90 Schilling; one "Austria 3" cigarette now 35 Groschen.¹¹

Culture

Jan–MarThe Les Humphries Singers' "Mexico" is Austria's number one.¹²
Mar–AprVicky Leandros, "Ich hab' die Liebe geseh'n", is number one.¹²
Apr–MayThe Sweet's "Blockbuster!" is number one on 14 May.¹²
Sep–DecAlbert West's "Ginny Come Lately" is number one.¹²

Sources (12)

1974

Lotte 26

1974–75. Her son Ferdinand learns to walk on the veranda. In 1975 a new law says the husband is no longer the head of the family.

Her 1974: 1 March 2027

At the lake

1 JanLast run of the local railway from Linz-Ebelsberg to St. Florian.¹
17 JanA storm with gusts of 126 km/h causes heavy damage across Upper Austria.¹
23 MarThe Brucknerhaus concert hall opens in Linz.¹
1 JunSK VOEST Linz wins the Austrian football championship.¹
22 NovA power failure shuts down all five VOEST blast furnaces.¹
1974–76Measurements show a nutrient (eutrophication) trend in the Attersee.²

Austria

14 JanOne car-free day a week for every car owner, shown by a windscreen sticker.³
23 JanParliament overrides the Federal Council: the new penal code, with the time-limit law, will apply from 1975.⁴
24 AprFederal President Franz Jonas dies in office.⁵
23 JunRudolf Kirchschläger is elected Federal President; he takes office on 8 July.⁶
1974The ORF becomes an independent public-law institution.⁷

The world

6 AprABBA win Eurovision in Brighton with "Waterloo".⁸
25 AprThe Carnation Revolution ends dictatorship in Portugal.⁹
7 JulWest Germany win the World Cup in Munich.¹⁰
20 JulTurkey invades Cyprus.¹¹
8–9 AugRichard Nixon announces his resignation and leaves office.¹²

Everyday & prices

1974Petrol jumps to 5.65 Schilling a litre (3.40 two years before).¹³
1974A Semmel 80 Groschen; loose milk 5.76 Schilling a litre.¹³
1974A cinema ticket 27.08 Schilling; one cigarette 36 Groschen.¹⁴

Culture

Feb–MarIke & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" is Austria's number one.¹⁵
Apr–JulTerry Jacks's "Seasons in the Sun" is number one for three months, including 14 May.¹⁵
Aug–OctThe Rubettes' "Sugar Baby Love" is number one.¹⁵
Oct–NovGunter Gabriel's "Hey Boss, ich brauch mehr Geld" is number one.¹⁵

Sources (15)

1975

Lotte 27

Continued from 1974–75.

Her 1975: 8 March 2027

At the lake

1 AprUpper Austria's first four civilian-service men start with the Red Cross.¹
31 MayOpening run on the electrified Linz–Summerau railway.¹
JunThe province buys the Toskana peninsula in Gmunden on the Traunsee.¹
30 Jun–4 JulFloods in Upper Austria.¹
SummerThe first lake pipe of the Attersee ring sewer, Schörfling to Attersee, and its pumping station are due.²
1 OctThe Linz college becomes the Johannes Kepler University.¹

Austria

1974–75Franz Klammer wins the World Cup downhill title, with eight World Cup wins that winter.³
1 JanThe new penal code, including the time-limit abortion law, comes into force.⁴
6 JanThe 40-hour week becomes law.⁵
1 JulParliament passes the marriage-law reform: the husband is no longer head of the family (in force 1976).⁶
5 OctGeneral election: Kreisky's SPÖ keeps its absolute majority.¹
21 DecGunmen attack the OPEC ministers' meeting in Vienna; three people are killed.⁷

The world

30 AprSaigon falls; the Vietnam War ends.⁸
17 JulApollo and Soyuz dock in orbit.⁹
1 AugThe Helsinki Final Act is signed.¹⁰
20 NovFrancisco Franco dies in Madrid.¹¹
1975The United Nations' International Women's Year.¹²

Everyday & prices

1975Vienna: a Semmel 89 Groschen, loose milk 6.27 Schilling a litre.¹³
1975Petrol 5.80 Schilling a litre; a cinema ticket 27.90.¹³
1975One "Austria 3" cigarette: 40 Groschen, a third more than in 1966.¹³

Culture

Apr–MayBilly Swan's "I Can Help" is Austria's number one on 14 May.¹⁴
May–JulWolfgang Ambros's "Zwickt's mi" is number one, sung in Viennese dialect.¹⁴
Aug–Nov"Paloma Blanca" by the George Baker Selection is number one for three months.¹⁴
DecGeorg Danzer's "Jö schau" goes to number one.¹⁴
1975Ambros records "Es lebe der Zentralfriedhof".¹⁵

Sources (15)

1976

Lotte 28

Her husband's money repairs the roof and rebuilds the boathouse. The house's last big summer party, with a band from Linz. In August a Vienna bridge falls into the Danube.

Her 1976: 15 March 2027

At the lake

1976The Attersee shows signs of over-fertilisation (1974–76); a ring sewer around the lake is being built.¹
1976The new sewage plant at Lenzing, where all the lake's wastewater now ends up, goes into operation.²
1976Upper Austria's state exhibition on St. Wolfgang opens at St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut.³
1970s–80sShore building booms: the Attersee banks are heavily built up in the 1970s and 1980s.¹

Austria

1 JanMarriage law reform in force: husband and wife become equal partners in law, ending the 'head of family' model.⁴
4 FebThe Winter Olympics open in Innsbruck.⁵
5 FebFranz Klammer wins Olympic downhill gold on the Patscherkofel, 0.33 seconds ahead of Bernhard Russi.⁶
8 MayVienna's U-Bahn begins test operation with passengers.⁷
15 JulSeat belts become compulsory for front-seat passengers; no fines yet.⁸
1 AugShortly before 5 a.m. the Reichsbrücke collapses into the Danube; one person dies.⁹

The world

1 AprSteve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple in California.⁵
16 JunThe Soweto uprising begins in South Africa.⁵
10 JulA chemical plant explosion poisons the area around Seveso, Italy.⁵
17 JulThe Summer Olympics open in Montreal.⁵
20 JulViking 1 lands on Mars.⁵
28 JulThe Tangshan earthquake strikes China.⁵

Everyday & prices

1 JanAn inland postcard now costs 2.50 schilling.¹⁰
1976Diesel averages about 5.80 schilling a litre (ÖAMTC annual average).¹¹
1976Front seat belts are compulsory, but there are no fines until 1984.⁸

Culture

to 14 FebGeorg Danzer's 'Jö schau', a Viennese song, is number one in Austria.¹²
AprWaterloo & Robinson finish fifth at Eurovision with 'My Little World', then top the Austrian chart.¹³
Jun–AugABBA's 'Fernando' is Austria's summer number one.¹²
8 AugORF airs the first 'Kottan ermittelt', a satirical Viennese police series; viewers complain in floods.¹⁴
NovBoney M.'s 'Daddy Cool' starts a 17-week run at number one in Austria.¹²

Sources (14)

1977

Lotte 29

Her son Ferdinand, four, finds the piano and won't leave it. Her husband plans a hotel and chairlift nearby. He gives her a camera; she never uses it.

Her 1977: 22 March 2027

At the lake

19 OctJosef Ratzenböck becomes governor (Landeshauptmann) of Upper Austria; he serves until 1995.¹
1977Kremsmünster abbey, an hour from the lake, celebrates 1,200 years with Upper Austria's state exhibition.²
1977The ring sewer and new lake pipes are still being laid; the lake stays over-fertilised into the early 1980s.³

Austria

27 JunA 'World Constituent Assembly' meeting in Innsbruck adopts a constitution for a federation of Earth.⁴
2 OctNiki Lauda secures his second Formula One world title at Watkins Glen.⁵
1977–78Family law reform: 'paternal power' over children becomes parental power, mothers equal to fathers.⁶
lateA 30 per cent 'luxury' VAT on cars, furs and sparkling wine is set for 1 January 1978.⁷

The world

27 MarTwo Boeing 747s collide at Tenerife; 583 people die.⁴
25 May'Star Wars' opens in the United States.⁴
13 JulA blackout plunges New York into darkness and looting.⁴
16 AugElvis Presley dies in Memphis, aged 42.⁸
20 Aug / 5 SepVoyager 2 and Voyager 1 are launched.⁴
5 Sep–19 OctGerman Autumn: Hanns Martin Schleyer kidnapped and murdered; GSG 9 storms the hijacked Lufthansa jet in Mogadishu.⁴

Everyday & prices

1977Diesel stays at about 5.80 schilling a litre, unchanged from 1976 (ÖAMTC).⁹
1977An inland postcard still costs 2.50 schilling.¹⁰
lateFrom 1 January 1978 a new car carries 30 per cent VAT instead of the standard rate.⁷

Culture

Jan–MarBoney M.'s 'Daddy Cool' and 'Sunny' hold number one in Austria.¹¹
Apr–JunSmokie's 'Living Next Door to Alice' is number one for nine weeks.¹¹
AprSchmetterlinge sing 'Boom Boom Boomerang' for Austria at Eurovision, 17th.¹²
Sep–NovDonna Summer's 'I Feel Love' is number one in Austria for nine weeks.¹¹
Nov–DecBaccara's 'Sorry, I'm a Lady' tops the Austrian chart.¹¹

Sources (12)

1978

Lotte 30

She turns thirty. Georg, her husband, borrows heavily for his hotel project. In November Austria votes against its first nuclear plant; she and her father vote opposite ways.

Her 1978: 29 March 2027

At the lake

DecBad Ischl takes over the Katrin cable car, rebuilds it and reopens it just before Christmas with 46 four-seat gondolas.¹
1978The Attersee is still over-fertilised; the ring sewer around the lake is not yet finished.²

Austria

1 JanA 30 per cent 'luxury' VAT starts on cars, furs and sparkling wine.³
25 FebVienna's U-Bahn officially opens: the U1 from Reumannplatz to Karlsplatz.⁴
8 MayTyrolean Peter Habeler and Reinhold Messner climb Everest without bottled oxygen, the first to do so.⁵
21 JunCórdoba: Austria beats West Germany 3–2 at the World Cup; radio man Edi Finger shouts 'I wer' narrisch!'.⁶
1 JulDivorce reform in force: divorce by consent, and divorce after six years apart even against one partner's will.⁷
5 NovAustria votes on the finished Zwentendorf nuclear plant: 50.47 per cent say no. It never runs.⁸

The world

16 Mar–9 MayItaly's former prime minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped by the Red Brigades and murdered.⁵
25 JunArgentina beats the Netherlands 3–1 in the World Cup final.⁵
25 JulLouise Brown, the first IVF baby, is born in Oldham, England.⁵
Aug–OctYear of three popes: John Paul I dies after 33 days; John Paul II elected 16 October.⁵
17 SepThe Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt.⁵
18 NovMass murder-suicide at Jonestown, Guyana; 918 dead.⁵

Everyday & prices

1 JanA bottle of Sekt or a fur coat now carries 30 per cent VAT.³
1978Diesel still about 5.80 schilling a litre, the third year running (ÖAMTC).⁹
1978An inland postcard costs 2.50 schilling.¹⁰

Culture

Jan–MarSmokie's 'Needles and Pins' is number one in Austria.¹¹
AprSpringtime sing 'Mrs. Caroline Robinson' for Austria at Eurovision, 15th.¹²
May–SepBoney M.'s 'Rivers of Babylon' holds number one in Austria for 17 weeks.¹¹
Sep–NovBino's 'Mama Leone' is number one in Austria.¹¹
Dec'Summer Nights' from 'Grease' tops the Austrian chart.¹¹

Sources (12)

1979

Lotte 31

The hotel project fails and takes most of her husband's family money. The cook and gardener are let go. In November her father dies. She starts keeping the house chronicle.

