Hungary to Austria Great Continental Railway Journeys


Hungary to Austria

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I'm embarking on a new railway adventure

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that will take me across the heart of Europe.

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I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,

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which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

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for the British tourist.

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It told travellers where to go, what to see

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and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks

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criss-crossing the Continent.

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Now, a century later, I'm using my copy

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to reveal an era of great optimism and energy

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where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

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I want to rediscover that lost Europe

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that in 1913, couldn't know that its way of life

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would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

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My 1913 Bradshaw's in hand,

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I'm making a series of journeys across Europe,

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seeking out a lost pre-war world.

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Today, I'm exploring the once-great empire of Austria-Hungary,

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domain of the pre-eminent Habsburg monarchs.

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The Habsburgs were one of the most dynamic

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and powerful European families.

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In the empire's elegant cities...

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We get this magnificent view of the Chain Bridge.

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..I'll immerse myself in pre-war decadence.

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-What a beautiful cafe!

-Isn't it!

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And experience Edwardian tourist attractions.

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Raar!

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Before heading for the hills.

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I never expected anything as grand and as magnificent as this.

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And the emperor's summer home, from where, in 1914,

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Europe departed along the track to disaster.

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I think he knew even then that this was going to mean war.

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My international itinerary begins in the Hungarian capital Budapest,

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then takes me west to Bratislava in Slovakia.

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Travelling along the Danube, I'll cross into Austria,

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where I'll taste the opulent glamour of Imperial-era Vienna

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before continuing on to Salzburg.

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Finally, I'll explore the stunning Salzkammergut,

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finishing at the spot where a fateful decision sparked a global war

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and the end of this extensive European empire.

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I'm in Hungary, which, in 1913

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formed one half of a vast empire alongside Austria.

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My Bradshaw's Guide hints that the Hungarian capital

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had historically been two distinct cities.

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"Budapest is situated on both banks of the River Danube.

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"The part on the left bank of the river is by far the larger,

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"though down to the 15th century, it was inferior in size

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"and importance to the part on the right bank."

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It was the unification of those two parts of the city in the 1870s

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that made Budapest the second capital of the empire

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and one of Europe's great cities in terms of elegance and power.

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The railways also played their part in Budapest's fin-de-siecle boom.

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By 1900, Hungary had almost 6,000 kilometres of tracks

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fanning out from the capital.

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And money was poured into the grand city centre termini.

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This is Budapest's Nyugati station, one of three major stations in the city,

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built just after Budapest was unified.

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And what a statement of confidence it is.

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Built by the French engineering firm Eiffel, as in the Eiffel Tower.

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I find it absolutely gorgeous,

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but it is, these days, rather faded grandeur.

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Opened in 1877, this vast, elegant railway palace

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told visitors they'd arrived in a city of consequence.

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So it's hard to believe that Budapest as we know it

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was then just four years old.

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To trace the story of its birth,

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I'm following my 1913 guidebook

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to the west, or Buda side of the Danube,

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where I'm meeting historian Laszlo Muntean.

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Lazlo.

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-Hello.

-Hello, Michael.

-Very good to see you.

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And from here, you get such a strong impression

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that this was once two distinct cities.

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Exactly. We are in the Buda side right now

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and we are overlooking the Pest side,

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which had been completely separated from the Buda side

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by the River Danube.

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For centuries, the only way from the west bank,

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home to the settlements of Buda and Obuda,

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to Pest was by ferry.

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In the mid 19th century, the best of British engineering changed that.

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It was in 1849 that the two sides were connected

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by a permanent suspension bridge, the Chain Bridge.

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That would be the one mentioned in my Bradshaw's Guide,

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"One of the longest in Europe," it says,

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-"and the work of British engineers Tierney and Clark."

-Exactly.

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The Chain Bridge is amongst Budapest's iconic landmarks.

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And Lazlo's showing me one of the best ways to admire it.

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Lazlo, you're absolutely right. As soon as the funicular set off,

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-we get this magnificent view of the Chain Bridge.

-Exactly.

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The story of this remarkable bridge

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began in Industrial Revolution Britain,

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then impressing the world with its pioneering constructions

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in iron and steel.

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Why did the Hungarians turn to British engineers for this bridge?

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Well, Hungarian constructors back then,

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they didn't have the engineering expertise

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to construct a bridge like this.

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Just look at the metalwork and the cables and all the suspension rods.

