How Berlin-like is Vienna? Do you find facets in this city that remind you of Berlin? Or is it mainly the differences that you see? Is Vienna perhaps quite un-Berlin-like? In the feudal past, both cities were the metropolises of great European powers and there was a lively cultural exchange.
But Berlin has a unique history due to the division and is now a global brand. And the former Habsburg Empire has shrunk much more than that of the Hohenzollerns. As a result, the small Republic of Austria has a capital that seems oversized to me.
As a boy from the provinces, Vienna was naturally very metropolitan for me – the numerous exhibitions and all kinds of cultural events, the nightlife, the imposing architecture, the many cinemas, and so on.
Now that I live in Berlin, I ask myself what makes each of these two cities special, and especially now, how you see Vienna through your Berlin eyes …
Theo Steiner