Her 1979: 5 April 2027

At the lake

18 SepLinz: the first Ars Electronica opens with the first 'Klangwolke', Bruckner's Eighth over the Danube park.¹
7 OctUpper Austrian state election: the ÖVP wins 51.61 per cent.²
1979Chemiefaser Lenzing, the viscose works at the lake's outflow, receives the state award (Staatswappen).³
1979Upper Austria's state exhibition shows the Zürn family of sculptors in Braunau.⁴

Austria

15 MarThe first Equal Treatment Act takes effect: equal pay for women and men.⁵
6 MayGeneral election: Kreisky's SPÖ wins 51.03 per cent and 95 seats, its best result.⁶
18 JunCarter and Brezhnev sign the SALT II arms treaty in Vienna.⁷
23 AugUNO-City (Vienna International Centre) opens, leased to the UN for 99 years at one schilling a year.⁸
SepNiki Lauda quits racing during practice in Canada; he has just founded Lauda Air.⁹
5 NovJohanna Dohnal becomes Austria's first state secretary for women's affairs.¹⁰

The world

16 Jan / 1 FebThe Shah leaves Iran; Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Tehran.⁷
28 MarPartial meltdown at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania.⁷
3 MayMargaret Thatcher's Conservatives win the British election.⁷
7 JunFirst direct elections to the European Parliament begin.⁷
Nov–DecThe Tehran hostage crisis begins; Soviet troops invade Afghanistan.⁷

Everyday & prices

13 AprThe last parts of the equal-pay law take effect.⁵
1979Diesel rises to about 6.70 schilling a litre, up from 5.80 (ÖAMTC).¹¹
1979An inland postcard costs 2.50 schilling.¹²

Culture

Jan–FebRichard Clayderman's piano 'Ballade pour Adeline' is number one in Austria.¹³
Feb–Jun'Y.M.C.A.' and then Blondie's 'Heart of Glass' top the Austrian chart.¹³
MarChristina Simon sings 'Heute in Jerusalem' for Austria at Eurovision; last place.¹⁴
1 JulSony's Walkman goes on sale in Japan.⁷
Nov–DecCliff Richard's 'We Don't Talk Anymore' is number one in Austria.¹³

Sources (14)

1980sLotte 32–41 · 10 years

1980

Lotte 32

To keep the house going, she paints three rooms upstairs, puts a card in a shop window and takes in her first paying summer guests.

Her 1980: 12 April 2027

At the lake

1980Upper Austria's state exhibition 'Die Hallstattkultur' opens at Schloss Lamberg in Steyr.¹
1980The lake is still over-fertilised; nutrient inflow only falls clearly from 1982.²

Austria

1 JanThe UN Office at Vienna starts work at UNO-City, the third UN headquarters site.³
17 FebAnnemarie Moser-Pröll wins Olympic downhill gold at Lake Placid; she retires in March.⁴
18 MayRudolf Kirchschläger is re-elected federal president with 79.9 per cent.⁵
3–10 NovTwo Zwentendorf petitions, for and against the reactor; the 'for' side gets 421,282 signatures.⁶
8 NovThe new Reichsbrücke opens over the Danube.⁷
1980The AKH scandal: journalist Alfred Worm exposes bribery at Vienna's new General Hospital.⁸

The world

4 MayYugoslavia's Tito dies.⁹
18 MayMount St. Helens erupts.⁹
19 JulThe Moscow Olympics begin, boycotted by many Western countries.⁹
31 AugThe Gdańsk Agreement; Solidarność is founded on 17 September.⁹
22 SepThe Iran–Iraq war begins.⁹
8 DecJohn Lennon is shot dead in New York.⁹

Everyday & prices

6 AprSummer time returns to Austria: clocks go forward an hour until 27 September.¹⁰
10 DecAustria's first 20-schilling coin is issued, nine figures for the nine provinces.¹¹
1980Diesel jumps to about 8.20 schilling a litre (ÖAMTC annual average).¹²
1980An inland postcard still costs 2.50 schilling; the rise comes in March 1981.¹³

Culture

21 JanORF Teletext starts: 64 pages for about 500 sets that can show it.¹⁴
Mar–AprPink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' is number one in Austria for nine weeks.¹⁵
AprBlue Danube sing 'Du bist Musik' for Austria at Eurovision, eighth.¹⁶
22 MayPac-Man is released in Japan.⁹
Jun–JulMike Krüger's comic 'Der Nippel' is Austria's summer number one.¹⁵
Oct–DecOliver Onions' 'Santa Maria' is number one for nine weeks.¹⁵

Sources (16)

1981

Lotte 33

She sells the car in Vienna and takes the tram. A young couple from Vienna books a room every July for the next twenty years.

Her 1981: 19 April 2027

At the lake

1981'Das Mondseeland', Upper Austria's state exhibition, opens in the former abbey at Mondsee, next lake over.¹
1981Signs of over-fertilisation, visible since 1974, persist into the early 1980s.²

Austria

20 JanHannes Androsch leaves government as finance minister after the AKH affair; Sinowatz becomes vice-chancellor.³
1 MayVienna city councillor Heinz Nittel is shot dead outside his home by Abu Nidal gunmen.⁴
29 AugTerror attack on Vienna's main synagogue in the Seitenstettengasse; two people die.⁵
SepThe AKH trial begins; the hospital's former director is sentenced to nine years.⁶
13 DecMartial law is declared in Poland.⁷

The world

20 JanThe US hostages in Iran are freed minutes after Reagan's inauguration.⁷
30 MarRonald Reagan is shot and wounded in Washington.⁷
12 AprThe first Space Shuttle, Columbia, is launched.⁷
13 MayPope John Paul II is shot in St. Peter's Square.⁷
29 JulPrince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer marry at St Paul's.⁷
6 OctEgypt's President Sadat is assassinated.⁷

Everyday & prices

1 MarAn inland postcard goes up from 2.50 to 3 schilling.⁸
1981Diesel averages about 9.60 schilling a litre, up 17 per cent in a year (ÖAMTC).⁹
1981The new 20-schilling coin, issued in December 1980, is in every purse.¹⁰

Culture

Feb–MarFrank Duval's 'Angel of Mine', a TV-crime theme, is number one in Austria.¹¹
AprMarty Brem sings 'Wenn du da bist' for Austria at Eurovision, 17th.¹²
1 AugMTV starts broadcasting in the US; on 12 August IBM launches its PC.⁷
Aug–SepRainhard Fendrich's 'Strada del sole', a Viennese holiday gone wrong in Italy, is number one.¹¹
13 Nov'Der Bockerer' with Karl Merkatz opens in cinemas; Merkatz wins best actor in Moscow.¹³

Sources (13)

1982

Lotte 34

The old film projector breaks, and the home movies go up to the attic. In June Austria loses to West Germany at the World Cup and still goes through.

Her 1982: 26 April 2027

At the lake

1982Thanks to the ring sewer, nutrient inflow into the Attersee falls clearly from 1982; the water starts to clear.¹
1982Upper Austria's state exhibition on St. Severin and the Roman age opens in Enns.²

Austria

10–17 May1,361,562 people (25.74 %) sign the petition against the conference centre at UNO-City, Austria's biggest yet.³
25 JunGijón: West Germany beats Austria 1–0; both go through, Algeria is out. A 'non-aggression pact' in the press.⁴
3 SepThe U1 crosses the Danube: new station at UNO-City (Kaisermühlen-VIC).⁵

The world

2 Apr–14 JunThe Falklands War between Argentina and Britain.⁶
24 AprNicole wins Eurovision for West Germany with 'Ein bißchen Frieden'.⁶
11 JulItaly beats West Germany 3–1 in the World Cup final in Madrid.⁶
14 SepPrincess Grace of Monaco dies after a car crash.⁶
1 OctHelmut Kohl becomes West German chancellor.⁶
10 NovLeonid Brezhnev dies; Yuri Andropov succeeds him.⁶

Everyday & prices

1982Diesel stays at about 9.60 schilling a litre (ÖAMTC).⁷
1982An inland postcard costs 3 schilling.⁸
1982–86Lake water clears year by year; by 1986 the Attersee counts as ultra-clear (ultra-oligotrophic).¹

Culture

Jan–FebFalco's 'Der Kommissar' is number one in Austria.⁹
Apr–MayMess sing 'Sonntag' for Austria at Eurovision (ninth) and reach number one.¹⁰
Jul–SepRainhard Fendrich's 'Oben ohne' is Austria's summer number one.⁹
17 Aug / 1 OctThe first CDs are pressed in Germany; Sony sells the first CD player in Japan.⁶
Nov 1982–Jan 1983Relax's dialect song 'Weil i di mog' tops the Austrian chart.⁹
29 NovMichael Jackson's 'Thriller' is released.⁶

Sources (10)

1983

Lotte 35

Her son Ferdinand, ten, starts boarding school in Vienna. She writes him a letter every Sunday. In September the Pope visits Vienna.

Her 1983: 3 May 2027

At the lake

1983Gustav Mahler's composing hut at Steinbach am Attersee is restored to its original state.¹
1983'1000 Jahre Oberösterreich', the state exhibition, opens at the Burg in Wels.²
1983Painter Christian Ludwig Attersee, who took the lake's name, receives the Austrian State Art Prize.³
1983The Attersee's nutrient load keeps falling after the 1982 turn.⁴

Austria

24 AprGeneral election: the SPÖ loses its absolute majority after 12 years; Kreisky steps down.⁵
24 MayFred Sinowatz's SPÖ–FPÖ government takes office.⁵
27 JulHeat record: 39.7 °C at Dellach im Drautal, Austria's July high for decades.⁶
10 SepPope John Paul II celebrates European Vespers on the Heldenplatz (Katholikentag).⁷
11 SepClosing Mass of the Katholikentag in the Donaupark, Vienna.⁸
13 SepThe Pope celebrates Mass at Mariazell.⁹

The world

1 JanARPANET switches to TCP/IP, the protocol of the later internet.¹⁰
6 MayStern publishes the forged 'Hitler diaries'.¹⁰
18 JunSally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.¹⁰
1 SepKorean Air Lines Flight 007 is shot down by a Soviet fighter.¹⁰
25 OctUS troops invade Grenada.¹⁰
7 NovNATO's Able Archer exercise; the Cold War's most dangerous weeks.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

27 JulThe hottest day of a record July: 39.7 °C in Carinthia; Villach 38.7 °C.⁶
1983Diesel averages about 10 schilling a litre for the first time (ÖAMTC).¹¹
1983An inland postcard costs 3 schilling.¹²

Culture

Mar–AprPeter Schilling's 'Major Tom (völlig losgelöst)' is number one in Austria.¹³
AprNena's '99 Luftballons' tops the Austrian chart.¹³
AprWestend sing 'Hurricane' for Austria at Eurovision, ninth.¹⁴
MayLudwig Hirsch's Viennese 'Gel', du magst mi' is number one.¹³
13 JunMotorola's DynaTAC, the first handheld mobile phone, goes on the market.¹⁰
Jun–AugDÖF's 'Codo … düse im Sauseschritt' is Austria's summer number one.¹³

Sources (14)

1984

Lotte 36

In December thousands protest to save the Hainburg wetlands on the Danube from a power plant. She goes for one day, stands at the back and tells no one.

Her 1984: 10 May 2027

At the lake

1984Christian Ludwig Attersee represents Austria at the Venice Biennale.¹
1984The Lenzing fibre works at the lake's outflow is renamed Lenzing AG.²
1984Upper Austria's state exhibition marks 900 years of Reichersberg abbey on the Inn.³

Austria

7 MayThe 'press conference of the animals' in Vienna launches the campaign to save the Hainburg wetlands.⁴
1 JulFines for not wearing a seat belt begin: 100 schilling.⁵
21 OctNiki Lauda wins his third world title at Estoril by half a point over Prost.⁶
8 DecAbout 8,000 march into the Hainburg floodplain; hundreds stay and stop the clearing.⁴
19 DecPolice clear part of the Au; that evening up to 40,000 demonstrate in Vienna.⁴
21–22 DecThe government halts the clearing; Chancellor Sinowatz announces a 'Christmas peace'.⁴

The world

8–19 FebWinter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.⁷
5 JunOperation Blue Star at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.⁷
28 JulThe Los Angeles Olympics open.⁷
12 OctIRA bomb at the Brighton hotel of the Conservative conference.⁷
31 OctIndira Gandhi is assassinated in New Delhi.⁷
3 DecGas leak at Bhopal, India, one of the worst industrial disasters.⁷

Everyday & prices

1 FebAn inland postcard goes up to 3.50 schilling.⁸
1 JulNot wearing a seat belt now costs 100 schilling.⁵
1984Diesel averages about 10.30 schilling a litre (ÖAMTC).⁹
endAbout 2,500 Austrians use the new C-Netz car phone; a set costs about 40,000 schilling.¹⁰

Culture

24 JanApple launches the Macintosh.⁷
MayAnita's 'Einfach weg' comes last at Eurovision but is number one in Austria.¹¹
Aug–SepS.T.S.'s 'Fürstenfeld', a homesick song about a small Styrian town, is number one.¹¹
2 SepOpus record 'Live Is Life' live at Oberwart; it will top charts across Europe.¹²
3 DecBand Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' is released.⁷
1984The first Donauinselfest in Vienna draws around 500,000 people.¹³

Sources (13)

1985

Lotte 37

For the first time the guest-house accounts balance. Austrian wine is found laced with antifreeze. In August Georg, her husband, has to sit down halfway along the jetty.