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It was the great Hungarian statesman Istvan Szechenyi

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who decided to import British technological know-how.

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He paid several visits to England.

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First in 1815 and then in 1832.

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And he was particularly impressed

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by William Tierney Clark's

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suspension bridges over the River Thames.

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Two bridges in particular.

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Hammersmith Bridge and Marlow Bridge.

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Szechenyi challenged Tierney Clark

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to apply his skill to spanning the majestic Danube.

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The result was a 202-metre-long suspension bridge,

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then amongst the largest in the world.

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This was the first bridge that brought the two sides together.

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It had, of course, a functional relevance.

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It made transportation and commerce much easier,

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but also, it had symbolic importance.

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The Chain Bridge, the construction of the Chain Bridge

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was basically the first step towards the unification

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of the cities on the two sides of the river.

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While William Tierney Clark designed this engineering triumph,

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Scottish engineer Adam Clark was called in to supervise construction.

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And his role in the bridge's history

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won him a permanent place in Hungarian hearts.

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Hungary was part of the Habsburg Empire

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and there was a revolution against the Habsburgs in 1848.

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Now, the construction of the bridge came to an end in 1849,

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which was the year when the revolution was defeated.

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During the revolution, the Austrians, not surprisingly,

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they wanted to blow up the bridge, which was almost ready.

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Adam Clark flooded the chain chambers

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and prevented the bridge from being blown up.

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All of a sudden, he became a Hungarian national hero,

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although he was a Scotsman.

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-A canny Scot and a Hungarian hero.

-Exactly.

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The bridge helped ignite an economic boom

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that ushered in a golden age in Budapest's history.

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In 1873, Buda, Obuda and Pest were formally united

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and Budapest became the Hungarian capital.

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Around the same time, Hungary was granted

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a degree of autonomy within the empire,

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winning the right to govern its own internal affairs.

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In 1904, a new home for the national parliament was completed,

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and was still dazzling readers of my guide in 1913.

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"The Parliament House," says my Bradshaw's,

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"is an immense Gothic pile by the architect Steindl,

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"with a splendid facade to the river."

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Steindl was greatly influenced by the parliament in London.

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And whereas ours looks more like a palace,

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his came out looking more like a cathedral.

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Inside, it's much more ornate and highly decorated than ours.

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I was once here in 1989, the year that communism was crumbling,

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and I heard a brave young politician making a speech here,

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and I thought to myself,

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if ever there's a parliament that deserves a democracy, this is it.

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I'm now leaving the west bank of the Danube

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and crossing the river to Pest.

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At the time of my 1913 guidebook, this part of town

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was the beating heart of commercial Budapest.

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And places like this vast indoor market, opened in 1897,

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would have heaved with customers.

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If the city owes some of its engineering and buildings to the west

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you have to remember that nonetheless, Budapest

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was occupied by the Ottoman Turks for nearly 150 years.

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And therefore, as Bradshaw's says, has a semi-Oriental influence,

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to which I would add only that that is nowhere to be seen more

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than in the food, which is typified by cumin and paprika

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and sweet pastries and strudels,

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all to be found in this marvellous market,

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which seems to owe its architectural influence to a railway station.

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These days, Budapest's Great Market Hall

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is a magnet for fans of traditional cuisine.

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And there's one local speciality I have to try.

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-This is langos?

-Yes, this is the langos.

-What is it?

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It's a traditional Hungarian bread. It's deep fried.

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We have sweet and salty, too.

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This deep-fried snack is eaten all over Hungary,

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and apparently grew up as a way of satisfying workers

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during the bitterly cold winter.

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The traditional savoury option is sour cream and cheese,

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but these days, you can have it topped with whatever you fancy.

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-Thank you very much.

-Enjoy it.

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It's lovely and warm, it's just come out of the fat.

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He must have put on to it a dozen different ingredients.

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I really don't know where to begin. It's absolutely piled high.

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How do you like this?

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Well, I'm just beginning it at the moment. Do you eat langos?

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Yeah, yeah, yeah. Many times.

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This is to satisfy many tastes from many countries of the world.

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It's got a mixture of everything.

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As we say in English, everything except the kitchen sink.

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-Hello.

-Hello.

-Are you enjoying your langos?

-Yes.

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-Is it first time you've had it?

-Yes.

-Would you have it again?

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Yes. If I will, next time in Budapest, perhaps.

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-And you had one, too?

