Plenty of Nothing

Dubbie

The cover of Dubbie, the Double-Headed Eagle, a children's book by Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen, in which Dubbie journeys to Vienna in search of his kinfolk. I offer this as evidence the Habsburgs are playing the long game. Source.

Cymburgis of Masovia

A member of the Polish Piast dynasty, Cymburgis married Ernest the Iron, Duke of Austria, in 1412. She is the ancestor of all modern Habsburgs, and could crack nuts with her bare hands.

The Armed Maiden

The Armed Maiden by Friedrich von Amerling (1803-1887).

Patron Saints of Austria

The patron saints of Austria by Albrecht Dürer (1517).

They are:

Quirinus.

Maximilianus.

Florianus.

Severinus of Noricum.

Colomanus.

Leopoldus.

Poppo.

Otto.

Source: National Gallery of Victoria.

Today is Austria's national holiday.

Hofkirche, Innsbruck

The Hofkirche, Innsbruck, contains the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I, plus a couple dozen statues of his illustrious relatives. These three are Albrecht II of Austria (1298-1358), Rudolf I of Habsburg, King of the Romans (1218-1291), and Philip I of Castile (1478-1506). Source.

Roman Vienna

Source.

Villach Lines

This is a screen shot from a EBEL game in Villach between EC VSV and EC KAC. Take a look at number 36. What's that rectangle he's standing in? You can see five identical rectangles ranged along the near boards, and apparently they continue on down the length of the ice to the other goal, and you can just make out an identical row on the other side of the rink. At least some of them have a cross in the middle. What are they for? Horseshoes?

Have You Been Good?

Tomorrow is Krampusnacht.

Karl Marx-Hof

Vienna's Karl Marx-Hof is possibly the grandest and historically most significant public housing projects ever. It was built during the period of Social Democratic city government after WWI, and it was the scene of a battle in February 1934 when the fascists came looking for a fight. Despite having taken direct hits from artillery shells it's still in use, accommodating hundreds of Viennese to this day. If you know nothing about the Austrian Civil War, two good places to start reading are Naomi Mitchison's Vienna Diary and Martha Gellhorn's A Stricken Field. Source.

Das Narren Schiff (1923) by Oskar Laske

Oskar Laske. Source.