August 26th

Vienna UN

Today we visited the UN in Vienna. Vienna is one of three UN headquarters around the world with the other locations being in New York City, Geneva, and Nairobi. The two main offices that are based in Vienna are the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The IAEA works exclusively to promote the use of safe nuclear energy and is the main authority when nations are seeking to develop nuclear power programs. The administrative body of the UN  was created in 1957 in response to the new nuclear threat that came about during the end of World War II with atom bombs being deployed over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It was president Eisenhower's address to the UN general assembly in New York City entitled "Atoms for Peace" that helped establish the IAEA statute which outlines the goals of this organization. The three pillars of the  IAEA are 1) Nuclear verification and security 2)Safety 3) Technology transfer. What I found interesting was the duality that nuclear energy represents. After the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, the Japanese government swore an oath to never use nuclear weapons on another country after the destruction that was brought upon their land. I asked the lecturer if Japan pursued nuclear power after what had happened to them in World War II. However, Japan does have nuclear power plants which shows how even though they were exposed to the worst of nuclear energy, they are still pursuing it as a vital source of energy in their country today. Our lecture we received dealt primarily with the the mission of the IAEA as well as the new threats that nuclear power presents to the ever changing world. The most major threat being terrorists acquiring nuclear materials and using these as an improvised nuclear explosive device to detonate in a major city. What was very interesting was that the IAEA provides a list of guidelines to countries with nuclear power programs to minimize the detrimental affects to the environment. The lecturer said for the most part however that most countries follow these guidelines and the IAEA carefully monitors this but for the most part doesn't seem to have to constantly be intervening.  The next lecture was made by a member of the UNODC which deals heavily with the crimes of human trafficking. In recent decades, human trafficking has been made a crime against humanity by the UN and in recent decades has become one of the most profitable of crimes. Estimates put the total annual profit of human trafficking at around 31,654,000 million US dollars.  The main reason people are trafficked is that they are promised a better life and in reality they are exploited mercilessly. Sex, forced labor, and organ harvesting are the most common types of exploitation that are bestowed on the victims. Only a handful of these trafficking victims are ever identified. One of the questions that I wanted to ask but was not permitted by time was when the UNODC does catch a human trafficker, are they tried in their own country and then an international court? I was curios to hear about the process when they are actually able to bring one of the traffickers in on charges and what the criminal process is like because it is an international crime yet also the responsibility of that country if they signed the UN bill to prosecute and crack down on human trafficking.

August 25th

Hrad Castle- Bratislava

After class today, A small group of us made our way to the capital city of Bratislava, Slovakia. It was only about a 50 min train ride from Vienna and was my first trip to Eastern Europe. Situated along the Danube River, Bratislava was the capital of the Hungarian Empire from the years 1536-1763. After we got off the train we headed for the Hrad Castle, which is one of the most dominate features of the cityscape of Bratislava. It is situated atop of a hill and looks directly out over the Danube River. it was built in the 13th century and is constructed primarily in the old gothic style. The largest of the towers is called Crown Tower and actually houses the crown jewels of the Hungarian Empire. One of the most noticeable features across the river was the old Soviet style of housing. The apartments are brightly colored and are very distinct from other apartment buildings that you would be used to seeing. The style of architecture was intended to provide individuals with affordable housing while putting as many people into one building as possible to maximize efficiency. With a population of around 429,000 the capital city of Bratislava is Slovakia's largest city. You would not get that impression however walking around because the city is very easy to navigate and was quite small compared to Vienna. The people there were very friendly though compared to the Viennese and it was much more affordable to grab some dinner. We went to this restaurant at the bottom of the hill that lead up to the castle and for 6 people, we were able to get dinner for around 31.00 euros. If you were to do that in Vienna it would have been double that. Our waiter though was very friendly and did not try to rip us off or anything like some waiters in Vienna tried to do. There is quite a lot of shopping though in Bratislava if that is what you desire. In the main downtown area, there are countless jewelry shops, shoe shops, clothing stores and so on. There is a street market where you can get affordable jewelry which is hand made and very rich in detail and the prices are very affordable. Before we left, we walked along the Danube River at sunset. It was probably the most beautiful sunset that I had seen on the trip . The city of Bratislava is very small so we spent about 6 hours there and saw all the sites. I would definitely go back to the city though because of its charm, affordability, beauty, and local population. Unlike Vienna where everyone seems to treat you like foreign tourists, I didn't feel out of place in Bratislava. The people didn't give me disgusted looks for just walking down the street and enjoying their city like the Viennese do.