-Yes.

-Were you pleased or disappointed?

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I liked it. It was good.

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I'm not sure that it's exactly slimming. What do you think?

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No, it's definitely not.

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The langos ought really to come with a manual on how to eat it

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because it's very, very tricky.

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Wow! Good, though.

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Energised by my lunch, I'm seeking out more of belle epoque Budapest.

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One ticket, please.

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-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

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Edwardian railway tourists could explore the city

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on its state-of-the-art transport system.

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I was rather surprised by this entry in my Bradshaw's Guide.

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"Underground electric railway between Gellert Ter, which is near the river

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"and Varosliget, which is the city park."

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In fact, the railway wasn't even new in 1913.

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The first line had been built in 1896,

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making Budapest the second European city after London

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to have an underground railway.

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The ambitious project was approved seven years

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after London's first underground line opened in 1863.

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And 2,000 workers were drafted in to build the tunnels.

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I get the impression that the 70 years

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before my Bradshaw's Guide was published

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was an extraordinary period for Budapest.

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The city acquired a new bridge, a new name.

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It became a capital, built new railway stations,

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a new parliament and a new underground railway.

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After a long day marvelling at this thoroughly modern metropolis,

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Edwardian tourists would have craved a little rest and relaxation.

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And this magnificent complex of baroque buildings

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was the perfect place to find it.

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The famous Szechenyi baths, one of Budapest's many mineral spas,

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opened in the same year my guidebook was published.

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Bradshaw's tells me Budapest has bathing establishments

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supplied by warm sulphur springs.

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If you weren't sufficiently attracted by the boulevards,

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by the cafes, by the goulash,

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by the ballrooms or by the opera,

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then you might come here to take the cure,

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or to allow your body to float in the water.

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By the late 19th century,

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a fashion for water cures had swept the Continent.

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And soon, Budapest's bathing culture entered its heyday.

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City local Naomi Csondor

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is an aficionado of the city's hot-water springs.

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-Hello, Naomi.

-Hello. Great to see you.

-Great to see you.

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What were these waters supposed to do to you?

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This is very good for osteoporosis and for rheumatism.

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And it's excellent as a natural multivitamin, as well.

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What do the waters contain?

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First of all, the sulphur, that we can smell, as well.

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And if you taste it, you don't like it

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because it's like a bad eggs taste.

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We have some magnesium, some calcium, ferrum.

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For centuries, the area's mineral springs

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were found only on the Buda side of the river.

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But in the late 1800s, engineers drilled down beneath Pest city park.

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By 1913, the first permanent bath had opened its doors here,

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allowing the growing Pest bourgeoisie

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access to the hot, healing waters.

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The temperature we're in is quite like a bath.

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It's a very comfortable warm water.

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Is that the natural temperature that it comes from the ground?

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It's hard to believe, but the temperature is 79 degrees centigrade, how they find it.

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This is still today. But they cool it down.

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And so we can bath in it and swim in it and enjoy it.

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79 degrees. That's very hot.

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-Is that one of the hottest natural waters?

-In Budapest, yes.

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But not in the country.

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In the 1920s, the medical spa expanded

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to include a mixed bathing area.

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Today, people hoping to improve their health

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mingle with tourists and pleasure seekers

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in this extraordinary temple to Budapest's healing springs.

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-What are you enjoying about the baths?

-It's nice and relaxing.

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-How long have you been in the water?

-Too long, probably.

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LAUGHTER

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-You should wallow for about three hours minimum.

-No!

-Yes.

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If you're talking about taking the water,

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it means spending time just relaxing, taking it in.

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-So, would you do it again?

-ALL: Definitely!

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-I'm going to come back tomorrow.

-Back tomorrow?

-Yeah.

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What about all the sights of Budapest?

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What about the Parliament Building?

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-No.

-Yeah.

-THEY LAUGH

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-But the baths is the top thing for you?

-ALL: Definitely!

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I certainly understand why they'd want to come back again and again.

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A wallow in these waters is the ideal way to end a day

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soaking up Budapest's golden age.

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Sadly, with the dawning of a new day,

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it's time for me to leave this elegant city.

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Today, my journey in the footsteps of Edwardian railway tourists

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is taking me west.

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Following the course of the Danube,

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I'm pushing deeper into the heart of early 20th-century Austria-Hungary.

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I'm on my way to Bratislava, which is the capital of Slovakia.

