Vienna is a versatile, multi-faceted city. From the imperial heritage to exciting new projects that point the way to the future. But much of it is still little known, sometimes even undiscovered. The Austria Guides for Future are now making part of this visible.
I recently met Cristina-Estera Klein. She and a few other Austria Guides came together in the middle of the Corona year 2020, when the whole world came to a standstill, and founded Austria Guides for Future. To show you completely new aspects of the city. In the format of a city tour, you will discover the sides of Vienna that will shape the future.
Austria Guides For Future was created in the middle of the first lockdown in 2020. How did this come about?
The fact that we have found each other and are doing something together shows that positive things can also emerge from the crisis. With the first lockdown in 2020, we all lost our jobs, orders were canceled and there was great uncertainty as to what would happen next.
But then a small group formed, met regularly and came up with an idea. Namely the idea of taking up topics in Vienna that have been little discussed to date. Topics that were not part of our traditional training as a guide, such as the environment and climate protection. These issues in particular became very present during the initial lockdown period, with images of nature reclaiming its habitat going around the world. We have founded Austria Guides For Future to ensure that these key issues are not forgotten and remain part of our work in the future.
As guides, we talk about history during our tours, visit historical places and we also talk about the present. But the future has hardly had a place here yet. But it is important to us that this is also talked about. As we have not yet found any offer in Vienna that covers what we want to convey, we have started.
In short, out of the crisis, out of the realization “Ok, we can’t work anymore, what do we do now?” there was this reset moment. Both for us as a group and as individuals. To reflect and question which topics are important.
The great thing about our work is that we are very flexible and dynamic and that we work independently. But as long as you are stuck in your daily routine, there is often little room for change. Only when such moments occur do you stop and think about what else is possible. Something positive can emerge from a crisis because it triggers change if you want it to.
At the beginning of June 2020, we started discussing the topics in lively discussions with experts and organizations so that we could also access the right sources. This is because there is and was very little literature available for us guides on these “new” topics in relation to future, location-specific developments
Your principles and name reflect the idea and vision of Fridays for Future. How are you connected?
We deliberately chose the name Austria Guides For Future because our claim is definitely an activist one, albeit in a certain form of activism light. We act as mediators, can inspire and draw attention to issues. All in a very low-threshold, positive way. We encourage people to think about things, explore topics in greater depth and get involved. Above all, we want to show that it is possible for everyone to make a contribution.
Our principles are based on the principles of all For Future groups and also to show that we support this movement. Officially, we are an alliance of the For Future movement and are also actively involved in its design and implementation.
You have already indicated that there is very little typical documentation and material with which you can work out your tours. So what does the research look like for you?
We let ourselves be inspired. Inspiration always comes when you walk through the world with your eyes open, when you are interested, inform yourself and read. We are constantly discovering new projects and stories in Vienna. Be it Seestadt or an exciting project in the middle of the 15th district. Pelzgasse, which was built and designed according to the sponge city principle, has existed here for some time. A fascinating topic. Of course, we immediately pick up on something like this, do some research and see what’s available. A tour is then created from this.
All the new projects and regions that are being created in Vienna are also absolutely exciting. For example, the aforementioned Seestadt. A completely new region whose hidden treasures many people are not even aware of at first glance.
And that’s exactly what we’re all about. To make new districts tangible, to get a new perspective on them and also to show the positive aspects that have been implemented here. But always with a critical eye.
We also work with partners such as construction groups, for whom we develop tours. We are a cooperation partner of the IBA Vienna, for which we then develop very special tours.
It’s also great when our tours provide the impetus for a subsequent discussion. For example, we plan events that consist of a 90-minute tour followed by 90 minutes of discussion.
Your enthusiasm for this topic and your goal of making a difference is simply palpable. What about challenges that are tangible for you?
One of the biggest challenges is that we have hardly been allowed to do any tours yet, as things have been very quiet in Vienna for a very long time. The company was founded in mid-2020, we set up everything like the website and network and then the next lockdown came. Despite the impending winter season, we already had a few tours that unfortunately had to be canceled.
But now we are finally getting down to business. We have prepared a great deal and this is now being implemented.
Austria Guides for Future is quite different from the typical city tour. Where do you see your place in the tourist offer in Vienna?
Vienna’s imperial heritage is very present in tourism and the associated offerings. But Vienna has so much more to offer than what we show on the classic tours. The city needs both. The magnificent, the imperial, that has its very own magic and attraction. But then there are also the other sides of Vienna to discover. The city is simply so much more, so colorful, so diverse, new subcultures, talented artists whose stage is the city, hidden places that are still hidden.
Especially if you “venture” beyond the Ringstrasse into the other districts of Vienna. You’ll find so many new things there. That’s why we made a conscious decision to do more of our tours in the districts. We combine the old with the present with the future.
Slowly, people in Vienna are realizing that visitors are coming back, or at least want to come back. What is your wish for the future for you as a group?
We are very happy about collaborations and opportunities to make people aware of these issues.
What we find really great is when we can offer our tours and the participants have to pay for them, as the tour is taken over by cooperation partners or the clients. It is also great when our offer is accepted by the districts as an offer for the residents and we can also reach people who are perhaps more skeptical.
The exciting thing is who we reach. Those who are already very intensively involved with the topic anyway or those for whom these topics are still quite new. Low-threshold offers are ideal, especially when embedded in a package, a festival or a larger event. Because there are so many great initiatives and projects in Vienna whose stories simply have to be told. Exploring new paths together and rediscovering the city in all its facets. If we can manage that, then wonderful things can happen here.