Her 1985: 17 May 2027

At the lake

1985Mahler's composing hut at Steinbach becomes a memorial site, set up by the International Gustav Mahler Society.¹
1985Lenzing AG, the fibre works at the lake's outflow, lists its shares on the Vienna Stock Exchange.²
lateLinz: VOEST-Alpine's oil-trading losses bring down the board; new management follows in 1986.³
1985Upper Austria's state exhibition on 200 years of the Linz diocese opens at Garsten abbey.⁴

Austria

2 JanThe Administrative Court stops further clearing at Hainburg; the occupation ends.⁵
JanThe longest cold spell in decades grips Austria (not matched until 2012).⁶
4–11 Mar353,906 sign the Konrad Lorenz petition to protect the Danube wetlands.⁷
9 JulBonn warns that some Austrian wines contain diethylene glycol; the wine scandal breaks.⁸
4–11 NovA petition against fighter jets and for a referendum collects 121,182 signatures.⁷
1985Austria passes one of the world's strictest wine laws; quality wine gets a numbered state seal.⁸

The world

11 MarMikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader.⁹
29 May39 fans die at the Heysel stadium in Brussels.⁹
10 JulFrench agents sink Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior in Auckland.⁹
13 JulLive Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia.⁹
19 SepEarthquake in Mexico City.⁹
19 NovReagan and Gorbachev meet in Geneva.⁹

Everyday & prices

summerSales of Austrian wine at home fall to almost nothing.⁸
1985Super petrol averages about 11.60 schilling a litre, diesel 10.50 (ÖAMTC).¹⁰
1985An inland postcard costs 3.50 schilling.¹¹

Culture

Feb–MarOpus's 'Live Is Life' is number one in Austria for eight weeks, then across Europe.¹²
MayGary Lux sings 'Kinder dieser Welt' for Austria at Eurovision, eighth.¹³
May'Austria für Afrika' and their charity single 'Warum?' reach number one.¹²
JunFalco's 'Rock Me Amadeus' is number one in Austria.¹²
Oct–NovModern Talking's 'Cheri, Cheri Lady' and a-ha's 'Take On Me' top the chart.¹²
20 NovMicrosoft releases Windows 1.0.⁹

Sources (13)

1986

Lotte 38

1986–87. In 1986 fallout from Chernobyl means no lettuce from the garden. In the cold January of 1987 her husband and the boatman repair the old boat.

Her 1986: 24 May 2027

At the lake

1986-01-29New cable car up the Feuerkogel above the Traunsee opens.¹
1986Attersee phosphorus falls to 4.9 µg/l: the clearest the lake has been in decades.²
1986-04-29Chernobyl fallout rains down hardest on the northern Alps, Upper Austria and Salzburg.³
1986-10-01Express and goods train collide at Traunkirchen on the Salzkammergut line; 50 injured.¹

Austria

1986-01-16Chancellor Sinowatz speaks to 40,000 steelworkers on the Linz main square.¹
1986-06-08Kurt Waldheim wins the presidential run-off.¹
1986-06-16Franz Vranitzky becomes Federal Chancellor.⁴
1986-11-23General election: the Greens enter parliament for the first time.¹

The world

1986-01-28Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart after launch.⁵
1986-02-28Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme is shot in Stockholm.⁶
1986-04-26Reactor 4 at Chernobyl explodes.⁷

Everyday & prices

1986A Semmel in Vienna: 1.65 schillings, up from 1.50.⁸
1986Regular petrol drops from 11.20 to 8.90 schillings a litre.⁸
1986-01-02New 50-schilling note with Sigmund Freud.⁹
1986-02-01A postcard stamp now costs 4 schillings.¹⁰

Culture

1986-01-15Falco's "Jeanny" is number one in Austria.¹¹
1986-12-01Europe's "The Final Countdown" tops the Austrian chart.¹¹
1986-05-03Timna Brauer sings for Austria at Eurovision, 18th.¹²

Sources (12)

1987

Lotte 39

Continued from 1986–87.

Her 1987: 31 May 2027

At the lake

1987A beech wood on the Attersee's west shore is placed under nature protection.¹
1987-01-15Short-time work at the Steyr works.²
1987-08-31Steyr-Daimler-Puch announces deep job cuts; Linz industry warns of 5,000 more.²
1987-09-18Train collision near Lambach: four dead.²

Austria

1987-01One of the coldest Januaries on record: Austria averages about minus 6.9 °C.³
1987-01-21Grand coalition under Franz Vranitzky takes office.⁴
1987-04-27The US puts President Waldheim on its watch list.⁵

The world

1987-05-28Mathias Rust lands a small plane by Red Square.⁶
1987-10-19Black Monday: stock markets crash worldwide.⁷
1987-12-08Reagan and Gorbachev sign the INF treaty.⁸

Everyday & prices

1987-01-01Catalytic converters become compulsory for new cars over 1,500 cc.⁹
1987A Semmel in Vienna: 1.90 schillings. Petrol: 8.40 a litre.¹⁰
1987A Kleiner Brauner in a Vienna café: 13.51 schillings.¹⁰

Culture

1987-04Bilgeri's "Some Girls Are Ladies" is number one for two months.¹¹
1987-07Ecco's "Hexen" is the summer number one.¹¹
1987-12EAV's "Küss' die Hand, schöne Frau" tops the chart.¹¹

Sources (11)

1988

Lotte 40

Georg, her husband, dies of a heart attack in the boathouse on a Sunday in May. He is forty-four. In June she opens the guest rooms anyway.

Her 1988: 7 June 2027

At the lake

1988-05-02"Oberösterreich heute", the regional evening news, goes on air from Linz.¹
1988-05-29Passenger trains between Lambach and Gmunden Seebahnhof stop running.¹
1988-08-02Severe hailstorm across Upper Austria.¹
1988-09-06Michael Jackson plays the Linz stadium.¹
1988The old Attersee steamer Burgau sails its last season.²

Austria

1988-03-11Austria marks fifty years since the Anschluss.¹
1988-06-24Pope John Paul II visits Mauthausen and Enns in Upper Austria.¹
1988-11-04Thomas Bernhard's "Heldenplatz" premieres at the Burgtheater amid uproar.³

The world

1988-02-13Winter Olympics open in Calgary.⁴
1988-09-17Summer Olympics open in Seoul.⁵
1988-12-21Pan Am Flight 103 is destroyed over Lockerbie.⁶

Everyday & prices

1988-01-04The 5,000-schilling Mozart note is issued.⁷
1988Petrol in Vienna: 7.98 schillings a litre, the decade's cheapest.⁸
1988A letter stamp: 5 schillings. A cinema ticket: 69.56.⁸

Culture

1988-08-15Rainhard Fendrich's "Macho, Macho" is number one for two months.⁹
1988-04"The Sound of Vienna" by José Feliciano tops the chart.⁹
1988-04-30Austria's Eurovision song scores zero points.¹⁰

Sources (10)

1989

Lotte 41

Her mother moves from Vienna into the lake house. In July the first new passenger ship on the lake since 1913 is christened.

Her 1989: 14 June 2027

At the lake

1989-02-12Thomas Bernhard dies in Gmunden on the Traunsee.¹
1989-07-01MS Weyregg is christened: the first ship built for the Attersee since 1913.²
1989-09-01The first Musiktage Mondsee begin.¹
1989-12-11Dismantling of the Iron Curtain begins at Wullowitz, Upper Austria.¹

Austria

1989-02-09Rudi Nierlich of St. Wolfgang wins giant-slalom world gold in Vail.¹
1989-06-27Foreign ministers Mock and Horn cut the border fence near Sopron.³
1989-07-16Herbert von Karajan dies at Anif near Salzburg.⁴
1989-07-17Austria applies to join the European Community.⁵

The world

1989-06-04Crackdown on Tiananmen Square in Beijing.⁶
1989-08-19Pan-European Picnic: East Germans walk into Austria near Sopron.⁷
1989-11-09The Berlin Wall opens.⁸
1989-11-17Velvet Revolution begins in Czechoslovakia.⁹

Everyday & prices

1989A Semmel in Vienna: 1.90 schillings. Petrol: 8.58.¹⁰
1989Coffee house Kleiner Brauner: 13.97 schillings.¹⁰
1989Austria's gold Philharmoniker coin is introduced.¹¹

Culture

1989-05-06Thomas Forstner's "Nur ein Lied" finishes 5th at Eurovision.¹²
1989-05-15"Looking for Freedom" is number one in Austria.¹³
1989-10-15"Lambada" tops the chart as the borders open.¹³

Sources (13)

1990sLotte 42–51 · 10 years

1990

Lotte 42

1990–91. Her mother's memory starts to fail; she calls Lotte by her aunt's name. In 1991 her son leaves for Vienna to study piano. Lotte's hair begins to grey.

Her 1990: 21 June 2027

At the lake

1990-01-02Upper Austria issues the first new black-on-white number plates.¹
1990-03-01A storm with gusts of 180 km/h damages much of Upper Austria.¹
1990-05-18Linz celebrates 500 years as provincial capital.¹
1990-07South Bohemian sites become reachable again; first organised trips leave Linz.¹

Austria

1990-08-25Most Austrians held in Iraq leave after President Waldheim's Baghdad visit.²
1990-09-04The army is sent to guard the eastern border.³
1990-09-12Austria loses 0–1 to the Faroe Islands.⁴
1990-10-07General election; the Freedom Party rises to 16.6 percent.¹

The world

1990-02-11Nelson Mandela walks free.⁵
1990-07-01East Germans receive the Deutschmark.⁶
1990-08-02Iraq invades Kuwait.⁷
1990-10-03Germany is reunited.⁸

Everyday & prices

1990A Semmel in Vienna: 1.99 schillings. Unleaded petrol: 9.14.⁹
1990-01-01A postcard stamp rises to 4.50 schillings.¹⁰
1990The analogue D-Netz mobile phone network starts.¹¹

Culture

1990-03-04"Nothing Compares 2 U" is number one for two months.¹²
1990-07-15"Verdammt, ich lieb' Dich" is the summer number one.¹²
1990-05-05Austria's Eurovision song is "Keine Mauern mehr": no more walls.¹³

Sources (13)

1991

Lotte 43

Continued from 1990–91.

Her 1991: 28 June 2027

At the lake

1991-02-03Rudi Nierlich of St. Wolfgang wins world giant-slalom gold at Saalbach.¹
1991-05-18Nierlich, 25, dies in a car crash in St. Wolfgang.²
1991-08-02Four days of flooding across Upper Austria; Gmunden district among the worst hit.¹
1991-12-09KTM in Mattighofen goes bankrupt; 600 jobs.¹

Austria

1991-05-26Lauda Air flight 004 crashes in Thailand; 223 dead, 12 from Upper Austria.³
1991-05-14Vienna votes against hosting Expo 95.⁴
1991-07-08Chancellor Vranitzky acknowledges Austrian share in Nazi crimes.⁵
1991-09-19Hikers find Ötzi in the ice of the Ötztal Alps.⁶

The world

1991-01-17The Gulf War air campaign begins on live television.⁷
1991-06-27War in Slovenia, at Austria's southern border.⁸
1991-12-26The Soviet Union is dissolved.⁹

Everyday & prices

1991A Semmel in Vienna passes two schillings: 2.11.¹⁰
1991Unleaded petrol: 8.92 a litre. A cinema ticket: 77.55.¹⁰
1991A half-litre of beer: 7.31 schillings.¹⁰

Culture

1991-07-07"Wind of Change" is number one for nine weeks.¹¹
1991-03-31Roxette's "Joyride" holds number one for ten weeks.¹¹
1991-05-04Austria scores zero points at Eurovision.¹²

Sources (12)

1992

Lotte 44

1992–94. The bank writes about the mortgage: politely in 1992, less politely in 1993, with a deadline in 1994. At Christmas 1994 her son brings home Shirin, a pharmacist from Iran.

Her 1992: 5 July 2027

At the lake

1992-02-02Gerhard Pilz of Bad Goisern wins his third luge world title.¹
1992-02-12Philips announces the end of light-bulb making in Gmunden.¹
1992-05-18Hubert von Goisern's breakthrough album with "Koa Hiatamadl" is released.²
1992-12-29AMAG closes its Ranshofen smelter; 1,200 jobs.¹

Austria

1992-02Petra Kronberger wins two Olympic golds at Albertville.³
1992-05-24Thomas Klestil is elected Federal President.¹
1992-05-02Austria signs the European Economic Area treaty.⁴
1992-11-27Fire destroys the Redoutensäle wing of the Vienna Hofburg.⁵

The world

1992-02-07The Maastricht Treaty is signed.⁶
1992-04-05The siege of Sarajevo begins.⁷
1992-07-25Summer Olympics open in Barcelona.⁸

Everyday & prices

1992A letter stamp rises to 5.50 schillings.⁹
1992A Semmel in Vienna: 2.29. Unleaded petrol: 9.31.⁹
1992A colour television: about 12,400 schillings.⁹

Culture

1992-03-22U 96's "Das Boot" is number one in Austria.¹⁰
1992-09"Raumschiff Edelweiss" tops the chart.¹⁰
1992-05-09Tony Wegas finishes 10th at Eurovision.¹¹

Sources (11)

1993

Lotte 45

Continued from 1992–94.

