Otmar Drekonja, professor emeritus of German at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, passed away on July 30, 2007.

Raul Hilberg, who established himself as the preeminent scholar of the Holocaust, died in Vermont at the age of 81. Born in Vienna, he left Austria with his parents one year after the Anschluss, narrowly escaping the Holocaust at the age of 13. The family fled first to Cuba, then to New York City.

While the whole world knows Mozart the genius, the person Mozart remains strangely enigmatic and difficult to grasp. What was Mozart, the child, the man, the human being like - in his everyday life, in his relationships? Gloria Kaiser, a writer living in Austria and Brazil, does not attempt to answer these questions by writing just another biography. Instead, she allows Mozart to speak for himself through his correspondence which she has analyzed in meticulous archival work. Her book, Mozart - Perspectives from his Correspondence, which was recently presented at the Embassy of Austria in cooperation with the “American-Austrian Society,” not only traces the development of Mozart’s personality but also gives an idea of life in 18th century Europe.

Dr. Michael Häupl holding a handful of grapes

Austrian wine has clearly become more popular in the USA over the past ten years. Due to its unique and interesting characteristics it has received very high ratings from wine critics and sommeliers alike.  Representatives of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and the Austrian Tourist Office, as well as an Austrian wine broker, talked with Austrian Information about the primary reasons for this increased interest in Austrian wine and their current marketing strategies.

Some 30 years ago Dr. Gordon “Nick” Mueller launched the University of New Orleans Summer School at the University of Innsbruck, which contributed significantly to a close cooperation between the universities and cities of Innsbruck and New Orleans. Dr. Mueller, also current President and CEO of the National World War II Museum - one of New Orleans’ main attractions - talked with Austrian Information about the different stations of his career, his current responsibilities in New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina and his strong ties with Innsbruck, Austria.