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But in 1913, it was a part of Hungary

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and an historically important city within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

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That realm covered many territories and many nationalities.

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And I'm anxious to discover more

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about the power and the decline of that empire.

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I'm travelling along one of the empire's main railway arteries.

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And with almost 150 miles to cover,

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I'm whiling away the journey with historian Mark Cornwall.

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The Austro-Hungarian Empire is often described as the Habsburg Empire.

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Who were these Habsburgs?

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The Habsburgs were one of the most dynamic

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and powerful European families in European history, I suppose.

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Um...and they started life

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as a small aristocratic family in Switzerland,

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but by the 14th century, they were dukes of Austria

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and were dukes of Austria for the next 600 years.

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By the turn of the 20th century,

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the Habsburg lands covered almost half the Continent,

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taking in 11 states of present-day Europe,

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from Romania in the east

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to Switzerland in the west.

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The ruler of this vast territory was Emperor Franz Josef,

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whose 68-year-reign was longer even than that of our own Queen Victoria.

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The rapidly-expanding railway network

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was a vital tool for controlling his multinational realm.

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This line was opened in 1850.

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It was the quickest way to get from Vienna to Budapest

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or Budapest to Vienna.

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It was also the route that the Orient Express went on.

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So for tourists, rich tourists, this was a key line.

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But for the Habsburg Empire, what was important,

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I suppose for the emperor was that he needed go Budapest regularly.

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One alternative was to go by steamer down the Danube,

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but that took 12 hours. This took about five hours.

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So this was by far the quickest route.

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Within the sprawling empire, a dozen languages were spoken,

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and a multitude of ethnic groups lived side by side.

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But by the time my guidebook was written, growing nationalist

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feeling was beginning to loosen the Habsburgs' grip.

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Certain nationalities felt that others were more privileged

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than them and that caused these tensions in the empire.

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Many commentators at the time, in 1913, were very optimistic

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and said these tensions are crises of growth, but there were

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also certainly pessimistic types who thought that the empire was doomed.

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By 1913, Franz Josef was an elderly man, and it was

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anticipated his nephew Franz Ferdinand would soon succeed him.

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By then, Austria-Hungary was feeling increasingly

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threatened by the neighbouring Kingdom of Serbia.

0:20:530:20:56

In 1913, Serbia doubled in size, due to various wars in the south east,

0:20:570:21:03

and therefore when the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand

0:21:030:21:07

was murdered in Sarajevo, Serbia was thought to be behind this

0:21:070:21:11

from the point of view of the Habsburgs,

0:21:110:21:13

and there was no question about it,

0:21:130:21:15

the Habsburg rulers were determined to just go in and crush Serbia.

0:21:150:21:19

-And that was the beginning of World War One.

-Exactly.

0:21:190:21:22

The First World War would spell the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

0:21:280:21:32

But for readers of my 1913 railway guide

0:21:320:21:35

that was all in the unimaginable future.

0:21:350:21:38

I'm leaving the train at what is today Bratislava,

0:21:380:21:41

the capital of Slovakia.

0:21:410:21:43

But in my guidebook, it appears under Hungary

0:21:450:21:48

and goes by the Hungarian name of Pozsony.

0:21:480:21:52

Bradshaw's recommends a visit to what he calls the ancient "Dom,"

0:21:530:21:57

dating from 1204.

0:21:570:21:59

And here at the main altar is the fantastic history of this cathedral.

0:22:070:22:11

19 kings and queens of Hungary who were crowned here,

0:22:110:22:15

set out here in Latin,

0:22:150:22:17

from Maximilian in 1503 down to Ferdinand V in 1830.

0:22:170:22:22

And what they were crowned with...

0:22:220:22:24

Is the crown with its distinctive bent cross

0:22:240:22:28

that was set upon their heads. No wonder the Hungarians have an

0:22:280:22:31

extraordinary sense of national identity and of national destiny.

0:22:310:22:36

From the 16th century, the kings and queens of Hungary

0:22:390:22:41

were members of the House of Habsburg.

0:22:410:22:44

And even after the 1860s, when Hungary won home rule,

0:22:440:22:48

Franz Josef reigned in the western half of his realm

0:22:480:22:51

as Emperor of Austria, and the east as King of Hungary.

0:22:510:22:56

Flowing through the heart of both territories was Europe's

0:22:560:22:59

second longest river,

0:22:590:23:00

where Edwardian tourists could swap the rails for a leisurely cruise.