Her 1993: 12 July 2027

At the lake

1993-01Andreas Goldberger of Upper Austria wins the Four Hills Tournament.¹
1993-02-02Gerhard Pilz wins the luge world title at home in Bad Goisern.¹
1993The lake steamer "Attersee" gets bicycle racks on its roof.²
1993-10Coal mining at Trimmelkam ends.¹

Austria

1993-01-23The Lichtermeer: at least 200,000 people with candles in Vienna.³
1993-02-04The Liberal Forum is founded.⁴
1993-12-05A letter bomb seriously injures Vienna's mayor; a bombing series begins.⁵

The world

1993-01-01Czechoslovakia splits into two states.⁶
1993-09-13The Oslo Accord is signed in Washington.⁷
1993-11-01The Maastricht Treaty takes effect: the European Union is born.⁸

Everyday & prices

1993A Semmel in Vienna: 2.47 schillings.⁹
1993A half-litre of beer: 8.60. A men's haircut: 111.85.⁹
1993Indoor pool entry rises from 35 to 40 schillings.⁹

Culture

1993-01-24"I Will Always Love You" is number one in Austria.¹⁰
1993-08-154 Non Blondes' "What's Up?" holds number one for three months.¹⁰
1993-05-15Tony Wegas sings "Maria Magdalena" at Eurovision.¹¹

Sources (11)

1994

Lotte 46

Continued from 1992–94.

Her 1994: 19 July 2027

At the lake

1994-03-17Andreas Goldberger is the first to jump 202 metres.¹
1994-06-12Upper Austria votes yes to Europe, 540,000 to 285,000.¹
1994-07-14Two richly furnished graves are found at Hallstatt.¹
1994-10-22An earthquake shakes Hallstatt and Obertraun.¹

Austria

1994-06-12Austria votes 66.6 percent yes to joining the EU.²
1994-06-24The accession treaty is signed in Corfu.²
1994Vienna's warmest year since records began in 1775.³
1994-10-09General election; the Liberal Forum enters parliament.¹

The world

1994-04-07The genocide in Rwanda begins.⁴
1994-05-06The Channel Tunnel opens.⁵
1994-05-10Nelson Mandela becomes President of South Africa.⁶
1994-09-28The ferry Estonia sinks in the Baltic.⁷

Everyday & prices

1994A letter stamp: 6 schillings. A Semmel: 2.59.⁸
1994Unleaded petrol: 9.76 schillings a litre.⁸
1994Butter still costs 21.47 a packet, its last pre-EU price.⁸

Culture

1994-12The GSM network A1 brings digital mobile phones to the main towns and roads.⁹
1994-11"Kommissar Rex" premieres on ORF.¹⁰
1994-07-03"Eins, zwei, Polizei" is the summer number one.¹¹

Sources (11)

1995

Lotte 47

Austria joins the European Union. In autumn the letters from the bank suddenly stop. Her mother dies in October. In December her son marries Shirin in Vienna.

Her 1995: 26 July 2027

At the lake

1995-01-06Andreas Goldberger wins the Four Hills Tournament.¹
1995-03-02Josef Pühringer becomes governor of Upper Austria.¹
1995-05-18Coal mining at Ampflwang in the Hausruck ends.¹
1995-12-07Mikhail Gorbachev visits Linz.¹

Austria

1995-01-01Austria joins the European Union.¹
1995-02-04A bomb at Oberwart kills four Roma men.²
1995-06-11Thomas Muster wins the French Open.³
1995-04-28Austria joins the Schengen Agreement; checks end only in 1998.⁴

The world

1995-01-17Earthquake in Kobe.⁵
1995-07-11The Srebrenica massacre.⁶
1995-11-04Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated.⁷
1995-12-14The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris.⁸

Everyday & prices

1995EU prices: whipping cream falls from 19.02 to 10.93 schillings.⁹
1995Butter falls from 21.47 to 17.60 a packet.⁹
1995Unleaded petrol passes ten schillings: 10.48 a litre.⁹

Culture

1995-04-09"Scatman" is number one in Austria.¹⁰
1995-07-23Rednex's "Wish You Were Here" is the summer number one.¹⁰
1995-08-24Windows 95 goes on sale.¹¹

Sources (11)

1996

Lotte 48

Her first grandchild, Konstantin, is born in Vienna in June. She becomes his godmother. Austria marks a thousand years since its name was first written down.

Her 1996: 2 August 2027

At the lake

since 1989After the ring sewer, the Attersee's phosphorus stays at 2–3 µg/l: among Austria's clearest lakes.¹
1996Upper Austria's state exhibition on the fates of artists opens at Schloss Mondsee, one lake west; Bruckner at St. Florian.²
1976–2000The lake level swings only about half a metre a year on average; the boathouse step stays dry.¹

Austria

25 JanThe first private mobile licence goes to the max.mobil consortium, for four billion schillings.³
12 FebThomas Muster becomes world number one in men's tennis.⁴
18–25 Mar459,096 Austrians sign the animal-protection petition.⁵
4 May–3 Nov"Ostarrîchi": Austria marks 1,000 years of its written name; 260,626 visit the exhibition.⁶
1 JunRapid Wien win their 30th league title.⁷
Octmax.mobil opens Austria's second mobile network beside the state's A1.⁸

The world

10 FebIBM's Deep Blue beats world champion Kasparov in a game under tournament conditions.⁷
30 JunGermany win Euro 96 at Wembley with the first golden goal.⁷
5 JulDolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, is born.⁷
19 Jul–4 AugThe Summer Olympics in Atlanta.⁷
5 NovBill Clinton is re-elected US president.⁷
29 DecGuatemala signs the peace accord that ends a 36-year civil war.⁷

Everyday & prices

MayThe old state post splits into the "yellow" post and Telekom Austria.⁹
1996A litre of premium petrol averages €0.836, about 11.50 schillings.¹⁰
1996An inland letter costs 6 schillings (since 1994).¹¹

Culture

1 FebKodak, Fuji and others announce APS film, with an index print in every packet.¹²
24 Mar–11 May"Macarena" is number one in Austria for five weeks.¹³
18 MayEurovision: George Nussbaumer sings in Vorarlberg dialect for Austria and finishes tenth.¹⁴
28 Jul–21 SepThe Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" tops the Austrian chart for seven weeks.¹³
Sep–Nov"Break My Stride" by Unique II holds number one for eight weeks.¹³

Sources (14)

1997

Lotte 49

1997–98. Summers with a small grandson on the veranda. In 1998 she turns fifty and has a party under the walnut tree, because her aunt Resi insists.

Her 1997: 9 August 2027

At the lake

since 1989The lake stays ultra-clear: phosphorus at 2–3 µg/l since the sewer ring.¹
1–6 DecUNESCO inscribes the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut cultural landscape as World Heritage (no. 806).²
1997The Attersee is stocked with 1.5 million whitefish, half a million pike and 350,000 maraena.¹

Austria

1 JanThe motorway vignette becomes compulsory: 550 schillings a year for a car, 70 for ten days.³
28 JanViktor Klima succeeds Franz Vranitzky as federal chancellor.⁴
7–14 Apr1,225,790 sign the genetic-engineering petition, a fifth of the electorate.⁵
7–14 Apr644,665 sign the women's petition in the same week.⁵
24 Nov–1 Dec253,949 sign a petition for a referendum on keeping the schilling.⁵

The world

1 MayLabour wins the UK election; Tony Blair becomes prime minister.⁶
11 MayDeep Blue wins the rematch against Kasparov.⁶
1 JulBritain hands Hong Kong to China.⁶
4 JulNASA's Pathfinder lands on Mars.⁶
31 AugDiana, Princess of Wales, dies after a car crash in Paris; funeral 6 September.⁶
11 DecThe Kyoto Protocol is adopted.⁶

Everyday & prices

1 JulThe inland letter rises from 6 to 7 schillings.⁷
1997Premium petrol averages €0.872 a litre, about 12 schillings.⁸

Culture

4 May–28 JunRainhard Fendrich's "Blond" is Austria's number one for seven weeks.⁹
MayEurovision: Bettina Soriat's "One Step" finishes 21st for Austria.¹⁰
20 Jul–27 Sep"I'll Be Missing You" holds number one for ten weeks.⁹
28 Sep 1997–31 Jan 1998Elton John's "Candle in the Wind '97" stays number one for 18 weeks.⁹
1997Fendi's Baguette bag appears and becomes the accessory of the decade.¹¹

Sources (11)

1998

Lotte 50

Continued from 1997–98.

Her 1998: 16 August 2027

At the lake

17–26 JulLassing, Styrian Enns valley: a talc mine collapses; ten rescuers die, one miner is saved after nine days.¹
1998Upper Austria's state exhibition "Land der Hämmer" spreads from Weyer over 27 iron-country sites.²
1976–2000Attersee's level moves about 51 cm a year on average, at most 109 cm.³

Austria

6 FebFalco dies in a car crash in the Dominican Republic, aged 40.⁴
13 FebHermann Maier flies off the Nagano downhill, then wins super-G and giant slalom gold.⁵
19 AprThomas Klestil is re-elected president with 63.42 per cent.⁶
11–23 JunWorld Cup in France: Austria draw with Cameroon and Chile, lose 1–2 to Italy.⁷
1 JulAustria holds the EU Council presidency for the first time, until December.⁸
17 JulLassing: the trapped miner's rescue is followed live by the whole country for nine days.⁹

The world

7–22 FebWinter Olympics in Nagano.¹⁰
10 AprThe Good Friday Agreement is signed.¹⁰
12 JulFrance beat Brazil 3–0 in the World Cup final.¹⁰
4 SepGoogle is founded in California.¹⁰
29 OctHurricane Mitch strikes Central America; about 11,000 dead.¹⁰
20 NovThe first module of the International Space Station is launched.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

1998Premium petrol averages €0.818 a litre, about 11.26 schillings.¹¹
1998An inland letter costs 7 schillings.¹²

Culture

15 Feb–21 Mar"My Heart Will Go On" is number one in Austria for five weeks.¹³
15 Mar–11 AprFalco's posthumous album "Out of the Dark" tops the album chart.¹³
24 May–1 AugLos Umbrellos' "No tengo dinero" holds number one for ten weeks.¹³
18 Sep"Hinterholz 8" opens: a Viennese family ruined by a crumbling house; 617,597 tickets.¹⁴
1998Austria sits out Eurovision, ineligible after weak placings.¹⁵

Sources (15)

1999

Lotte 51

Her granddaughter Leyla is born in Madrid on 14 August. Lotte takes her first flight to see her. Three days earlier, a total solar eclipse darkens the lake.

Her 1999: 23 August 2027

At the lake

11 AugTotal eclipse over the lake country: totality 2 min 17 s at Vöcklabruck, 2 min 19 s at Gmunden.¹
11 AugIn Gmunden the eclipse begins 11:19 and is total at 12:42.²
1999The lake's tourism offices merge into the "Ferienregion Attersee".³

Austria

1 JanThe euro starts as book money; one euro is fixed at 13.7603 schillings.⁴
23–24 FebAvalanches at Galtür and Valzur in Tyrol kill 38 people.⁵
20–22 MayThe Pentecost flood hits Bavaria, Vorarlberg and Tyrol after rain on melting snow.⁶
29 MayFire in the Tauern road tunnel after a crash: 12 dead, 42 injured.⁷
9–16 Sep183,154 sign the families petition.⁸
3 OctNational election: FPÖ second by a fraction of a point ahead of ÖVP; SPÖ first.⁹

The world

24 MarNATO begins bombing Yugoslavia over Kosovo.¹⁰
24 MarFire in the Mont Blanc tunnel kills 39.¹⁰
11 AugThe last total solar eclipse of the millennium crosses Europe and Asia.¹⁰
17 AugEarthquake at İzmit, Turkey, magnitude 7.6.¹⁰
20 DecPortugal hands Macau to China.¹⁰
31 DecYeltsin resigns; Putin becomes acting president. Panama takes over its canal.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

1999Premium petrol averages €0.792 a litre, about 10.90 schillings: the cheapest of the decade.¹¹
1999A letter inside Austria still costs 7 schillings.¹²

Culture

28 Feb–19 JunA klana Indiana's dialect hit "Uiii, is des bled!" reaches number one twice.¹³
MayEurovision: Bobbie Singer's "Reflection" finishes tenth for Austria.¹⁴
20 Jun–21 AugLou Bega's "Mambo No. 5" is number one for nine weeks.¹³
22 Aug–9 OctEiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" follows for seven weeks.¹³
19 DecStefan Raab's "Maschen-Draht-Zaun" takes number one into 2000.¹³
1999Sony Mavica cameras save pictures to floppy disks.¹⁵

Sources (15)

2000sLotte 52–61 · 10 years

2000

Lotte 52

2000–01. Summers at the lake with both grandchildren. Lotte and her daughter-in-law Shirin learn to share a kitchen. In 2000 a ski-train fire at Kaprun kills 155 people.

