your man on the ground

Wien Wählt (Vienna Votes)

On October 23, 2005, the citizens of Vienna voted for a new city council. I was out most of the day and into the evening taking election-related photos, and I plan to get several series online today. During the day, I visited a few polling places and took some pictures of various campaign posters around town. In the evening, I visited the post election celebrations of two political parties (SPÖ and FPÖ) and got some great pictures.

Take a look at my article and pictures from the HC Strache (FPÖ) post election celebration. I'll get something about Michael Häupl (SPÖ) online this week.

Now, the election results:

Party	% Votes	% Change	Voters
SPÖ (Socialist Party)	49	+2.1	329,000
ÖVP (Peoples' Party)	18.8	+2.4	126,000
FPÖ (Freedom Party)	14.9	-5.3	100,000
Grüne (Greens)	14.7	+2.2	98,000
KPÖ (Communist Party)	1.5	+0.9	8,000
BZÖ (Future Federation)	1.2	n/a	10,000

Approximately 472,000 eligible voters did not vote in this election.

Now, some pictures: (I'll add a little election analysis after the pictures)

Despite nice weather, there wasn't much visible activity at the Josefstadt (8th District) Amtshaus (district government services building).

Wählen wir Häupl (Let's choose / vote for Häupl). Michael Häupl has been Wiener Burgermeister (Mayor of Vienna) since the last city elections, held in 2001. The most recent election handed him his second term as city mayor.

In addition to voting centers at each of the district Amthäuser, polling places were set up in several of the major rail stations. There was a little activity at this polling place, located in Wien Westbanhof (Vienna West Rail Station).

A few voters checking out the official party candidate lists.

Zum Wahllokal (to the polling place). There was a small voting center set up in the CAT (City Airport Train) ticketing area at the Landstrasse / Wien Mitte railway station.

Five or six election monitors, one ballot box, a card table and a makeshift voting booth.

I think I saw one voter at the CAT station. Most of the other people there were buying tickets for the train ride to the airport.

Again, lots of travellers, not so many voters. The CAT is an expensive way to get to the airport. It costs €8 for a one-way ride, as opposed to €2 for a ride on the regular Schnellbahn (fast rail), which also leaves from Landstrasse / Wien Mitte. About the only benefit to taking the CAT is the ability to check one's baggage in at the train station.

Campaign posters - Johannes Hahn (ÖVP) on the left, and HC Strache (FPÖ) on the right. Hahn's poster says, "Weil er zeigt wie's anders geht" (Because he shows how things can work differently). Strache's poster says, "Damit der ECHTE WIENER nicht untergeht" (So that the REAL VIENNESE doesn't go under / sink). Strache's slogan is a play on an older, famous Austrian TV series called "Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter" (A real Viennese doesn't go under / sink). Strache's FPÖ is a right wing, anti immigration, nationalist party. The ÖVP is the conservative party - to the right, but more centrist than the FPÖ.

Another Strache Plakat (Poster). Herr in EIGENEN HAUS bleiben - Heimat im Herzen (Remain the lord of your own house - Homeland in the hearts). I have some great, close-up photos of Strache at his post election celebration which I'll get online today or tomorrow.

Defaced SPÖ poster. Wählen wir Lebensqualität (Let's choose / vote for quality of life). The guy in the little Maroni (chestnut) stand in the center of the photo was really hamming it up for the camera.

Maria Vassilakou (Grüne). Guten Morgen, guten Übermorgen (Good tomorrow, good day after tomorrow).

Jörg Haider / Hans-Jörg Schimanek (BZÖ). Weniger Rot - mehr Kontrolle (Less red [socialists], more control). Haider used to head up the FPÖ, but split from the party earlier this year. I'm not familiar enough with his party to be able to comment much on their positions, although I think they're generally right-leaning populists. Regardless, the BZÖ performed dismally in the Vienna elections, coming in behind the usual also-rans, the KPÖ (Communist party).