0:23:000:23:03

Thank you.

0:23:030:23:05

My Bradshaw's helpfully reminds me

0:23:060:23:08

that Bratislava is beautifully situated on the Danube,

0:23:080:23:12

and the river seems the best way to reach my next destination.

0:23:120:23:15

Sadly, the paddle steamers that my 1913 guide describes

0:23:170:23:21

are no longer in service,

0:23:210:23:22

but this modern catamaran is a worthy substitute.

0:23:220:23:26

-Hello.

-Tickets and passports, please.

-Oh, passport?

0:23:260:23:29

When you live in the United Kingdom, it's perhaps easy to forget

0:23:370:23:39

how important for communication and transport were and are

0:23:390:23:44

the great waterways of Europe,

0:23:440:23:46

the Rhine, the Rhone and the Danube,

0:23:460:23:49

and, even today, a really viable way

0:23:490:23:51

of travelling from one capital city to another.

0:23:510:23:54

It takes just 90 minutes to speed along the Danube to my next stop.

0:24:100:24:14

I'm now approaching what was in 1913 the political

0:24:140:24:19

and cultural centre of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire.

0:24:190:24:23

What a wonderful way to arrive in Vienna,

0:24:240:24:26

my Bradshaw says the capital of Austria lies on the Danube canal,

0:24:260:24:31

"It is regarded as one of the brightest and healthiest of

0:24:310:24:35

"the large continental cities, with cheerful and courteous inhabitants."

0:24:350:24:40

Certainly in 1913 the Viennese aristocracy knew how to enjoy

0:24:400:24:44

itself, but could have no idea that the Habsburg empire was

0:24:440:24:49

enjoying its last waltz.

0:24:490:24:51

Arriving here in 1913, the British tourist would have plunged

0:24:580:25:02

head first into an intoxicating world of ostentatious glamour.

0:25:020:25:06

And the best place to capture the flavour of imperial Vienna

0:25:080:25:12

was the famous Ringstrasse.

0:25:120:25:14

My guidebook writes, "A fine broad thoroughfare,

0:25:140:25:18

"it extends in a crescent two miles long

0:25:180:25:20

"round three sides of the Inner Town."

0:25:200:25:22

Still today, tourists flock to this iconic avenue

0:25:260:25:29

to admire the best of Viennese architecture.

0:25:290:25:31

-Hello, Diane.

-Good afternoon, Michael.

0:25:310:25:34

Welcome aboard.

0:25:340:25:35

In 1913, this road would have bustled

0:25:370:25:39

with trams and horse-drawn carriages.

0:25:390:25:42

I'm taking a ride with tour guide Diane Naar.

0:25:420:25:45

Why was the Ringstrasse created in the first place?

0:25:480:25:51

The city was suffocating. Vienna, a medieval city,

0:25:510:25:55

was surrounded by huge fortifications.

0:25:550:25:59

The fortifications had served their purpose well,

0:25:590:26:01

but they were now suffocating the old city.

0:26:010:26:04

And the emperor himself decided to allow the razing of the fortifications.

0:26:040:26:09

This happened in 1858.

0:26:090:26:11

The emperor Franz Josef wanted to make Vienna a modern and beautiful

0:26:120:26:16

city to rival Paris, which had been remodelled under Napoleon III.

0:26:160:26:20

Franz Josef's vision for Vienna was to replace the old city walls

0:26:200:26:24

with a magnificent boulevard,

0:26:240:26:27

lined with monumental public buildings and grand mansions.

0:26:270:26:30

So, how long was the construction - both of the roadway

0:26:300:26:34

and of the palaces on either side?

0:26:340:26:36

The Ringstrasse was officially inaugurated

0:26:360:26:39

on the first of May, 1865.

0:26:390:26:42

-But construction work continued for at least another 40 years.

-Good Lord,

0:26:420:26:46

right up to eve of the First World War.

0:26:460:26:48

Right up to 1913, in fact.

0:26:480:26:51

Vienna, after the industrial revolution, was home to

0:26:520:26:55

a moneyed class of bankers, lawyers and merchants, who queued up

0:26:550:27:00

to build grand palaces on the city's newest and most prestigious avenue.

0:27:000:27:04

Give me some idea of the palaces and the people who lived in them.

0:27:060:27:10

The richest were the ones who were able to afford the largest plots.