Her 2000: 30 August 2027

At the lake

11 NovKaprun, in neighbouring Salzburg: the glacier funicular burns in its tunnel; 155 die.¹
2000Upper Austria's state exhibition "Zeit – Mythos, Phantom, Realität" is held in Wels.²
1976–Over 25 years the Attersee never swings more than 109 cm.³

Austria

4 FebWolfgang Schüssel becomes chancellor of an ÖVP–FPÖ coalition.⁴
FebFourteen EU governments reduce bilateral contacts with Austria's government.⁵
12 SepThe measures are lifted after a report by three "wise men".⁶
16 SepORF starts "Taxi Orange", Austria's first big reality show.⁷
29 Nov–6 Dec193,901 sign a petition for a new EU referendum.⁸

The world

1 JanThe year 2000 arrives; the feared computer crash mostly does not.⁹
10 MarThe NASDAQ peaks at 5,048; the dot-com bubble starts to burst.⁹
5 MayThe ILOVEYOU virus spreads round the world's inboxes.⁹
26 JunA first draft of the human genome is finished.⁹
25 JulA Concorde crashes after take-off from Paris.⁹
12 AugThe Russian submarine Kursk sinks in the Barents Sea.⁹

Everyday & prices

2000Premium petrol jumps to €0.928 a litre, about 12.77 schillings.¹⁰
2000A letter inside Austria costs 7 schillings.¹¹

Culture

18 Feb–4 MayDJ Ötzi's "Anton aus Tirol" is number one for ten weeks.¹²
MayEurovision: The Rounder Girls finish 14th for Austria.¹³
MayCanon's Digital IXUS: 2.1 megapixels in a steel case.¹⁴
16 Sep–30 Nov"Taxi Orange" runs every evening on ORF 1.¹⁵
17 Nov 2000–20 Jan 2001Gigi D'Agostino's "La Passion" holds number one for nine weeks.¹²

Sources (15)

2001

Lotte 53

Continued from 2000–01.

Her 2001: 6 September 2027

At the lake

since 1989The lake keeps its drinking-water clarity: phosphorus 2–3 µg/l.¹
24 AugHermann Maier is hit by a car on his motorbike at Radstadt, Salzburg; his right leg is nearly lost.²
2001The Attersee's tourism region becomes a founding member of Salzkammergut Tourismus.¹

Austria

29 Jan–10 FebWorld Ski Championships at St. Anton; Austria wins 11 medals, three gold.³
30 JunThe MuseumsQuartier opens in Vienna's old imperial stables.⁴
6–13 Nov173,594 sign the education and tuition-fees petition.⁵
16 DecVienna's historic centre becomes UNESCO World Heritage.⁶
31 DecLast day of the schilling as sole cash; both currencies circulate until 28 February.⁷

The world

15 JanWikipedia goes online.⁸
2 MarThe Taliban begin destroying the Buddhas of Bamiyan.⁸
1 AprThe Netherlands is the first country to open marriage to same-sex couples.⁸
11 SepHijacked planes hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; 2,977 killed.⁹
7 OctA US-led coalition invades Afghanistan.⁸
23 OctApple releases the first iPod.⁸

Everyday & prices

2001Premium petrol averages €0.895, about 12.32 schillings, the last year priced in schillings.¹⁰
2001A letter costs 7 schillings, which becomes 51 cents.¹¹

Culture

20 Apr"Taxi Orange" returns for a second season.¹²
14 MayHaneke's "The Piano Teacher", from Jelinek's Viennese novel, premieres at Cannes and wins the Grand Prix.¹³
16 Jun–11 AugShaggy's "Angel" is number one in Austria for eight weeks.¹⁴
7 Oct–1 DecKylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" holds number one for eight weeks.¹⁴
2001Austria sits out Eurovision, ineligible again.¹⁵

Sources (15)

2002

Lotte 54

In August two days of heavy rain flood the area. The lake rises over the boathouse step by a hand's breadth, then stops.

Her 2002: 13 September 2027

At the lake

6–8 AugFirst flood wave in Upper Austria: roads, railways, power and phone lines cut.¹
11–12 AugThe heaviest rain falls on the Salzkammergut; the lakes hold back the peaks, the Ager runs at a 30–40-year flood.²
12–13 AugKrems dams break; Upper Austria's damage passes €1.1 billion, three dead.¹
2002Upper Austria's state exhibition "feste feiern" is held at Waldhausen.³

Austria

1 JanEuro notes and coins arrive; schillings stay accepted until 28 February.⁴
1 JanChildcare allowance replaces Karenzgeld: €14.53 a day, up to 36 months, also for non-earners.⁵
14–21 Jan914,973 sign the "Veto against Temelín" petition about the Czech nuclear plant.⁶
3–10 Apr717,102 sign the "Social State Austria" petition.⁶
SepDisputes inside the FPÖ end the coalition; early elections are called.⁷
24 NovNational election: ÖVP 42.3 per cent, its best since the mid-1980s.⁷

The world

8–24 FebWinter Olympics in Salt Lake City.⁸
20 MayEast Timor becomes independent.⁸
30 JunBrazil beat Germany 2–0 in the World Cup final.⁸
1 JulThe International Criminal Court comes into being.⁸
AugFloods across Central Europe: Prague, Dresden, the Danube.⁹
12 OctBombs in two nightclubs on Bali kill 202.⁸

Everyday & prices

2002A Semmel costs 25 cents; a litre of milk 74 cents.¹⁰
2002A kleiner Brauner averages €1.95, a half-litre beer €2.80.¹⁰
2002Premium petrol averages €0.84 a litre, diesel €0.72.¹¹

Culture

MayEurovision: Manuel Ortega finishes 18th for Austria.¹²
18 Jul–7 AugProfessor Kaiser's "Was is mit du?" is number one.¹³
29 Aug–25 SepHerbert Grönemeyer's "Mensch" tops the chart for four weeks.¹³
26 Sep–18 Dec"The Ketchup Song" is number one for twelve weeks.¹³
11 NovORF 1 starts the casting show "Starmania".¹⁴
19 Dec"Der Steuersong", a satire on the chancellor, goes to number one.¹³

Sources (14)

2003

Lotte 55

The hottest summer on record. Her granddaughter Leyla, four, learns to swim in the lake, with the old boatman Hias standing in the water beside her.

Her 2003: 20 September 2027

At the lake

18 MayLinz opens the Lentos art museum on the Danube, inaugurated by President Klestil.¹
SepThe state sells its remaining voestalpine shares on the stock exchange: the Linz steelworks is private.²
28 SepUpper Austria votes: ÖVP 43.4, SPÖ 38.3 per cent.³
23 OctUpper Austria forms Austria's first ÖVP–Green state government.³

Austria

27 JanHermann Maier wins the super-G at Kitzbühel, his comeback after the 2001 crash.⁴
spring"Starmania" final: Michael Tschuggnall wins, Christina Stürmer second.⁵
3 JunUnions strike nationwide in almost every sector against the pension reform.⁶
Jun–AugAustria's hottest summer since measurements began, nearly 3 °C above average.⁷
2003Graz is European Capital of Culture, the first Austrian city to hold the title.⁸

The world

1 FebSpace shuttle Columbia breaks apart on re-entry.⁹
20 MarThe invasion of Iraq begins; Baghdad falls on 9 April.⁹
Jul–AugEurope's heat wave: around 70,000 deaths, 14,000 in France.¹⁰
14 AugBlackout in the north-east US and Canada; 50 million without power.⁹
24 OctConcorde makes its last commercial flight.⁹
13 DecSaddam Hussein is captured near Tikrit.⁹

Everyday & prices

31 MayAn inland letter costs 51 cents.¹¹
2003Premium petrol averages €0.864 a litre.¹²

Culture

3 Apr–4 JunChristina Stürmer's "Ich lebe" is number one for nine weeks.¹³
MayEurovision: Alf Poier's "Weil der Mensch zählt" comes sixth for Austria.¹⁴
3 Jul–24 Sep"Ab in den Süden" ("Off to the south") is number one all summer, twelve weeks.¹³
27 NovStürmer's "Mama Ana Ahabak" goes to number one for eight weeks.¹³
2003In the US, digital cameras outsell film cameras for the first time.¹⁵

Sources (15)

2004

Lotte 56

Hias, the boatman, dies in March in his chair in the boathouse. In October her aunt Resi dies and leaves her a shoebox of photos from 1966.

Her 2004: 27 September 2027

At the lake

MayLenzing, the fibre works on the Ager below the lake, buys Tencel and becomes the world's leading cellulose-fibre maker.¹
2004Upper Austria and Bavaria hold their first joint state exhibition, "Grenzenlos", at Schärding and on the Inn.²

Austria

1 JanDistance-based toll for lorries starts, paid by GO-Box on the windscreen.³
22–29 Mar627,559 sign the pensions petition.⁴
25 AprHeinz Fischer is elected federal president with 52.39 per cent.⁵
6 JulPresident Thomas Klestil dies, two days before his term ends.⁶
7 OctElfriede Jelinek of Vienna wins the Nobel Prize in Literature; she stays at home.⁷
26 Dec86 Austrians are among the dead of the Indian Ocean tsunami.⁸

The world

4 JanNASA's rover Spirit lands on Mars.⁹
11 MarBombs on commuter trains in Madrid kill about 200.⁹
1 MayThe EU takes in ten countries, among them the Czech Republic and Slovakia.⁹
13–29 AugSummer Olympics in Athens.⁹
1 SepThe school siege at Beslan begins.⁹
11 NovYasser Arafat dies.⁹

Everyday & prices

2004Premium petrol averages €0.931 a litre.¹⁰
2004A letter inside Austria costs 51 cents.¹¹

Culture

10 FebFlickr goes online; photographs start to live in public.¹²
16–22 MayChristina Stürmer's "Vorbei" is number one.¹³
MayEurovision: Tie Break's "Du bist" finishes 21st for Austria.¹⁴
20 Jun–18 SepO-Zone's "Dragostea din tei" is number one for 13 weeks.¹³
14 Nov–25 DecEric Prydz's "Call on Me" holds number one for six weeks.¹³

Sources (14)

2005

Lotte 57

2005–07. Alone at the lake, she learns to run the boat engine and shutter the house for winter. Her granddaughter Leyla, eight, plays hotel in the empty guest rooms.

Her 2005: 4 October 2027

At the lake

18 SepA diver sets an Austrian depth record of 165 m in the Attersee.¹
14 NovThe EU names Linz European Capital of Culture for 2009, with Vilnius.²

Austria

AprJörg Haider's group leaves the FPÖ and founds the BZÖ, which stays in government.³
15 MayFifty years of the State Treaty, marked at the Belvedere where it was signed.⁴
21–27 AugFloods in Tyrol and Vorarlberg cut off the Paznaun valley and wash away the Arlberg line.⁵

The world

14 FebYouTube is founded; the first video goes up on 23 April.⁶
16 FebThe Kyoto Protocol comes into force.⁶
2 AprPope John Paul II dies; Benedict XVI succeeds him on 19 April.⁶
7 JulFour suicide bombs on London's transport.⁶
29 AugHurricane Katrina hits the US Gulf Coast.⁶
8 OctEarthquake in Kashmir.⁶

Everyday & prices

2005Premium petrol averages €1.022: the first year a litre costs more than a euro.⁷
2005Diesel averages €0.941 a litre.⁷
2005A letter inside Austria still costs 51 cents.⁸

Culture

23 Jan–9 Apr"Schnappi, das kleine Krokodil", sung by a child, is number one for eleven weeks.⁹
MarYahoo buys Flickr.¹⁰
MayEurovision: Global.Kryner's "Y así" fails to reach the final.¹¹
4 Sep–15 OctTokio Hotel's "Durch den Monsun" is number one for six weeks.⁹
20 NovMadonna's "Hung Up" goes to number one for seven weeks.⁹
2005Sony Ericsson's K750 brings a two-megapixel autofocus camera to a phone.¹²

Sources (12)

2006

Lotte 58

Continued from 2005–07.

Her 2006: 11 October 2027

At the lake

27 JanMozart's 250th birthday opens the Mozart Year next door in Salzburg; the Salzkammergut fills with coaches.¹
9–12 FebSnow load collapses roofs across Upper Austria, Vöcklamarkt near the Attersee among the places hit.²
MarSabine Gasteiger from Bad Goisern wins Paralympic super-G gold in Sestriere.³
6–8 AugHeavy August rain: the Traun at Wels reaches a ten-to-twenty-year flood level.⁴
7 OctThe '5fingers' viewing platform opens on the Krippenstein above the Hallstätter See.³
2006Upper Austrian state exhibition 'Kohle und Dampf' in Ampflwang, the old coal country west of the lake.³

Austria

1 Jan – 30 JunAustria holds the EU Council presidency; Chancellor Schüssel presents its programme in Strasbourg on 18 January.⁵
10–26 FebTurin Winter Olympics: Austria wins 23 medals, nine of them gold.⁶
1 OctGeneral election; the SPÖ finishes first, in Upper Austria too.³
26 OctDigital terrestrial TV (DVB-T) starts on the National Day; about 70 % of households can receive it.⁷
21 DecAn explosion at the Chemiepark Linz kills two workers.³

The world

21 MarTwitter launches.⁸
3 JunMontenegro declares independence.⁸
9 JulItaly wins the football World Cup in Germany, final against France.⁸
24 AugAstronomers demote Pluto to a dwarf planet.⁸
9 OctGoogle buys YouTube; North Korea claims its first nuclear test the same day.⁸
30 DecSaddam Hussein is executed.⁸

Everyday & prices

FebThe sound of the winter: shovels on roofs, because the snow was heavier than the rafters were built for.²
26 OctThe roof aerial becomes a set-top box: digital TV arrives through the old antenna.⁷
2006 averageSuper petrol costs €1.088 a litre, diesel €1.008 (ÖAMTC annual averages).⁹

Culture

12 May & SepChristina Stürmer reaches number one twice, with 'Nie genug' and 'Um bei dir zu sein'.¹⁰
26 May – 3 AugGnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' is number one in Austria for ten weeks, the whole summer.¹⁰
3 Nov – 14 DecSilbermond's 'Das Beste' holds number one for six weeks.¹⁰
19 NovNintendo's Wii goes on sale (US launch); PlayStation 3 on 11 November.⁸

Sources (10)

2007

Lotte 59

Continued from 2005–07.

