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AUSTRIA EXPLAINED

Five things you will find in (almost) every Austrian home

From handy things that you will no longer live without to some head-scratching devices (not literally), here are a few things you will almost always find in Austrian homes.

Published: 4 April 2022 14:44 CEST
Updated: 16 June 2024 08:15 CEST
Austrian breakfast with bread, boiled eggs and coffee
A simple and traditional Austrian breakfast with bread, boiled eggs, coffee and some very specific tools. (Photo: Amanda Previdelli / The Local)

For its size, Austria is a highly diverse country, with regions having their own dialects and traditions. However, certain things make an Austrian home very typically Austrian.

Of course, you might not find all of them in every single home, but take a closer look at your Austrian friend’s Wohnung. It might surprise you how many of these sometimes weird, sometimes extremely useful things you might find.

House shoes

This is a staple. Austria is one of the countries where people take their shoes off once entering their homes. It might seem strange for foreigners at first, but definitely a hygienic habit to have and one that many expats adopt in time.

Taking off your shoes also means that almost all households in Austria will have a pile of “house shoes”, slippers and comfortable socks that people wear once they are inside their homes. Many Austrians even have special guest house shoes for visitors.

READ ALSO: Eight signs you’ve settled into life in Austria

And since you can’t be expected to balance on one foot while removing or putting your shoes back on, they will always have schuhlöffel, the “shoe spoons”, to help you out.

Similarly, there will always be an area of the house by the entrance where people can leave their coats and jackets, though that might be a surprise only for immigrants coming from warmer countries.

House shoes are essential in Austria and should not be confused with shoe houses. 

A separate bathroom and toilet

Austrian homes will typically have a WC, with a toilet, and a Bad, where there is a washbasin and the shower or bathtub, and sometimes a washing machine. A typical (let’s say what we mean: a grandma home) might even have a peculiar decor piece: themed toilet seat covers.

You might find that the walls of Austrian bathrooms can keep you busy while you’re doing your business. They can hang calendars, funny paintings, and even family pictures on the WC walls.

READ ALSO: Six ways you might be annoying your neighbours (and not realising it) in Austria

No, those are not separate beds

Another thing that surprises many foreigners is the habit of having individual blankets in a couple’s bed, making it look like separate beds pushed together. It’s a convenient Germanic thing, and it helps with late-night blanket wars.

Although you can find many styles of architecture and decoration in Austrian homes, the very traditional one – one that you will find in huts and Austrian hotels too – will be heavy and good quality wood, perhaps a carpeted floor and some paper walls.

READ ALSO: Seven weird things about life in Austria you need to get used to

And if you open a closet, you’ll be sure to find traditional garments in German-speaking countries and regions, the Trachten, including Lederhosen and Dirndls. So, no, it’s not a myth that Austrians wear the clothes so much associated with the Oktoberfest – not all the time, but certainly for special occasions, including some weddings.

A bookcase full of binders

Austrians take their laws and regulations very seriously. Therefore, tax returns, invoices, and expense slips need to be saved for years, and they will have binders and binders full of all types of strange papers.

Sometimes, it might not even have to do with tax obligations. Still, you never know when you absolutely will need the guarantee for that table you bought six years ago, oder?

As most of the country still uses paper for everything (we mean everything: from getting access to important websites to sending passive-aggressive notes to a loud neighbour), you’re sure to find stamps and envelopes in some of those binders and shelves as well.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about paying tax in Austria

Eggs and water things

An Austrian kitchen will have many particular things, not the least traditional food, lots of glasses for jams, or even many different types of bread (really, there are so many that you will quickly forget the joy of learning the word Brot).

You will find devices that you never knew you needed. Austrian tap water is one of the best in the world, and they will drink it with pride. However, you might see devices to carbonate the water, as sparkling water is preferred by many people in the country.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Austria’s world-class drinking water

There will also always be a kettle – not so much for tea purposes, as Austrians are big coffee drinkers. Still, they refuse to waste energy boiling water on the stove for cooking.

And then: the egg devices. A typical breakfast could contain bread and boiled eggs, and the preparation is methodic. There might be an egg boiler, for instance. And a separate egg cup with space around it to keep the shells.

However, my personal favourite is the (*inhales deeply*) Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher. It’s an absolutely crazy-looking device with the single purpose of helping you crack the egg with a perfectly clean cut.

We have two of them.

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For members

LIVING IN AUSTRIA

EXPLAINED: Austria’s proud tradition of volunteering and how you can sign up

When floods hit Austria, volunteer firefighters like Michael Strohmeier worked around the clock to save lives and build flood barriers. They are just part of Austria’s deep-rooted culture of volunteering that foreign residents can also contribute to.