0:27:110:27:16

And they hired the most expensive architects

0:27:160:27:19

and the most prominent artists.

0:27:190:27:23

And these buildings were four storeys high and would cover four blocks

0:27:230:27:28

and they were filled with marble, and carved wood,

0:27:280:27:32

and it was a matter of showing off.

0:27:320:27:34

The tourists who came here following my 1913 guidebook

0:27:370:27:40

were among the last witnesses to imperial era Vienna.

0:27:400:27:45

And no pre-war visit would be complete without sampling the nightlife.

0:27:450:27:50

To rest my head for the night, and of course to change for the evening,

0:27:500:27:53

I need what Bradshaw's calls, "A modern first class hotel

0:27:530:27:57

"in a central position," and an advertisement informs me

0:27:570:28:01

that the Hotel Imperial,

0:28:010:28:02

"Since 1913 renovated and fitted with every modern comfort."

0:28:020:28:08

And since it looks like a palace, it will do very nicely.

0:28:080:28:11

The Grand Imperial hotel, right on the Ringstrasse,

0:28:140:28:17

certainly makes a striking first impression.

0:28:170:28:20

Everywhere you look there's marble, crystal and gold.

0:28:200:28:25

It's the perfect place to don my best bib and tucker

0:28:260:28:29

before heading out into the city.

0:28:290:28:31

My destination is a ballroom,

0:28:330:28:35

which once belonged to the wealthy Rothschild family.

0:28:350:28:39

Here, dance teachers Heinz Grossmann and Peter Benek are going

0:28:410:28:45

explain the intricacies of the classic Viennese waltz.

0:28:450:28:49

What is the Vienna waltz?

0:28:500:28:52

Er... The Viennese waltz is the famous dance the world...

0:28:520:28:56

But...the famous music also.

0:28:580:29:01

But the basic is very simple. The basic is we have six steps,

0:29:010:29:06

we can dance six steps and we can dance the Viennese waltz.

0:29:060:29:09

It is very, very simple.

0:29:090:29:10

Invented in the 18th century,

0:29:120:29:14

the Viennese waltz was the first dance in which couples held

0:29:140:29:17

each other close as they whirled around the floor.

0:29:170:29:20

At first it scandalized polite society,

0:29:200:29:22

but by the time my railway guide was published, tourists were

0:29:220:29:26

flocking here to waltz at the city's glamorous public balls.

0:29:260:29:30

Vienna still hosts hundreds of such events every year

0:29:300:29:33

during the glittering winter season,

0:29:330:29:35

but I'm sure that I would fail to make the grade.

0:29:350:29:38

I don't know whether you know the expression in English,

0:29:380:29:41

but I have two left feet.

0:29:410:29:43

This is no problem. Normally we have 90 per cent success.

0:29:430:29:47

You've just met the 10 per cent.

0:29:470:29:50

I don't like... I don't believe. No.

0:29:500:29:53

-OK, you are the gentleman?

-Please, yes.

0:29:530:29:55

-OK, OK. I'm the lady.

-Yes, please.

0:29:550:29:58

This position.

0:29:580:30:00

There opening, yes, there.

0:30:000:30:02

That is OK. One, two, three, four, five.

0:30:020:30:06

One, two...

0:30:060:30:08

Oh, lost it. OK.

0:30:080:30:10

Six simple steps they may be, but for me they're hard.

0:30:100:30:15

And look on the 11 o'clock....

0:30:150:30:17

Yes. Good.

0:30:170:30:19

You are a very good student.

0:30:230:30:25

LAUGHTER

0:30:250:30:26

One, slide, close, back. Slide, close. Yes!

0:30:260:30:30

You're perfect.

0:30:300:30:31

I don't think so, but thank you.

0:30:330:30:34

I think it's time to step aside for the experts.

0:30:340:30:39

MUSIC: Viennese Waltz

0:30:390:30:43

Watching them glide across this belle epoque ballroom

0:30:520:30:55

perfectly ends a day that's evoked Vienna's golden age.

0:30:550:31:00

A beautiful morning, and I'm continuing my search

0:31:210:31:24

for traces of the Vienna that Edwardian railway tourists saw.

0:31:240:31:28

They would have been struck by the flowing lines

0:31:280:31:31

and natural forms of Art Nouveau - a new style of art

0:31:310:31:34

and architecture then transforming the city.