Her 2007: 18 October 2027

At the lake

Winter 2006/07A winter that hardly earns the name: very little wintry weather anywhere in Austria.¹
18–19 JanStorm Kyrill cuts a trail of damage across Upper Austria.²
22 JanLaakirchen, the paper-mill town near Gmunden, is granted town status.²
30 SepDaniel Glattauer's 'Gut gegen Nordwind' premieres on stage in Linz.²
21 DecSchengen reaches the Czech border: no more passport checks at Upper Austrian crossings such as Wullowitz.³
2007Vöcklabruck, the Attersee's district town, hosts the Upper Austrian garden show (Landesgartenschau).²

Austria

11 JanA new SPÖ–ÖVP grand coalition is sworn in under Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer.⁴
5 MarEight die when a helicopter and a light aircraft collide near Zell am See.⁴
14 JunFormer President Kurt Waldheim dies, aged 88.⁴
21 JunAustropop singer Georg Danzer dies, aged 60.⁴
4 JulSalzburg loses the 2014 Winter Olympics in the first IOC round; Sochi wins.⁵
26 NovT-Mobile announces it will bring the iPhone to Austria the following spring.⁶

The world

1 JanBulgaria and Romania join the EU; Slovenia adopts the euro.⁷
6 MayNicolas Sarkozy is elected President of France.⁷
29 JunThe iPhone goes on sale in the United States.⁷
9 AugBNP Paribas blocks withdrawals from three funds: the credit crisis begins.⁷
27 DecBenazir Bhutto is assassinated at a rally in Rawalpindi.⁷

Everyday & prices

JanThe sound of Kyrill: a night of wind on the windows, then chainsaws in the morning.²
21 DecThe barrier at the Czech border stays up in the photos and down in real life: drive straight through.⁸
2007 averageSuper petrol €1.113 a litre, diesel €1.030.⁹

Culture

9 JanSteve Jobs announces the iPhone at Macworld.⁷
16 Feb – 10 MayDJ Ötzi & Nik P.'s 'Ein Stern (… der deinen Namen trägt)' holds number one for twelve weeks.¹⁰
22 Jun – 26 JulRihanna's 'Umbrella' is number one for four weeks in a wet-weather summer.¹⁰
30 Nov'Apologize' (Timbaland/OneRepublic) begins eight weeks at number one.¹⁰

Sources (10)

2008

Lotte 60

She turns sixty. The family tries to sell the house for the first time. In December the buyer pulls out: the financial crisis has stopped his bank lending.

Her 2008: 25 October 2027

At the lake

12 JanThe renovated Dachstein cable car to the Krippenstein reopens.¹
1 MarStorm Emma hits Upper Austria with gusts up to 183 km/h.¹
24 MarLast run of the old Pöstlingbergbahn in Linz; new trams are to reach the Hauptplatz.¹
26 MarMultiple pile-up on the Westautobahn near Mondsee.¹
31 DecLinz opens its year as European Capital of Culture 2009.¹
2008The Upper Austrian state exhibition is devoted to the Salzkammergut itself.¹

Austria

24 Feb'Die Fälscher' wins the Oscar for best foreign-language film, Austria's first in that category.²
14 MarThe iPhone reaches Austria through T-Mobile; the 8 GB model costs €399.³
29 JunEuro 2008 final in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion: Spain beats Germany 1–0.⁴
28 SepSnap general election after the coalition collapsed on 7 July.⁵
11 OctJörg Haider dies in a car crash near Klagenfurt.⁵
2 DecWerner Faymann becomes Chancellor of a renewed grand coalition.⁵

The world

17 FebKosovo declares independence.⁶
12 MayThe Sichuan earthquake in China.⁶
8 AugThe Beijing Olympics open; war between Russia and Georgia begins the day before.⁶
15 SepLehman Brothers files for bankruptcy.⁶
4 NovBarack Obama is elected US President.⁶

Everyday & prices

14 MarA phone for €399 plus a €49 activation fee: the iPhone price everyone quotes.³
10 JulApple opens the App Store.⁶
2008 averageDiesel (€1.245) costs more than super petrol (€1.221) for the first time in the ÖAMTC series.⁷

Culture

7 Mar – 17 AprSchnuffel's 'Kuschel Song' holds number one for six weeks.⁸
18 Apr – 5 JunDuffy's 'Mercy' is number one for seven weeks.⁸
20 Jun – 28 AugKid Rock's 'All Summer Long' is number one for ten weeks.⁸
23 SepThe first Android phone, the HTC Dream, is released.⁶

Sources (8)

2009

Lotte 61

She buys ten school notebooks at the village shop and starts writing things down: the accounts first, then the weather, then everything else.

Her 2009: 1 November 2027

At the lake

1 JanLinz becomes European Capital of Culture for the whole year.¹
JanThe enlarged Ars Electronica Center opens in Linz-Urfahr.²
27 AprGroundbreaking for the Linz Musiktheater.²
27 SepUpper Austrian state election; Josef Pühringer stays governor.³
16 NovThe Linz mail-order house Quelle goes insolvent.²
12 DecThe Lambach–Haag am Hausruck local railway ('Haager Lies') runs for the last time.²

Austria

1 AprThe 'Ökoprämie' starts: €1,500 for scrapping an old car, capped at 30,000 cars.⁴
2 MayAn avalanche near Sölden kills six.³
24 AugSki legend Toni Sailer dies, aged 73.³
20 OctStudents occupy the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna; the 'Uni brennt' protests spread.³
14 DecThe Republic takes over Hypo Group Alpe Adria overnight, buying the shares for one euro each.⁵

The world

15 JanA US Airways jet lands on the Hudson; all 155 aboard survive.⁶
20 JanBarack Obama is sworn in.⁶
6 AprThe L'Aquila earthquake in Italy kills 308.⁶
11 JunThe WHO declares H1N1 swine flu a pandemic.⁶
25 JunMichael Jackson dies.⁶
1 DecThe Lisbon Treaty enters into force.⁶

Everyday & prices

Apr–DecOld cars to the shredder for €1,500; the scrapyards cannot keep up.⁴
12 DecA last whistle on the Hausruck: another little local line closes.²
2009 averageDiesel drops below a euro (€0.997); super petrol €1.062.⁷

Culture

3 JanThe first bitcoin block is mined.⁶
6 Mar – 28 MayLady Gaga's 'Poker Face' holds number one for twelve weeks.⁸
17 MayMinecraft is first released to the public.⁶
3 Jul – 20 AugEmilíana Torrini's 'Jungle Drum' is the summer number one, seven weeks.⁸

Sources (8)

2010sLotte 62–71 · 10 years

2010

Lotte 62

A volcano in Iceland grounds flights across Europe. Her daughter-in-law and grandchildren come from Madrid by train instead: thirty hours.

Her 2010: 8 November 2027

At the lake

MarSabine Gasteiger from Bad Goisern wins Paralympic slalom gold in Vancouver.¹
16 AprVolcanic ash from Iceland: Austro Control closes Linz and Vienna airports; Salzburg follows that evening.²
25 AprPresidential election: 79.31 % of Upper Austrian voters back Heinz Fischer.¹
27 AprState exhibition 'Renaissance & Reformation' opens at Schloss Parz near Grieskirchen.¹
7 JulGustav Mahler's 150th birthday; he composed in a hut at Steinbach am Attersee in the summers 1893–96.³
1 SepFranz Welser-Möst from Linz becomes music director of the Vienna State Opera.¹

Austria

18 AprEvery Austrian airport is closed by the ash cloud.⁴
25 AprHeinz Fischer is re-elected Federal President.⁵
17 JunHans Dichand, co-founder and publisher of the Neue Kronen Zeitung (1958), dies in Vienna aged 89.⁵
1 SepThe needs-based minimum income (Mindestsicherung) starts in Vienna, Lower Austria and Salzburg.⁶
10 OctVienna state election.⁵
28 DecAgathe von Trapp, eldest of the singing Trapp children, dies aged 97.⁵

The world

12 JanEarthquake in Haiti near Port-au-Prince.⁷
20 AprThe Deepwater Horizon rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico.⁷
2 MayEurozone and IMF agree a €110 billion rescue for Greece.⁷
11 JulSpain wins the World Cup in South Africa.⁷
28 NovWikiLeaks begins publishing US diplomatic cables.⁷
17 DecA street vendor's self-immolation in Tunisia sparks what becomes the Arab Spring.⁷

Everyday & prices

3 AprThe first iPad goes on sale.⁷
AprA sky with no contrails for days; departure boards in red.²
2010 averagePetrol climbs back to €1.218 a litre, diesel €1.132.⁸

Culture

22 Jan – 25 MarKesha's 'TiK ToK' is number one for nine weeks.⁹
26 Mar – 29 AprStromae's 'Alors on danse' is number one during the ash-cloud weeks.⁹
25 Jun – 5 AugShakira's World Cup song 'Waka Waka' holds number one for six weeks.⁹
6 OctInstagram launches, iPhone only, square photos.⁷
12 – 18 NovDialect rap: Trackshittaz's 'Oida taunz!' reaches number one.⁹

Sources (9)

2011

Lotte 63

Her son Ferdinand opens a piano repair workshop in Vienna. She visits and sees him happy. A Klimt painting of the lake sells for 40 million dollars.

Her 2011: 15 November 2027

At the lake

1 JanFranz Welser-Möst from Linz conducts the Vienna New Year's Concert.¹
27 JunPrehistoric pile dwellings become UNESCO World Heritage, including Attersee sites at Abtsdorf and Litzlberg.²
13 AugLinz tram line 3 is extended to Leonding.¹
23 AugUpper Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner summits K2: first woman on all 14 eight-thousanders without oxygen.¹
2 NovKlimt's 'Litzlberg am Attersee', restituted by a Salzburg museum, sells in New York for $40.4 million.³
11 DecThe private WESTbahn starts Vienna–Salzburg trains, stopping at Attnang-Puchheim.⁴

Austria

JunAnalogue terrestrial TV ends; DVB-T now reaches 97.7 % of the population.⁵
16 JulOtto Habsburg's funeral in Vienna: requiem in the Stephansdom, about 100,000 in the streets.⁶
16 JulORF broadcasts the funeral live for six hours.⁶
14 Oct – 17 NovHubert von Goisern's 'Brenna tuats guat' is number one for five weeks.⁷
DecParliament changes the anthem to 'Heimat großer Töchter und Söhne', in force 1 January 2012.⁸

The world

11 FebHosni Mubarak resigns in Egypt.⁹
11 MarEarthquake and tsunami in Japan; the Fukushima nuclear emergency.⁹
29 AprPrince William marries Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey.⁹
2 MayOsama bin Laden is killed in Pakistan.⁹
9 JulSouth Sudan becomes independent.⁹
DecKim Jong-il dies; Liechtenstein joins Schengen.⁹

Everyday & prices

JunThe last snow on the analogue screen: old TVs without a box go dark.⁵
11 DecA second, cheaper train on the Westbahn: Vienna to Salzburg in just under three hours.⁴
2011 averagePetrol €1.379 a litre, diesel €1.344, the dearest yet.¹⁰

Culture

28 JanTrackshittaz's 'Guuugarutz' reaches number one.⁷
MarFujifilm ships the X100, a digital camera dressed as a rangefinder.¹¹
24 Jun – 11 AugAlexandra Stan's 'Mr. Saxobeat' is the summer number one, seven weeks.⁷
14 Oct'Brenna tuats guat', Salzkammergut dialect about burning money, tops the Austrian chart.¹²

Sources (12)

2012

Lotte 64

Her grandson Konstantin, sixteen, spends July going through the house's bills. He leaves her a spreadsheet of what it costs.

