The Botstiber Podcast

by Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies

Season 6

A is for Austria Episode III: A very Habsburg Family History with Nick Reynolds

Historian, author, soldier, spy - Nick Reynolds has done it all. In this episode, the New York Times best-selling author discusses the role Austria has played in his life, shares his Habsburg family history, and highlights what he believes Americans and Austrians have in common and can learn from one another. Nick's Website Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961 Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

S6 · E3

Feb 25, 2026

1:07:56

A is for Austria:Austria's Sherlock Holmes: Hans Gross and the Graz School of Criminalistics

What does an Austria jurist have to do with the FBI? In the second episode of the A is for Austria podcast, Priv. Doz. Christian Bachhiesl, director of the Museum im Lavanthaus, answers this question and many more. We'll carefully examine the Austrian origins of criminology and criminal science, investigate the contributions of Hans Gross and others, as well as explore their lasting impact upon the United States and beyond. - Christian Bachhiesl's Website (German only): https://christianbachhiesl.com/ - Museum im Lavanthaus: https://www.museum-lavanthaus.at/besucher/information-english/ - Austria-Forum, Essays on Criminalistics and Criminology (English and German): https://austria-forum.org/af/Wissenssammlungen/Essays/Kriminalistik_und_Kriminologie - Styrian Historical Commission (Historische Landeskommission für Steiermark; German only): https://www.hlk.steiermark.at HLK Blog (German only): https://www.hlk.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/153524465/DE/ - Hans Gross Museum of Criminology: https://universitaetsmuseen.uni-graz.at/en/locations/hans-gross-museum-of-criminology/ - University of Graz - Hans Gross Center for Interdisciplinary Criminal Sciences: https://zentrum-kriminalwissenschaften.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Graz - Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, and Criminology: https://strafrecht.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Graz - Department of History: https://geschichte.uni-graz.at/en/ - University of Klagenfurt - Department of History (German only): https://www.aau.at/geschichte/

S6 · E2

Dec 17, 2025

55:22

A is for Austria- Habsburg Vampires

Vampires? In Austria? For the first episode of the A is for Austria podcast, Dr. Peter Kreuter of the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Regensburg, Germany treats us to a no-holds-barred discussion of the history of vampires, superstitions, and the uncanny in and around the Habsburg Monarchy. Join us - if you dare! https://leibniz-ios.de/en/ - the English version of Dr. Peter Kreuter institute's homepage. https://leibniz-ios.de/en/people/details/peter-mario-kreuter - Dr. Peter Kreuter personal page. He mentioned the following researchers/colleagues during our chat: - Michael Ursinus - Ioannis Zelepos - Elizabeth R. Miller - Ute Dukova - Paul L. Yoder - Paul Barber - Markus Köhbach - Rob Fisher

S6 · E2

Oct 22, 2025

1:18:23

If Passports Could Talk: A Life Between Worlds with Lonnie Johnson

In this episode of If Passports Could Talk, we journey through five decades of cultural exchange and international education with Lonnie R. Johnson. Lonnie R. Johnson was born in 1952 and grew up in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. As a humanities major as St. John’s University in Minnesota, a small Benedictine men’s liberal arts college, he was encouraged by an Austrian professor of German to go to Vienna to “see the real thing,” and he spent his senior year of college on a junior-year-abroad program in Vienna, 1973-74. This marked the beginning of an improbable but accomplished fifty-year career on the Austrian-American interfaces of international higher education, academic exchange, and research. His book Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends (Oxford University Press, 1996, 3rd revised and expanded edition, 2010) is widely acknowledged as a standard work for students interested in the region. His previous books include Introducing Austria (Österreichischer Bundesverlag, Vienna, 1985; Ariadne Press, Riverside, CA, 1987) and with Inge Lehne, Vienna: The Past in the Present, (Riverside: Ariadne Press, 1995: 2nd revised edition of the Austrian 1st edition (Vienna: Österreichischer Bundesverlag, 1985)). This episode is a tribute to the intellectual wanderer—and to the power of cultural diplomacy done quietly, persistently, and well. https://www.amazon.com/Central-Europe-Enemies-Neighbors-Friends/dp/0195100719?ref_=ast_author_dp

S6 · E1

Jul 22, 2025

54:21

Season 5

Marc Landry | White Coal: Austrian Hydropower Through Monarchy, Fascism, and the Marshall Plan

How did hydropower shape Austria’s modern history? In our latest episode, we dive into Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age (2025) with its author, Marc Landry. From the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy to the rise of National Socialism and post-WWII reconstruction under the Marshall Plan, the story of hydropower—often called "white coal"—intersects with key moments in Austrian history. Marc Landry serves as Marshall Plan Endowed Professor in Austrian Studies and Director of Center Austria at the University of New Orleans. Landry was the Fulbright-Botstiber Visiting Professor in Austrian-American Studies at the University of Innsbruck, in 2016. __________ You can find Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age (2025), here: https://www.sup.org/books/history/mountain-battery Learn more about Marc Landry's work at the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies at the University of New Orleans: https://www.centeraustria.org/ __________ Who we are: The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) promotes an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including the lands of the former Habsburg empire, by awarding grants and fellowships, organizing lectures and conferences, and publishing the Journal of Austrian-American History. We engage with a broader public audience through digital programming, including videos, podcasts and blog posts. For more information go to https://www.botstiberbiaas.org or follow us on our various social media accounts! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botstiberinstitute X: https://www.twitter.com/BotstiberBIAAS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BotstiberBIAAS Auf Wiedersehen! / Until next time!