0:31:340:31:38

It first found favour in Paris,

0:31:380:31:39

but by the time my guidebook was published,

0:31:390:31:43

the railways had helped to spread its influence across the continent.

0:31:430:31:46

"The gallery of modern pictures at the Belvedere,"

0:31:480:31:50

says my Bradshaw's guide, "was formerly the residence

0:31:500:31:53

"of Prince Eugene of Savoy."

0:31:530:31:55

I'm here to explore one painter in particular,

0:31:550:31:58

because behind the prim facade of the empire,

0:31:580:32:01

artists were pursuing more sensual ideas.

0:32:010:32:04

Vienna's most famous Art Nouveau painter, Gustav Klimt,

0:32:060:32:10

horrified the establishment with his interpretation of the genre.

0:32:100:32:13

And one work shows why especially well.

0:32:130:32:16

This is Gustav Klimt's the Kiss,

0:32:160:32:19

painted in 1908, and at the time it was thought very shocking.

0:32:190:32:23

The man is hungry for the woman

0:32:230:32:26

and she has gone limp in a sort of trance of passion.

0:32:260:32:31

In the years since,

0:32:310:32:32

a lot of people have regarded this painting as merely pretty.

0:32:320:32:35

But I understand completely why this picture appalled the public,

0:32:350:32:40

and why Vienna at the time was considered a very racy place.

0:32:400:32:44

The Kiss reveals an edgier

0:32:490:32:52

and subversive spirit that inhabited turn of the century Vienna.

0:32:520:32:56

And I'm bound now for its habitual haunt.

0:32:560:33:00

I'm in the old city and my Bradshaw's says,

0:33:030:33:06

"Within this district are the most interesting phases of Vienna life."

0:33:060:33:10

Which I take to be a reference to cafe society,

0:33:100:33:13

which reached its high point when my Bradshaw's guide was published.

0:33:130:33:18

Vienna's coffee houses are famous around the world,

0:33:180:33:21

and one of the most evocative of the city's heyday is

0:33:210:33:24

the Cafe Central, which opened its doors in 1876.

0:33:240:33:29

Hello, Margarete.

0:33:290:33:30

-Hello Michael, nice to meet you.

-Lovely to see you.

0:33:300:33:34

What a beautiful cafe.

0:33:340:33:37

Isn't it?

0:33:370:33:38

Local, Margarete Stickler, is going to help me

0:33:380:33:40

to navigate coffee house etiquette.

0:33:400:33:43

-Um, what are you having, Margarete, what is that?

-This a melange.

0:33:430:33:46

A melange. And what is that?

0:33:460:33:48

A melange is a strong coffee, black coffee, with kind of...whipped milk.

0:33:480:33:55

A melange please, thank you very much, indeed.

0:33:550:33:58

-And we never say just "coffee."

-No?

-"A cup of coffee." No.

0:33:580:34:02

Either melange, or cappuccino, or grosse schwartze.

0:34:020:34:08

-A big black coffee.

-A big black coffee.

0:34:090:34:11

It's an unwritten rule that a single cup buys you the right to linger

0:34:170:34:20

as long as you like.

0:34:200:34:22

And around the turn of the 20th century, British visitors could

0:34:220:34:25

have rubbed shoulders with thinkers who came to exchange radical ideas.

0:34:250:34:29

Tell me about some of the well-known people that I might have

0:34:290:34:32

bumped into in the coffee houses at the beginning of the 20th Century?

0:34:320:34:35

All sorts of people,

0:34:350:34:37

but of course mainly intellectuals, artists, writers.

0:34:370:34:43

And as a former politican I would like to know,

0:34:430:34:45

were there any people of my trade here?

0:34:450:34:48

Oh, yes, very much so, but just before they became famous! LAUGHTER

0:34:480:34:52

-Who are you talking about?

-Trotsky, Leo Trotsky.

0:34:520:34:55

Lenin.

0:34:560:34:58

Stalin.

0:34:590:35:01

All here in Vienna?

0:35:010:35:02

They used to meet at the Cafe Central for playing chess!

0:35:020:35:06

Not so much reds under the bed as reds in the coffee house!

0:35:060:35:09

Quite so.

0:35:090:35:10

Alongside Russian revolutionaries, Cafe Central

0:35:100:35:13

regulars included Sigmund Freud, the founding father of psychoanalysis.