Her 2012: 22 November 2027

At the lake

19 MarThe OÖ Kulturquartier opens in Linz.¹
24 MayUpper Austria decides to close ten of its 28 district courts.¹
JunA full-scale copy of Hallstatt opens in Boluo, Guangdong, built by China Minmetals.²
14 JulThe Gustav Klimt Centre opens in Kammer am Attersee on Klimt's 150th birthday.¹
5–7 SepThe Machland flood dam on the Danube is opened at Mitterkirchen.¹

Austria

1 JanThe new anthem text with 'Töchter' takes effect.³
27 Jul – 12 AugLondon Olympics: Austria wins no medal, the first time since 1964.⁴
SepHandbiker Walter Ablinger from Upper Austria wins Paralympic gold in London.¹
14 OctSalzburg-born Felix Baumgartner jumps from 38,969 m and breaks the sound barrier in free fall.⁵

The world

13 JanThe Costa Concordia runs aground off Giglio.⁶
19 JanKodak files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.⁷
4 JulCERN announces a particle consistent with the Higgs boson.⁶
6 AugNASA's Curiosity rover lands on Mars.⁶
6 NovBarack Obama is re-elected.⁶

Everyday & prices

3 AprInstagram arrives on Android: square, orange-filtered family photos everywhere.⁸
AugCoaches at Hallstatt: visitors come to see the original of a copy.²
2012 averagePetrol €1.454, diesel €1.408: the most expensive fuel year until 2022.⁹

Culture

13 – 26 JanGotye's 'Somebody That I Used to Know' tops the chart.¹⁰
27 Jan – 29 MarMichel Teló's 'Ai Se Eu Te Pego!' is number one for eight weeks.¹⁰
31 Aug – 11 OctAsaf Avidan's 'One Day / Reckoning Song' holds number one for six weeks.¹⁰
12 OctPsy's 'Gangnam Style' reaches number one, four weeks in all.¹⁰

Sources (10)

2013

Lotte 65

She stops colouring her hair and lets the grey come in. The north roof over the guest rooms gives way. In June floods close the lake to boats.

Her 2013: 29 November 2027

At the lake

11 AprThe new Musiktheater in Linz is opened by President Heinz Fischer.¹
2 JunUp to 120 mm of rain in a day around Weißenbach am Attersee.²
2–5 JunFlooding across Upper Austria; the Ager embankments at Attnang-Puchheim are damaged.³
4 JunThe Vöcklabruck district bans all boats on the Attersee; ferries stop, debris on the water.⁴
29 SepGeneral election: in Upper Austria SPÖ 27.2 %, ÖVP 25.4 %, FPÖ 21.4 %.³
7 NovLinz mayor Franz Dobusch resigns; Klaus Luger succeeds him.³

Austria

20 JanReferendum: 59.7 % vote to keep conscription and civilian service.⁵
3 JunAt Passau, just over the border, the Danube reaches 12.89 m.⁶
8 Aug40.5 °C at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg: Austria's first reading above 40 degrees.⁷

The world

15 FebA meteor explodes over Chelyabinsk.⁸
28 FebPope Benedict XVI's resignation takes effect; Francis is elected on 13 March.⁸
15 AprBombs at the Boston Marathon.⁸
24 AprThe Savar building collapse in Bangladesh kills 1,134 garment workers.⁸
6 JunThe first Snowden revelations are published.⁸
1 JulCroatia joins the EU.⁸

Everyday & prices

4–11 JunNo engines on the lake for a week: only rain and the sirens across the water.⁴
Nov'Selfie' is Oxford's word of the year.⁹
2013 averagePetrol €1.395, diesel €1.356.¹⁰

Culture

15 Feb – 7 MarAndreas Gabalier's 'Go for Gold' is number one for three weeks.¹¹
12 AprPhilip Glass's Handke opera 'Spuren der Verirrten' opens the Linz Musiktheater.¹
31 May – 13 JunDaft Punk's 'Get Lucky' tops the chart during the flood.¹¹
12 Jul – 12 SepAvicii's 'Wake Me Up' is number one for nine weeks.¹¹

Sources (11)

2014

Lotte 66

2014–15. Her grandson Konstantin finishes school and leaves to study economics. In 2015 refugees arriving in Austria are housed in tents near the lake.

Her 2014: 6 December 2027

At the lake

28 JunThe Naturfreunde open a new Traunstein hut.¹
4 JulA new lake station (Seebahnhof) opens in Gmunden.¹
13 JulThe new Grünberg cable car opens in Gmunden.¹
Jul – 5 OctBad Ischl shows 'Der 28. Juli 1914': the war declaration was signed there a hundred years before.²
24 OctThe rebuilt Attnang-Puchheim station, the lake's rail gateway, is opened.¹

Austria

7–23 FebSochi Winter Olympics.³
10 MayConchita Wurst wins Eurovision in Copenhagen with 'Rise Like a Phoenix', Austria's first win since 1966.⁴
2 AugNational Council President Barbara Prammer dies.¹
Dec2014 is the warmest year in Austria's measurement history so far.⁵
21 DecUdo Jürgens, who won Eurovision for Austria in 1966, dies aged 80.⁶

The world

1 JanLatvia adopts the euro.³
8 MarMalaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappears.³
21 MarRussia formally annexes Crimea.³
29 JunISIL declares a caliphate.³
13 JulGermany beats Argentina 1–0 in the World Cup final.³
17 JulMH17 is shot down over eastern Ukraine.³

Everyday & prices

24 OctA new glass station at Attnang-Puchheim; the old platforms are gone.¹
2014 averagePetrol €1.345, diesel €1.296, falling for the second year.⁷
2014A year without a real winter or a cold month: the warmest on record.⁵

Culture

7 – 27 FebHelene Fischer's 'Atemlos durch die Nacht' is number one for three weeks.⁸
28 Feb – 20 MarPharrell Williams' 'Happy' is number one.⁸
23 – 29 May'Rise Like a Phoenix' is number one in Austria for a week.⁸
26 DecHozier's 'Take Me to Church' begins eight weeks at number one.⁸

Sources (8)

2015

Lotte 67

Continued from 2014–15.

Her 2015: 13 December 2027

At the lake

26 MarKarl Moik, longtime host of the 'Musikantenstadl', dies.¹
14 JunKurt Römer, founder of the Fotomuseum Bad Ischl, dies.¹
Jul–AugTents for asylum seekers at the Thalham reception centre in St. Georgen im Attergau; the municipality protests.²
27 SepUpper Austrian state election: ÖVP 36.4 %, FPÖ above 30 % for the first time.³
23 OctPühringer re-elected governor in Linz, with the first ÖVP–FPÖ working agreement in the state.¹
2015Bad Ischl hosts the Upper Austrian garden show 'Des Kaisers neue Gärten'.¹

Austria

23 MayEurovision final in the Wiener Stadthalle: Sweden wins; host Austria scores zero points.⁴
14 JulThe Iran nuclear agreement is concluded in Vienna after talks at the Palais Coburg.⁵
1 SepAbout 20,000 Viennese bring water, fruit and clothes to the Westbahnhof for arriving refugees.⁶

The world

1 JanLithuania adopts the euro.⁷
7 JanAttack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris.⁷
24 MarGermanwings flight 9525 crashes in the French Alps.⁷
25 AprEarthquake in Nepal.⁷
14 JulNew Horizons flies past Pluto.⁷
13 NovCoordinated attacks in Paris kill 130; on 12 Dec nearly 200 countries agree the Paris climate pact.⁷

Everyday & prices

18 SepThe Volkswagen emissions scandal breaks.⁷
SepApplause on a railway platform: trains of refugees arriving in Vienna.⁶
2015 averagePetrol falls to €1.195 a litre, diesel €1.110.⁸

Culture

17 Apr – 28 May'See You Again' (Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth) holds number one for six weeks.⁹
5 – 18 JunMåns Zelmerlöw's winning 'Heroes' is number one in Austria for two weeks.⁹
4 – 10 SepRaoul Haspel's 'Schweigeminute (Traiskirchen)' reaches number one.⁹
27 NovSeiler und Speer's dialect song 'Ham kummst' reaches number one, six weeks in all.⁹

Sources (9)

2016

Lotte 68

Her son's marriage ends. His wife Shirin moves to Madrid and takes their daughter Leyla, seventeen. In December Lotte writes Leyla her first monthly letter.

Her 2016: 20 December 2027

At the lake

25–31 JulTwo dugout canoes carved from Unterach firs on the Seewalchen promenade.¹
6 AugThe dugouts are launched and raced at the Attersee World Heritage festival.¹
2016The little Atterseebahn gets low-floor trains.²
2016First Gustav Mahler Festival in Steinbach; a lake ship is renamed after the composer.³

Austria

1 JanCash-register and receipt obligation for businesses takes effect (Registrierkassen- und Belegerteilungspflicht).⁴
24 AprPresidential election, first round.⁵
9 MayChancellor Faymann resigns; Christian Kern takes over on 17 May.⁶
22 MayPresidential run-off.⁵
1 JulThe Constitutional Court annuls the presidential run-off.⁵
12 SepThe re-run is postponed: the postal envelopes will not stay glued.⁵

The world

23 JunBritain votes to leave the EU, 51.9 to 48.1.⁷
5–21 AugOlympics in Rio; Austria sends 68 athletes.⁶
8 NovDonald Trump is elected US president.⁸

Everyday & prices

from 01 JanEvery baker must now print a receipt, even for one bread roll.⁴
2016The motorway sticker costs €85.70 and is mandarin orange.⁹
2016Inflation: 0.9 per cent. Prices barely move.¹⁰

Culture

14 MayEurovision on her 68th birthday: Austria's Zoë sings in French and comes 13th.¹¹
6 JulPokémon Go: people start walking around looking at their phones.¹²
2016"Ham kummst" by Seiler und Speer, in dialect, is No. 1 for six weeks.¹³
2016Alan Walker, "Faded", No. 1 for 12 weeks, the longest run of the year.¹³
2016Pizzera & Jaus, "Jedermann", No. 1 for 2 weeks.¹³

Sources (13)

2017

Lotte 69

Her first full year alone in the house. She learns to use a smartphone, badly. In December she joins the lake's winter swimmers.

Her 2017: 27 December 2027

At the lake

JanJanuary is one of the two coldest in thirty years.¹
AprUpper Austria gets a new governor after 22 years: Thomas Stelzer.²
18 AugA summer storm tears down a festival tent in the Innviertel; two people die.³

Austria

26 JanVan der Bellen is sworn in as president.⁴
18–26 MarSpecial Olympics World Winter Games in Graz and Schladming.²
1 JunAlois Mock dies, the foreign minister who cut the Iron Curtain wire with Hungary in 1989.²
1 OctBan on face coverings in public comes into force.²
15 OctGeneral election; the ÖVP comes first.⁵
18 DecSebastian Kurz, 31, becomes chancellor.²

The world

20 JanTrump is inaugurated in Washington.⁶
7 MayMacron is elected president of France.⁷
Oct#MeToo spreads around the world.⁸

Everyday & prices

15 JunRoaming charges end: a call from Madrid costs the same as from Vienna.⁹
2017Inflation: 2.1 per cent.¹⁰
2017The motorway sticker is turquoise; the public voted for the colour.¹¹

Culture

13 MayEurovision in Kyiv: Nathan Trent, "Running on Air", 16th for Austria.¹²
3 NovThe iPhone X unlocks with your face.¹³
2017"Despacito" is No. 1 for sixteen weeks.¹⁴
2017A Falco compilation is No. 1; he would have been sixty.¹⁴
2017Wanda, "Columbo", No. 1 single.¹⁴

Sources (14)

2018

Lotte 70

She turns seventy and wants no party. In June the roofer climbs up and comes down with a price she cannot pay.

Her 2018: 3 January 2028

At the lake

Apr–SepThe warmest summer half-year in Upper Austria since 1767.¹
9 Aug37.3 °C at Enns, the hottest reading of the summer.²
1 SepGmunden's tram is linked through to Vorchdorf.³
DecIn December the Attersee sinks to its lowest level ever measured.⁴
2018Warmest year in Austria's measurement history, 1.8 °C above average (ZAMG).⁵

Austria

9–25 FebMarcel Hirscher wins two Olympic golds.⁶
24 MayMichael Ludwig succeeds Michael Häupl as mayor of Vienna.⁷
1 Jul–31 DecAustria chairs the EU Council for six months.⁸
1 SepLaw allowing a 12-hour working day comes into force.⁷
10 NovThe House of Austrian History opens in the Hofburg.⁹
12 NovThe Republic turns one hundred.¹⁰

The world

25 MayGDPR: every website starts asking about cookies.¹¹
14 Jun–15 JulFrance wins the World Cup in Russia.¹²
SepKodak ships Ektachrome E100 slide film again.¹³

Everyday & prices

summerDrought: parts of Upper Austria get a third of their usual rain.²
2018Annual vignette €87.30 (derived: the 2019 price of €89.20 was €1.90 higher).¹⁴
2018Inflation: 2.0 per cent.¹⁵

Culture

12 MayTwo days before her 70th, Austria comes third at Eurovision.¹⁶
2018Dynoro & Gigi D'Agostino, "In My Mind", No. 1 for 8 weeks.¹⁷
2018Conchita sings with the Vienna Symphony; the album is No. 1.¹⁷
2018Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, "Shallow", No. 1 for 4 weeks.¹⁷

Sources (17)

2019

Lotte 71

Her granddaughter Leyla, nineteen, comes for a week and stays all summer. Lotte gives her the family pearl earrings and an old camera.