August 24th

Entrance to Mauthausen

Barracks within camp

Outer walls of Mauthausen

Path leading down into the quarry 

On August 8,1938 political enemies of the Third Reich began to arrive at Mauthausen concentration camp from Dachau. Mauthuasen was a prime location for a concentration camp as it had a rock quarry that provided building materials for Hitler’s potential building plans within Germany that would emphasize the power of the National Socialist Party. Many individuals died as a result of hiking up the death stairs that lead from the campsite down into the rock quarry. Prisoners were forced to carry stones weighing 50 Kg; on their backs while SS guards beat them often to death. Of the 200,000 victims who were placed in Mauthausen, 100,000 died in captivity from starvation, cold, and execution. Mauthausen was open from 1938 until 1945 when US Army divisions, including the 11^th armored division liberated the camp in May of 1945 at the end of the Second World War. Ruth Kluger however is not in favor of concentration camps being used as memorial sites. “The various shoah museums and reconstituted concentration campsites do the exact opposite. That’s why I find them so hard to take: they don’t take you in, they spit you out. Moreover they tell you what you ought to think, as no art or science museum ever does. They impede the critical faculty.” (Kluger pg. 198). Kluger feels that the concentration camps that still stand do not accurately convey the sheer depravity that existed there during the years of operation. A person cannot really get anything personally out of their experience because they are taken through these sites as tourists and with the information they hear, formulate their opinions because of what they are hearing from that informational guide. I disagree with Kluger on her point that the camps that still stand today impede one's critical faculty. I had a very emotional experience at the camp even though the horrors of the camp were not visible to me. It was a place that oversaw the suffering of countless innocents and I constantly thought about this as I went through the camp. When our class was led into the gas chamber at Mauthausen the exact same way prisoners would have walked to their deaths, was something that to me, was just not right. Our tour guide said that we might be the last class to ever walk into that gas chamber because they might close it permanently. To me there was no reason to be marched into a room where people met their death. To me it was very disrespectful and after standing there, my emotions got the best of me. That experience of utter sadness reflecting on those unfortunate people who lost their lives that way allowed for me to come to the conclusion that I would never visit another concentration camp. I agree that families who lost loved ones should be able to honor their loved ones who died at Mauthausen, or other concentration camps around Europe by visiting those places to honor the memory of their loved ones.Kluger is quite adamant that all the individuals are lumped into one general experience. Kluger argues that with these campsites being used as memorials, individuals who died in those awful installations, are just lumped into one collective body, with their unique experiences not mattering in the course of history. I disagree though with Kluger on her point that individuals are just lumped together into the collective dead. In the crematorium of Mauthausen, there are individual plaques with pictures of individuals whose family left to ensure that their loved one would not be forgotten among the countless dead of Mauthausen. Their pictures show a joy for life that was extinguished in the most depraved method imaginable. Mauthausen for those family members who lost loved ones, can be used as a proper memorial. Sadly most of the deceased were not given a proper burial. Even though the site has such a dark, tragic history, realitives of loved ones lost can use the site to pay their own individual respects to those who were lost. 