S5 · E1

Feb 14, 2025

1:09:49

Season 4

Waltzing Into Silvester: New Year Traditions and Memories from Austria

Join us as we travel to the festive, snowy alps and explore how locals and visitors alike ring in the New Year. In this video, Austrians and Americans share their personal memories and traditions—feasting on raclette or goulash, sipping sparkling wine, watching the annual broadcast of “Dinner for One,” and gathering outdoors to admire fireworks and enjoy a midnight waltz. Discover the heartfelt stories and cherished rituals that define an Austrian New Year (German: "Silvester"), connecting past and present, family and friends, as the old year gracefully gives way to the new. __________ Thank you to our interviewees who made this video possible: Max, Leandra, Johanna, Christian, Philipp, Constanze, Kara, Mel, Lilly, Adrienne, Xavier, Bernhard, and Julia!

S4 · E12

Dec 26, 2024

24:07

Judith Eiblmayr | Elizabeth Scheu-Close: An Architect's Life from Vienna to Minnesota

In this episode, we are joined by Judith Eiblmayr, a distinguished Austrian architect and insightful writer on the history and evolution of architecture. Our conversation highlights the extraordinary life and legacy of Elizabeth Scheu-Close, a trailblazing Austrian-American architect. Born in 1912 Vienna, Elizabeth—often known as Lisl—was exposed to some of the most influential thinkers and creatives of her time, inspiring her early passion for architecture. Despite the challenges of entering a field largely dominated by men, she pursued her dream with determination. Her journey led her to the United States, where she earned a degree from MIT in Boston and later established herself professionally in Philadelphia. In 1938, she and her husband, Win Close, founded the firm Close and Scheu Architects, through which she contributed to numerous significant projects, including Ferguson Hall at the University of Minnesota. Elizabeth Scheu-Close is celebrated today as one of the most important figures in modern Austrian-American architecture. __________ Find more from our guest, Judith Eiblmayr: https://www.eiblmayr.at/de/ __________ Intro and Outro Music: https://archive.org/details/lp_franz-lehars-the-merry-widow_dorothy-kirsten-robert-rounseville-the-mer __________ Who we are: The Botstiber Institute for Austrian-American Studies (BIAAS) promotes an understanding of the historic relationship between the United States and Austria, including the lands of the former Habsburg empire, by awarding grants and fellowships, organizing lectures and conferences, and publishing the Journal of Austrian-American History. We engage with a broader public audience through digital programming, including videos, podcasts and blog posts. For more information go to https://www.botstiberbiaas.org or follow us on our various social media accounts! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botstiberinstitute Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BotstiberBIAAS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BotstiberBIAAS Auf Wiedersehen! / Until next time!

S4 · E11

Dec 17, 2024

43:02

Megan Brandow-Faller | Cižek, Zweybrück, and Lowenfeld: Child Creativity from Austria to America

In this episode of The Botstiber Podcast, host Luke Morgante sits down with Megan Brandow-Faller, a professor of history at the City University of New York - Kingsborough, to discuss her forthcoming book. "Child Creativity in the Visual Arts: From Secessionist Vienna to Postwar America," will trace the origins of Franz Cižek's ideas on child creativity and examines how these ideas migrated across the Atlantic, further developed by educators such as Emmy Zweybrück and Viktor Lowenfeld. Keep an eye out, the book will be published with Bloomsbury Academic in 2025! __________ Intro/Outro Music: https://musopen.org/music/2326-scenes-from-childhood-op-15/

S4 · E10

Oct 30, 2024

1:00:46

Merlin: The World Traveller (Part 1)

In this special podcast episode presented by the Botstiber Institute, we hear stories of adventures from the life of Eduard Medinger. As a teenager in 1860s Austria, Eduard was full of eager anticipation to experience the world beyond his home in Central Europe. In part one of two, we are introduced to the young man and his bold plan to reach the distant shores of Yokohama, Japan beginning in the imperial capital, Vienna. What he expects to be a straightforward journey across the continents to Asia, becomes a much different, challenging adventure filled with eccentric characters, new destinations, and 19th century criminals. Stay tuned for part two, coming soon! __________ Eduard Medinger's personal letters and diaries were provided by his great grandson, Gregor Medinger, to make this special possible. Gregor Medinger also provides narration throughout the episode.

S4 · E9

Sep 20, 2024

15:51

Andrew Behrendt | American Tourism and Change in Interwar Austria

After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a newly independent Austria sought fresh business ventures to aid the reconstruction process and its battered economy. In this episode, guest Andrew Behrendt of the Missouri University of Science and Technology joins host Luke Morgante to discuss the emergence of tourism as a salve to Austria's financial woes, and why American tourists were so highly coveted despite their low numbers. Follow along to hear about the ways Austrian tourism promoters propagandized to Americans overseas, how the arrival of tourists affected local culture, and the changing modes in which Austrians and Americans perceived each other during the 1920s and 1930s. __________ If you would like to find more from Andrew Behrendt and his work, click the links below: - Missouri University of Science and Technology Profile - Historical Representation in Video Games

S4 · E8

Aug 28, 2024

45:08

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