Front: defaced Johannes Hahn (ÖVP). Back: Another HC Strache poster. Hahn's poster says, "weniger schmäh, mehr für wien" (less joking, more for Vienna). Schmäh is an Austrian word for "joke" or "joking", and I imagine this poster is taking a dig at Burgermeister Häupl's reputation for being a jolly kind of guy. The stickers covering Hahn's eyes say, "Rache am Strache - TÜRKEI NACH WIEN" (Revenge on Strache - Turkey to Vienna).

The defaced posters in front are for Strache. Strache's party was up in arms about what they claimed was an organized effort to deface their campaign posters. Many of the posters had slogans which some claim were "Ausländer feindlich" (unfriendly to / against foreigners). The red posters on the left of the picture are for Häupl (SPÖ). The building across the street is the national Parlament (Parliament), which is in the end stages of heavy renovation.

Mostly Häupl with Maria Vassilakou barely peeking through.

Mostly Hahn (ÖVP). The second Hahn poster says, "gas, strom, wasser - 3 jahre kostenstopp" (gas, electricity, water - 3 year price caps). Ah, the things politicians promise when they know they won't be elected anyway...

Strache (FPÖ) poster. Freie Frauen statt Kopftuchzwang - Geh hin für's ECHTE WIEN (Free women instead of forced headscarves - Go in for the REAL VIENNA).

Various campaign posters, with Vassilakou (Grüne) in front, followed by more defaced FPÖ posters.

Election Analysis:
Everyone's a winner! Well, not quite. Haider's BZÖ performed dismally, as did the perennial losers, the KPÖ. The Greens were happy to have gotten more votes than ever before, and to have picked up another district (my district, the 8th / Josefstadt), but they were disappointed to land in fourth place, just behind the FPÖ. The SPÖ was the outright winner, with an absolute majority on the city council - they hope to project their recent state-level successes to the national level. The ÖVP claims a victory because they came in second in the election, but, as the leading national party, their poor performance vis-a-vis the SPÖ in the past 3 state elections casts some doubt on their ability to remain at the top on the national scene. The FPÖ, however, may be the real winners. Opinion polls suggested that they would walk away with around 5% of the vote totals. They actually landed in third place with just under 15% of the vote. Strache's right wing, nationalist message is speaking to someone.

Mélange (Light Espresso with steamed hot milk)

Mélange

n.

1.     Light Espresso with steamed hot milk served in a classic coffee cup. (from Julius Meinl "Vienna's leading coffee roaster for 140 years")

Notes: "Mélange" is borrowed from French, and is used in English, as well. The English definition is "a mixture; a medley." The Mélange is probably the most popular coffee order in Vienna cafes, and is also the coffee I usually order when I am visiting Viennese cafes for review in my Food and Drink section.

Mélange at Cafe Eiles

Brno, Czech Republic - Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle

More pictures from Brno, Czech republic taken in May. These fotos are of the Hrad Spilberk (Spielberg Castle), located atop the hill of the same name.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - This is the main, inner castle building. You can see part of the moat in front of the building. Behind me are walls that drop around 50 feet, straight down.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - A close-up of the moat.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - an outer castle building.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - Lots of canons around the walls. Spielberg looks like a pretty well-defended fortress.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - I like this one.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - This castle is nicely kept, but doesn't look cheaply renovated, as some tend to do.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - The weather and lighting weren't perfect. I'd like to visit the castle again and take some more photos.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - This is a small forecourt inside the main building.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - I'll get some history on the bells, and on the rest of the castle.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - An unsual arrangement of bells.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - Inner courtyard.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - I thought this star-shaped door looked interesting.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - The Brno cityscape, as seen from Spielberg Hill.

Hrad Spilberk / Spielberg Castle - Cool window and bars.

Brno - Petrov, Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, with around 370,000 residents. The city is dominated by two hills, the Spilberg and the Petrov. On top of the Petrov sits the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The cathedral was built in the 13th century, and may incorporate some parts of the Roman-era castle that once stood on the hill.

The cathedral was originally built in Gothic style, but was updated to a Baroque style in the 1700's.

Several of these memorials to catholic bishops surround the cathedral. It has been the seat of the Brno bishopric since 1777.

Petrov - Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral

These stairs lead down to the city center.

The cathedral's current Neo-Gothic style was fashioned at the turn of the 20th century.