August 23rd

Death and Life by Gustav Klimt-Leopold Museum Vienna

The Leopold Museum houses the private art collection of Dr. Leopold, who just recently died in June of this year. Dr.O had gone through the museum with Frau Leopold and as always was able to relay great information about the late doctor’s collection of fabulous artwork. The museum houses some of the most significant pieces of Austrian expressionism and the secession movement. With the world’s largest Schiele collection, the Leopold also has great pieces by Gustav Klimt, who was greatly influenced by Egon Schiele’s works and both artists succumbed to the Spanish Influenza epidemic that ravaged Europe from 1918-1919. The piece of art that stood out to me was Klimt’s Death and Life that he actually painted in 1910, but then went back and made changes to it in 1915. It depicts a menacing death figure, ready to snuff out the lives of the individuals portrayed on the right who are far removed from death. There is a newborn baby, whom is being showered with love from the proud mother. There is a couple who is shown mourning for the loss of a loved one, and a pensive old woman who seems to be praying. Klimt used rich -colors; the most prominent colors that immediately catch your eye are the rich violets, and blues that seem to draw you on the focal figure of death in the painting. Klimt actually went back after World War I broke out, to add in figures that were actually closer to the figure of death. Now that the youth of Europe were dying on the battlefield, Klimt realized that this was a dark time for Europe and to me, he seemed obligated to make a statement about the carnage that is directly associated with war. The crosses on the figure of death symbolize to me the lives sacrificed for the sake of one’s country. I got the impression after looking upon the work for several minutes that Klimt was trying to convey the joys that life can bring but also the mystery that surrounds death that subconsciously everyone has to face at one point or another. The figure of death symbolizes the fear of the unknown and the inevitable end that everyone must confront, but has no desire to contemplate.

August 21st

Arnold Schonberg

Arnold Schonberg was one of the most prominent musical talents to grace the city of Vienna. Schonberg was self-taught and he studied great composers very meticulously. The composers that helped shape his musical developments were Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johann Sebastian Bach. Leading up to the outbreak of World War I, Schonberg composed some of his most famous works. One of his most famous works is entitled Pierrot Lunaire and was completed in 1912. This is the piece that I chose to listen to in order to gauge whether or not I liked Schonberg’s compositions. The melody seems to consistently be changing through the piece and it doesn’t seem blend together very well throughout. The violin and flute seem to be the most overpowering as the composition goes on. Personally I feel that it tries to incorporate too much changing melodies and it didn't really make for a beautiful, uniform composition. It is kind of hard on the ears because although it is filled with emotion, it just seems to change too abruptly and much too often. It is not as melodious as the music that Strauss composed for Die Fledermaus. That music was beautiful and the singers conveyed that beauty to me as I watched from my seat during the opera.  As I listened to Pierrot Lunaire, the woman singing didn’t seem be accompanying the music, it made the whole performance into a loud consistent noise rather than a performance that I could truly listen to and enjoy. Overall I would have to say that I didn’t really care for Schonberg. I’m not pretending to know anything about music but it really wasn’t pleasant to listen to. It was just something totally different and although it has a very interesting and unique sound, for me I would not want to listen to more Schonberg after listening to Pierrot Lunaire.

August 20th

Vienna Criminal Museum 

O'Donell's Cartridge case with Imperial seal

Assassination attempt on Franz Josef- Divine Intervention

Blood of Franz Josef on O'Donnell's glove

Today after class Misha, Sheena, and myself went to check out the Crime museum. It was a private museum and had an overview of the history of crimes in Vienna. Probably one of the most famous crimes in Vienna to occur was the failed assassination attempt on the life of Franz Josef. While walking with one of his officers by the name of Maximilian O’ Donnell, a Hungarian nationalist named Janos Libenyi spotted the Emperor. He actually managed to stab Franz Josef in the back of the neck and many people believe that the collar of his shirt managed to save his life. O’Donnell who struck down Libenyi with his saber, had his glove stained with the blood of Emperor Franz Josef. Also kept here is O’Donnell’s cartridge pouch that carries the double-headed eagle, symbol of Hapsburg Austria. There hangs a painting depicting the failed assassination attempt with god and Christ pictured above on a cloud, calling out to warn Franz Josef. The work is entitled “the Salvation of Emperor Franz Josef” and shows that the ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was spared because of the grace of god. This illustrated that because the assassination attempt failed, it was a miracle for the Empeor was stabbed in the neck; therefore he was spared by the grace of god. The museum is not for the faint of heart though. They were very graphic images of murder victims including the murders of small children. Vienna has long been at the forefront of criminal prevention. After World War I and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Johann Schober was in charge of the Viennese police force which would come to be the most modern crime prevention unit during this time period. Criminology really seemed to begin in Vienna with the foundation of INTERPOL in 1923. One of the foremost individuals on counterfeit bank notes, Dr. Artur Klauser also worked with the Viennese police corps. Mouldings of murder victims and objects associated with crimes were pioneered by Dr. Poller of the Viennese police service and clearly illustrated how the Viennese were quite adept at perfecting the processes that would lead to solved criminal cases. It’s very eerie to see pictures of the people who were murdered and then actual items that were used by the criminals to wrap their bodies in and transport them. Misha, Sheena, and myself were emotionally drained afterwards because of the violent and brutal images on display. We came to the conclusion that although difficult to look upon an individual who had their life taken from them, it really can change a person’s attitude towards gratuitous violence. People tend to be de-sensitized to violence with its portrayal in mass media for example. However looking upon real people, who were brutally murdered by someone, results in a sad, yet strong personal connection with the victim. You are able to realize that this was someone who had their whole life in front of them and had it stolen away from them without warning. The personal connection leaves you feeling saddened and asking how could another person inflict such horrible brutality towards another human being?