Her 2019: 10 January 2028

At the lake

4–15 JanHeavy snow cuts off Hallstatt; for days it is reachable only by train and boat.¹
JanAvalanche blasting closes the Salzkammergut railway.¹

Austria

1 JanSame-sex marriage becomes legal.²
20 Feb–03 MarNordic World Ski Championships in Seefeld, Tyrol.²
17–18 MayThe Ibiza video is published; the government falls within days.³
20 MayNiki Lauda dies, aged seventy.²
27–28 MayGovernment loses a no-confidence vote and is dismissed.²
3 JunBrigitte Bierlein becomes Austria's first woman chancellor.²

The world

15 AprNotre-Dame burns; the spire falls.⁴
26 AprThe Austrian and German central banks stop issuing €500 notes.⁵
20 SepMillions of schoolchildren strike for the climate.⁶

Everyday & prices

1 NovSmoking is banned in every café and Wirtshaus.²
2019The motorway sticker is lemon yellow, €89.20.⁷
2019Inflation: 1.5 per cent.⁸

Culture

MayEurovision in Tel Aviv: Paenda, "Limits", out in the semi-final (17th).⁹
SepPhones learn to see in the dark.¹⁰
2019"Dance Monkey" is No. 1 for twelve weeks.¹¹
2019Lil Nas X, "Old Town Road", 6 weeks.¹¹
2019No. 1 albums by Bilderbuch, Wanda ("Ciao!"), Rainhard Fendrich ("Starkregen").¹¹

Sources (11)

2020sLotte 72–78 · 7 years

2020

Lotte 72

2020–21. During the pandemic she locks the gate; a neighbour leaves groceries on the wall. In the evenings she writes down her life, starting with 1966.

Her 2020: 17 January 2028

At the lake

late JulA Covid cluster among hotel interns at St. Wolfgang, the next lake over.¹
4–05 AugAugust flood: the Salzkammergut lakes hold the water back and spare the Ager.²
25 AugWolfgangsee region reports "business as usual" again after the cluster.³

Austria

7 JanÖVP–Greens government sworn in, the Greens' first time in federal government.⁴
25 FebFirst two Covid cases confirmed, in Innsbruck.⁵
16 MarAustria's first lockdown begins on 16 March.⁶
6 AprMasks become compulsory in supermarkets.⁷
13 SepDominic Thiem wins the US Open.⁸
2 NovTerror attack in Vienna's 1st district.⁹

The world

31 JanBritain leaves the EU.¹⁰
11 MarThe WHO declares a pandemic.¹¹
3 NovJoe Biden is elected US president.¹²

Everyday & prices

1 JanPlastic shopping bags are banned.¹³
2020The motorway sticker is sky blue, €91.10.¹⁴
2020Inflation averages 1.4 per cent.¹⁵

Culture

MarEurovision is cancelled for the first time ever.¹⁶
2020"Blinding Lights" plays every hour.¹⁷
2020Andreas Gabalier's Christmas album No. 1 for 5 weeks into January.¹⁷
2020Families meet as small squares on laptop screens.¹⁸

Sources (18)

2021

Lotte 73

Continued from 2020–21.

Her 2021: 24 January 2028

At the lake

17 JulA flash flood runs through the old town of Hallein.¹
28–30 AugLinz opens its new Danube bridge.²
26 OctOne ticket now covers every train and bus in Austria.³

Austria

26 JunAustria loses to Italy in extra time at Wembley.⁴
9 OctChancellor Kurz resigns.⁵
11 OctAlexander Schallenberg sworn in as chancellor.⁵
22 NovA fourth lockdown begins on 22 November.⁶
6 DecKarl Nehammer sworn in as chancellor, the third in two months.⁷

The world

6 JanThe US Capitol is stormed.⁸
23–29 MarA container ship blocks the Suez Canal for six days.⁹
23 Jul–08 AugThe Tokyo Olympics take place without spectators.¹⁰
15 AugThe Taliban take Kabul.¹¹

Everyday & prices

1 JulA QR code on the phone becomes the ticket to a café.¹²
26 OctThe Klimaticket costs €1,095 a year; €821 for seniors.³
2021Vignette apple green.¹³
2021Inflation: 2.8 per cent.¹⁴

Culture

MayEurovision in Rotterdam: Vincent Bueno, "Amen", out in the semi-final.¹⁵
2021A sea shanty, "Wellerman", is No. 1 for eleven weeks.¹⁶
2021Olivia Rodrigo, "Drivers License", 3 weeks.¹⁶
2021RAF Camora, the Austrian with the most No. 1 singles at home, tops the albums with "Zukunft".¹⁶

Sources (16)

2022

Lotte 74

For the first time the roof leaks into the ballroom, and a bucket stands on the parquet floor. In September her granddaughter Leyla moves to Barcelona.

Her 2022: 31 January 2028

At the lake

11 NovTwo new stops open on the Atterseebahn.¹

Austria

5 FebA Covid vaccine mandate takes effect, and is suspended within weeks.²
10 MarDiesel passes two euros a litre.³
SepEvery adult gets €500 against the rising prices.⁴
9 OctVan der Bellen is re-elected in the first round.⁵
1 DecElectricity price brake: 2,900 kWh a year per household at a pre-crisis price.⁶

The world

24 FebRussia invades Ukraine.⁷
8 SepQueen Elizabeth II dies.⁸
18 DecArgentina wins the World Cup in Qatar.⁹

Everyday & prices

MarFuel prices up 50.7 per cent on a year earlier, diesel 55 per cent.¹⁰
2022The motorway sticker is apricot-coloured, €93.80.¹¹
2022Inflation: 8.6 per cent. Gas bills double.¹²

Culture

MayEurovision in Turin: Lumix feat. Pia Maria, "Halo", out in the semi-final.¹³
30 NovChatGPT is released.¹⁴
2022"Layla", a beer-tent song, is No. 1 for eight weeks.¹⁵
2022Rammstein, "Zeit", No. 1 album for 8 weeks.¹⁵

Sources (15)

2023

Lotte 75

A tarpaulin covers the leaking ballroom roof. Her granddaughter Leyla visits for four days in August with a camera from a flea market.

Her 2023: 7 February 2028

At the lake

MayHallstatt puts up a fence to stop selfie crowds.¹
27 AugHallstatt residents protest against mass tourism.²
10 OctLinz steelworks breaks ground for an electric furnace.³

Austria

JunSPÖ party conference: after a counting error is found, Andreas Babler is declared chairman instead of the announced winner.⁴
JunVienna is the world's most liveable city again.⁵
30 JunThe last Covid rules end on 30 June.⁶

The world

6 FebEarthquakes devastate Turkey and Syria.⁷
6 MayCharles III is crowned.⁸
21 Jul"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" open the same weekend.⁹
7 OctHamas attack on Israel.¹⁰

Everyday & prices

2023The motorway sticker is purple, €96.40.¹¹
2023Inflation: 7.8 per cent.¹²
2023Electricity price brake continues (until 30 Jun 2024).¹³

Culture

13 MayEurovision in Liverpool: Teya & Salena, "Who the Hell Is Edgar?", 15th.¹⁴
NovA last Beatles song, "Now and Then", is No. 1.¹⁵
2023"Flowers" by Miley Cyrus is No. 1 for eleven weeks.¹⁵
2023The Rolling Stones release a new album, No. 1 for four weeks.¹⁵

Sources (15)

2024

Lotte 76

On the drive home from a concert, her granddaughter Leyla asks why she never went back to the sea. Lotte's answer: the house.

Her 2024: 14 February 2028

At the lake

20 JanThe Salzkammergut opens its year as European Capital of Culture, in frost.¹
MayThe Attersee flagship MS Stadt Vöcklabruck (the "Klimt ship") gets a new interior.²
4 SepUpper Austria celebrates Bruckner's 200th birthday.³
8–16 SepVb weather system: 160–420 mm of rain in Upper Austria.⁴
17 SepThe rising Attersee is closed to boats for days.⁵
22 NovCapital of Culture closes: 824,518 visitors, 314 projects.⁶

Austria

1 JanThe TV licence becomes a household levy, €15.30 a month.⁷
2 JulAustria tops its Euro group, then loses to Türkiye.⁸
7 AugThree stadium concerts in Vienna are cancelled after a terror plot.⁹
15 SepLower Austria is declared a disaster zone in the floods.¹⁰
29 SepNational Council election.¹¹

The world

26 Jul–11 AugOlympics in Paris.¹²
mid-SepStorm Boris floods Central Europe.¹⁰
5 NovDonald Trump elected US president a second time.¹³

Everyday & prices

30 JunElectricity price brake ends.¹⁴
2024The motorway sticker price is frozen for once.¹⁵
2024Inflation falls to 2.9 per cent.¹⁶

Culture

MayEurovision in Malmö: Kaleen, "We Will Rave", 24th.¹⁷
2024Artemas, "I Like the Way You Kiss Me", No. 1 for 12 weeks.¹⁸
2024Taylor Swift, "The Tortured Poets Department", No. 1 album for 6 weeks.¹⁸
2024Bruckner's symphonies on the radio all year.³

Sources (18)

2025

Lotte 77

From June letters arrive from her granddaughter Leyla, who is travelling along the same coast Lotte saw in 1966.

Her 2025: 21 February 2028

At the lake

24 SepWork starts on a €22 million flood defence for the Attergau.¹

Austria

1 JanA 25-cent deposit on plastic bottles and cans.²
12 FebFPÖ–ÖVP coalition talks collapse.³
3 MarA three-party government is sworn in, five months after the election.³
1 MayPhones are banned in schools up to age fourteen.⁴
17 MayJJ wins Eurovision for Austria with "Wasted Love".⁵
10 JunSchool shooting in Graz.⁶

The world

20 JanDonald Trump's second inauguration.⁷
21 AprPope Francis dies on Easter Monday.⁸
8 MayLeo XIV becomes the first American pope.⁹

Everyday & prices

1 JanEmpty bottles go back to the shop: 25 cents each, deposit logo on the label.²
2025The motorway sticker passes €100 for the first time.¹⁰
2025Electricity prices jump by more than a third.¹¹

Culture

2025A dialect song, "Wackelkontakt", is No. 1 for nine weeks.¹²
2025"Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters" No. 1 for 7 weeks.¹²
2025JJ's "Wasted Love" No. 1 for 2 weeks after Basel.¹²

Sources (12)

2026

Lotte 78

The ballroom is closed because the roof leaks. In November she writes to her granddaughter in Barcelona: "Come in December. There is something to discuss."

Her 2026: 28 February 2028

At the lake

summerAustria's hottest summer since records began in 1858.¹
5 AugThe Attersee falls to its lowest summer level on record.²
12–13 AugThe outflow into the Ager is throttled to save the lake.³
27 AugBy late August the lake is four centimetres above its all-time low.⁴
2026Atterseebahn upgrade continues.⁵

Austria

6–22 FebAustria wins 18 medals at the Milan–Cortina Olympics.⁶
12 FebVienna Opera Ball.⁷
16 MayEurovision in Vienna; Bulgaria wins, the host comes second to last.⁸
17 JunAustria plays at a World Cup again and beats Jordan 3–1.⁹
late JunA last-minute 3–3 against Algeria takes Austria out of its group for the first time since 1982.¹⁰
early JulAustria out in the round of 32, 0–3 against Spain.¹¹

The world

6 FebThe Winter Olympics open in Milan and Cortina.¹²
11 Jun–19 JulSpain wins the World Cup, 1–0 against Argentina.¹³
4 JulThe United States marks 250 years of independence.¹⁴

Everyday & prices

1 JanThe national rail pass rises to €1,400.¹⁵
Jun–AugAn estimated 995 heat-related deaths in Austria (AGES).¹⁶
16 SepDiesel at €2.268 a litre (E-Control data, reported by ÖAMTC), highest since March.¹⁷
2026The last paper motorway sticker: fire red, €106.80.¹⁸

Culture

22 May–11 JunThe Eurovision winner is No. 1 for three weeks.¹⁹
2026"Dai dai" is No. 1 all summer, fourteen weeks.¹⁹
2026No. 1 albums by DJ Ötzi ("Öha") and Bilderbuch ("∞+1").¹⁹

Sources (19)

Lotte is fictional; the places, the dates and the weather are real. The history around her comes from public sources (state and regional archives, museums, broadcasters, encyclopaedias), linked by number under every entry. Prices are in Schilling and Groschen until 2001, in euros from 2002. Public figures appear only as public events, never in her story.