Published: 20 September 2024 12:58 CEST
EXPLAINED: Austria's proud tradition of volunteering and how you can sign up

The devastating floods that hit much of Austria may have been described as “unprecedented” and “once in a lifetime” but the reaction to them among Austrians was nothing new. 

The country has a longstanding culture of locals coming together and helping each other in crisis.

While that’s (fortunately) not uncommon in catastrophes worldwide, Austria is also a country of volunteers even when there’s no crisis.

More than 350,000 men and women are members of a voluntary firefighting department, and tens of thousands more join to be voluntary mountain rescuers, Red Cross members, and more.

They made all the difference as historical floods hit Eastern Austria, leaving thousands stranded and killing five people. 

“One of the hardest challenges was deciding who we could help and who we couldn’t,” voluntary firefighter Michael Strohmeier, who volunteers at the St.Pölten-St.Georgen fire department, told The Local.

READ ALSO: How Austria plans to prevent future catastrophic floods

His was one of the worst-hit areas in Lower Austria.

“My first call-out was on a Saturday around 10pm. My team had already been out for a while when we were sent to secure a horse farm with sandbags. From then on, we were constantly on duty,” he said. He added, “Eventually, we had to prioritise saving lives and building barriers.”

His station completed 65 storm operations, including pumping water, clearing storm damage and rescuing five people. 

‘Sense of community’

Michael, a 28-year-old Austrian citizen, has been a volunteer firefighter since he was 13. 

Firefighters in Austria (photo: St.Pölten-St.Georgen fire department)

READ ALSO: How can I find volunteer work in Austria?

As volunteers, firefighters typically have a regular 9-to-5 job, families, and other activities. Michael mentions his parents and long-time girlfriend are very supportive of his role, and Austrians are proud of volunteering.

He said the culture of volunteering and the “sense of service” is “often passed down through families in Austria”.

Even if his parents weren’t part of a volunteer organisation, they were still “willing to help others,” he said, mentioning a “spirit of togetherness. “

Small villages, foreign integration and government support

The spirit of togetherness is not uncommon in small towns and villages—Austria has hundreds of them. Because of the Alpine nature of the land, many populations are left relatively isolated from a central government—even a regional one—and have developed their own institutions over the years.

The country still has that rural spirit of knowing your neighbours and helping out, especially since you might need help later. The organisations, including the local fire department, are also responsible for some large events, and so being a part of them is a way to socialise and become a valued member of the community. 

This is also valid if you are not an Austrian citizen, as most of these organisations accept foreign members. “Being an Austrian citizen is not a requirement”, Michael said. 

He added: “We have foreign colleagues in our ranks, and it’s a great way for them to integrate into the community. Working together builds strong bonds, and it helps people from different backgrounds connect and contribute to the same goal.”

Austria’s federal government also promotes and incentivises voluntary work. Voluntary workers in formal organisations are automatically insured against accidents, and special regulations allow them to miss (their formal) work in case of emergencies. 

Young people are also encouraged to volunteer. Boys can choose between the mandatory military service and civil service. Civilian service is performed in Austria, mostly with emergency services (such as driving ambulances), but also in social and disability care or care for the elderly. 

Community service workers also work in civil defence and disaster control, refugee care, hospitals, kindergartens, agricultural support, domestic memorials, prisons, youth work, and environmental protection.

Volunteer firefighters in Austria (photo: St.Pölten-St.Georgen fire department)

There are now over 1,500 sponsoring organisations with many associated places of employment. The largest supporting organisations are the Austrian Red Cross, the Austrian Samaritan Federation, Johanniter, Lebenshilfe, Caritas, Diakonie and the fire brigade associations.

It’s also not uncommon for young people to take a Voluntary Social Year, or das Freiwillige Soziale Jahr (FSJ), an Austrian initiative that allows them to give something back to society by volunteering in various sectors. Many also use it to find out what direction to take after school.

READ ALSO: What is Austria’s Voluntary Social Year and how can you get involved?

All the government support helps encourage civic feelings or even allows it to be possible. The high quality of life in Austria also frees people up to give their time to such honourable causes, and hundreds of thousands of people in Austria take the opportunity to help out.

How can you participate?

Michael explains that people who are not part of the fire department can still support them in various ways, such as volunteering in non-operational roles, donating, or sponsoring. 

In some organisations, such as mountain rescuers, giving a donation can entitle you to mountain insurance. For others, such as the Red Cross, donating blood can help save lives – and you can get tested for certain diseases and know your blood type.

Michael highlighted that it is easy to contact local fire departments directly if people are interested in joining. “Most departments have regular recruitment days or open houses where people can learn more,” he said.

READ NEXT: How does Austria’s mandatory military service work?

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