Altstadt- und Denkmalpflege bildet eine Brücke von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart in die Zukunft.

Salzburg gilt als eine der schönsten Städte der Welt. Dass die einzigartige Altstadt erhalten wurde, ist keineswegs selbstverständlich. Doch soll eine Stadt so bleiben, wie sie einmal war, oder kann man modernisieren, ohne den historischen Kern zu zerstören? Die Salzburger Altstadterhaltung hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, mit dem historischen Erbe respektvoll umzugehen und gleichzeitig diesen vitalen Lebensraum der Stadt zu bewahren und weiterzuentwickeln. Ausgewählte Beispiele aus fünf Jahrzehnten – bildlich dokumentiert – zeigen diesen Weg, der 1967 mit dem Salzburger Altstadterhaltungsgesetz begann und Salzburg die Auszeichnung „Weltkulturerbe“ eintrug.

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about literature but were afraid to ask

K. is an occasional critic, a second-tier commentator who nevertheless writes about important books for a number of well-known broadcasting companies. The discussions he holds with editors about recent publications by Martin Walser, Martin Mosebach, Thomas Hettche, Fritz J. Raddatz and many others are outspoken, witty and direct. At the same time, K. is increasingly preoccupied by questions of survival and moves from Stuttgart to Leipzig because the rents are cheaper. But the fight over time slots for book reviews gets harder ... Has K. himself become incapable of continuing his work, or is he the victim of a book review that is committing self-eradication?

From the Eurofighter skandal to the Burgtheater affair

Who can see through the jungle of Austria’s latest economic scandals? What caused them, who was pulling which strings and who made money out of them? Following years of research, investigative journalist Ashwien Sankholkar looks for answers and documents the nation’s most controversial corruption cases. Each one is like a crime thriller – from the Eurofighter scandal to the Buwog affair, from the Telekom Austria case to the Burgtheater scandal. But how did the mismanagement occur? Was it preventable? What could repeat itself? Sankholkar delivers a highly topical chronicle of the scandals and sketches out his personal approach regarding solutions. It is a spectacular book that provides a valuable contribution to the debate.

Searching for the original period sound

Nikolaus Harnoncourt devoted himself to the study of early music, the way it is played and the sound of period instruments from an early age. In 1953 he founded the famous Concentus Musicus with his wife Alice and other musicians. This was to provide a forum for his work on period instruments and the historic performance practice of renaissance and baroque music. It was not until four years later that the Concentus Musicus first performed in public. Alice Harnoncourt has brought together the unpublished diary entries and notes of her husband, which recount his explorations on the trail of early musical sounds. It is a fascinating and entertaining journey, during which Harnoncourt had to accomplish much to listen his way towards the original period sound.

Live your needs!

We are taught to set ourselves targets. We train our body and function in accordance with social protocols. We try to be successful and a perfect partner in matters of the heart. But this balancing act is often not achieved. The body becomes tired and threatens to buckle under the stress, or we experience inner conflict. But who is in the right: body, heart or mind? How do I become me, and who am I? Our thoughts appear to be free, but in truth are tied to our body. Georg Fraberger, himself severely physically disabled from birth, illustrates how we can lead a balanced life through the harmonious connection of body, heart and mind.

A courageous and deeply personal novel about strong women and the fight for a life after survival

Born into a Jewish pre-war family in Vienna, Fritzi’s childhood is characterised by visits to the Viennese Prater and early romances. As a young woman, she flees to England to escape Nazi persecution. She marries Theo, returns to Vienna and is a vivacious and warm-hearted mother to her daughter Lea. But sometimes, Fritzi is so overcome with a nameless sorrow that she cannot get out of bed in the morning. Later, her daughter Lea’s life also seems to be a success, full to the brim with marriage, children, grandchildren and career. Yet she too is haunted by dark dreams and family memories. When more and more people arrive in Vienna fleeing war and terror in Syria and Afghanistan, this challenges Lea’s feeling of helplessness and her successful life threatens to fall apart.

Rich in imagery, this novel takes us up close to one of the definitive feelings of our time: fear

Spending a year in Antarctica and enduring the polar night in a research station takes stamina and determination. That is what Erika appears to have: a renowned bioacoustics specialist, she listens to whales, goes on long dives and challenges herself by practising aikido. Barely anyone knows that she does all of this in order to fight back a paralysing fear, the fear of a world that threatens to overwhelm her. Then musicologist Judith, a young woman full of contradictions, appears in her circle of friends. As the two women grow close, Erika suspects that Judith has given in to the same force that Erika is battling against. Perhaps she went crazy, or then again, perhaps she found a counter-spell and saved herself...