by Janice Byrd
I suppose any American over the age of thirty, associates the European country of Austria with the 1962 movie The Sound of Music. The song “Edelweiss” (the Austrian state flower), the talk of the 1938 German “Anschluss” (literally, “joining”, but understood in Austria as a take-over), and the breath-taking beauty of the Alps were hallmarks of the movie, and still epitomize Austrian culture today.
The Austria-Hungarian Empire was vast and very Catholic. Even after the Protestant Reformation, the ruling Hapsburg dynasty (1273-1913) prevented Protestants from becoming politically influential. Although as much as two-thirds of the population sympathized with the new ideas of the Reformation, ruthless persecution by the Hapsburgs forced most of these would-be Protestants to emigrate or revert to Catholicism.
Much later in the nineteenth century, the Austria-Hungarian constitution officially gave religious freedom to twelve religious groups. (Baptists were not one of the recognized groups.) In fact, the main Protestant churches (Lutherans from Germany and Reformed from Switzerland) were “Catholicized” to the extent that they kept infant baptism, failed to teach personal conversion, and became quite liberal and socialistic. However, small groups of Evangelical Christians, like the Baptist in the nineteenth century and the Pentecostals in the twentieth century, formed and met throughout Austria.
After WWI, the great Austria-Hungarian Empire was broken up and Austria was arbitrarily divided into a small country of 7,000,000 people with little patriotism or pride of country. As a German speaking country that had fought and lost with Germany in the Great War, the Austrians struggled to find their own identity. So, when Hitler came along in the 1930’s suggesting that the two countries be joined together, the Austrians willingly went along with the Anschluss—except for a few like Captain Von Trapp (Sound of Music). Today Austrians consider themselves the first Nazi victims.
Austria’s large population Jews is gone now, except for the recent immigrants. Foreign workers, of all religions, continue to come to Austria from the former East Germany, Turkey, Serbia, Romania, and other Central Asian countries because the economy of Austria is one of the strongest in Western Europe.
Austria prides itself on maintaining its neutral position during the Cold War. Vienna was often the only meeting point between the USSR and the West. The few who were actually allowed to leave Russia (mostly Jews) before 1989 were taken to Vienna. Now Austria sees herself as a diplomat between the Middle East and the West.
Baptists consider themselves Protestants, part of the “free churches,” meaning they are not subsidized by the government as are the Lutherans and the Reformed. Baptists are seen as a Bible-oriented movement, more political than the Charismatics, and open to liberal thought. The average Austrian’s perception of Baptists is that it is “an American church-like religion.” Baptists are interesting, exotic, but not connected to Austrian culture. There are only twenty Baptist churches in all of Austria.
Most Catholics and main-line Protestants are nominal, if that. Religious affiliation is lower in the cities, especially in Vienna. After WWII, socialism secularized the country, and even Catholics now practice what they call “baptismal certificate Catholicism.” Because the government taxes anyone from a recognized religion, many people have withdrawn their names from church roles ceasing to be even nominal Christians.
Scandals within the Catholic Church during the 1990’s (one involving the Archbishop of Vienna) have caused thousands to abandon their traditional faith in resentment and cynicism. Socialism is on the decline, as well, after thirty years of corruption and greed. Many Austrians are looking for something and/or someone to trust. One of the political parties took as their slogan, “Lederhosen and laptops.” They seem to be caught between tradition and technology.
All of Austria has something of the Baroque (17th century) about it—from the custom of hand-kissing, the old-world coffee shops, the waltz, the oversized sculptures, and the architecture of spires and steeples. Even the cuisine has changed very little for hundreds of years.
Homemade pastries (like apple strudel), Hungarian goulash, Wienerschnitzel (Vienna breaded escalope of veal) dumplings from the Czechs, pasta from the Italian, and kasspatzle, an Austrian cross between dumplings and pasta, sweet and savory pancakes, and are heavy and rich befitting a cold, woodsy, outdoors lifestyle, as are the ubiquitous beer “gardens”. The Austrians love game meat, fish and pheasant, soup, marzipan (deserts made with almond paste) and chocolate. In fact, the world-famous Sachertorte is named for the Viennese Sacher Hotel where it was invented.
The Arts are a very large source of pride for the Austrians. Musicians like Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Haydn, artists such as Gustov Klimt, doctors (Freud) and scientists from the past are still celebrated. Alpine athletes, Olympians, and soccer players (Austria hosted the European Championship in 2008) seem to be the greatest source of pride and national identity today. Austrians love nature, hiking, and the outdoors.
As a people they value courtesy, humility, family, gratitude, loyalty and security. They are sophisticated and diplomatic, made so by their geography and by the diverse ideologies that surround them. They are both artistic and logical. They’re not afraid of emotions or facts, which makes them the epitome of post-modern thinkers. It is their nature to keep a low profile. An old Austrian adage says that “happiness is in a quiet corner.” For centuries, Austria has been crossed by foreign tribes, soldiers and traders. Many of them stayed to make their home. Austrians have always had a reputation for being a hospitable people, and that remains a part of their new national identity.