August 19th

SK Wien v Aston Villa

Villa Scores in the 12 minute

Rapid Wien Free Kick close to goal

Today was my first experience witnessing a European football (soccer) match live. The team from Vienna is known as SK Rapid and they play their home matches at the Gerhard Hanappi Stadium in the 14^th district of Vienna known as Penzing. SportKlub Wien has 32 championships to their name including one German Bundesliga title in 1941 because of the Anschluss with Hitler in 1938, making Austria apart of Germany.  They were playing Aston Villa, a team from the English Premier League. It was a Europa League cup, with this being the first leg. The final score was 1-1; therefore if SK Wien goes to England and beats Aston Villa outright, they will advance to the next round. However if no one were to score in that next game, Aston Villa would knock out SK Wien out of the tournament because they scored more away goals. We headed to the stadium early around 4pm, because kickoff wasn’t until 6:45pm. The game had been sold out since Monday so we decided we would try to see if anyone was selling tickets to this important match. Everyone that was selling tickets however was only selling their tickets for 50 euro and most people only had 1 extra ticket. It was much more different when compared to the states though because when you go to a sporting event in the states, the ticket scalpers make themselves known to their clientele. There were really no sign of scalpers outside of the stadium so our plan was not gonna work. Martha, Misha, Sam, and myself just finally walked up to the ticket window and asked if we could buy tickets right before kickoff, because usually when people don’t show up to claim their tickets they are usually just sold. They said we could indeed buy tickets. So what we ended up doing was going and buying tickets for 18 euro from the visiting ticket window where fans from Aston Villa sat during the match since football (soccer) fans are segregated in stadiums to cut down on violence. The atmosphere was electric though as 17,000 packed into the stadium to support SK Wien. Sam who isn’t even a soccer fan was completely blown away by the atmosphere generated by the SK Wien faithful It’s amazing when 17,000 SK Wien fans raised their green and white scarves in unison and just cheered for their beloved team nonstop from beginning to end. During the game the few hundred Villa fans instigated shouting matches in between the fenced off area. I was completely shocked when I heard individuals referring to the Vienna fans as Adolph or Nazis. It was really disrespectful and uncalled for but for English soccer fans, everything is fair game. They even had a chant about German bombers being shot down in World War II, which was 70 years ago, but I guess they felt they had to bring up events those events to stick it to the SK Wien fans. The SK Wien fans weren’t so pleasant themselves though. In the second half they began to throw objects at the American goalkeeper for Villa, Brad Guzan. They were throwing drinks onto the field, and small objects like lighters and coins. Brad Guzan immediately ran to the referee to ask him to intervene. He stopped play for a few seconds but it is not the referee’s job to supervise the behavior of 17,000 people when he is tasked with looking after the 22 players on the field battling tooth and nail for the win. UEFA, the governing body of the Europa League tournament, is investigating the incident and will use Brad Guzan’s testimony to possibly hand down financial penalties to SK Wien and their fans. After the match the Villa captain, Nigel Reo-Coker gave his game jersey to a Villa supporter who was in the front row. He then proceeded to walk right by the Vienna supporters right behind the goal and gave them an obscene gesture with his middle finger. Lets just say he didn’t get a warm reception form the Rapid fans. After the game was over, we had to wait to be let out of the stadium. Unlike sports in the States, people have been crushed to death because of stampedes and have died as a result from angry rival fans. Therefore crowd control is key after a big Europa league just for those precautionary reasons. Being the huge soccer fan that I am, I felt very fortunate to get into the match for 18 euro and it was truly an experience that I will never forget. It has definitely been one of the highlights of my time in Vienna.