0:35:130:35:18

Nowadays, no trip to Vienna is complete without visiting

0:35:180:35:22

a cafe, for a drink and of course a slice of something sweet.

0:35:220:35:27

There is such a variety of cakes here.

0:35:270:35:29

With my Bradshaw's in one hand

0:35:290:35:31

it feels like a metaphor for the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1913.

0:35:310:35:36

You've got Albanians and Slovenes and Slovaks and Bosnians

0:35:360:35:41

Hungarians and Bohemians, all mixed together in one Empire...

0:35:410:35:47

But very crumbly.

0:35:470:35:49

Vienna was the cultural, military and political heart of the Empire.

0:35:500:35:55

But there was another side to early 20th century Austria.

0:35:550:35:58

I'm now doing as the Viennese elite did in the summer months, and taking

0:36:000:36:03

the Western mainline, completed in 1860, out to the mountains.

0:36:030:36:07

Having used my 1913 Bradshaw's to explore the Empire's two

0:36:090:36:13

biggest cities, I'm now heading over 180 miles west to Salzburg,

0:36:130:36:18

the birthplace of Mozart.

0:36:180:36:20

From there, I'll trace my guidebook's recommended route

0:36:200:36:23

through the stunning Salzkammergut mountains,

0:36:230:36:26

finishing up at Bad Ischl, home to the Emperor's summer retreat.

0:36:260:36:30

This Austrian express is whisking me

0:36:320:36:35

across the country at 120 miles per hour.

0:36:350:36:38

Edwardian tourists would have travelled at a more leisurely pace,

0:36:390:36:43

but one custom that hasn't changed

0:36:430:36:45

is the civilised tradition of the dining car.

0:36:450:36:48

-Guten Abend.

-Guten abend!

0:36:480:36:50

Bitte schon, er...eine Wienerschnitzel vom schwein, bitte.

0:36:500:36:55

-Ja.

-Und, um, ein Grune Veltsiner wein bitte.

-Grune Veltliner.

0:36:550:37:00

Ja, kleine, kleine.

0:37:000:37:02

Sonst noch etwas?

0:37:020:37:03

-Do you have any other wishes?

-Oh, you speak English!

0:37:030:37:07

-No other wishes, thank you very much.

-You are welcome!

-Thank you.

0:37:070:37:10

A traditional Viennese dish is a perfect way to put

0:37:110:37:15

the Austrian capital behind me, and set myself up for the stunning

0:37:150:37:18

scenery awaiting me on the next leg of my trip.

0:37:180:37:20

Ah, that looks very good!

0:37:200:37:22

-Schon, schon danke.

-Enjoy it, I hope it tastes good.

0:37:220:37:24

Thank you.

0:37:240:37:25

As the sun sets, the train arrives in Salzburg

0:37:290:37:32

which my Bradshaw's tells me is "1,350 feet above sea

0:37:320:37:37

"on both banks of the river Zalzac, below some lofty hills,"

0:37:370:37:40

and is "regarded as one of the most beautifully situated places of Europe."

0:37:400:37:46

What a tantalising invitation to explore this city.

0:37:460:37:51

I'm leaving the train here and going off in search of my bed.

0:37:550:37:58

My exploration of stunning Salzburg will have to wait till the morning.

0:37:580:38:02

MUSIC: "Symphony No. 40" by Mozart

0:38:120:38:15

First thing in sunny Salzburg

0:38:170:38:20

and the streets are already buzzing with tourists.

0:38:200:38:22

And none of them can have missed this city's biggest attraction.

0:38:220:38:27

Some places are best known for being the birthplace

0:38:300:38:33

of a famous person, like Stratford Upon Avon with William Shakespeare,

0:38:330:38:37

and Salzburg is celebrated for its most famous son,

0:38:370:38:41

one of the most important composers in the history of music.

0:38:410:38:45

Salzburg's homegrown musical genius is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

0:38:500:38:55

And by 1913, railway tourists were flocking here to honour his memory.

0:38:560:39:02

My guidebook directs fans to

0:39:020:39:03

"Getreidegasse, where, at number seven, Mozart was born'.

0:39:030:39:07

Director of the museum, Gabriele Ramsauer is showing me round.

0:39:100:39:14

Well, this is a lovely, big room, and here I think I see Mozart

0:39:140:39:19

and these are the portraits of the family.

0:39:190:39:23

Yes. This was the living room of the Mozart family.

0:39:230:39:25

They were living here,

0:39:250:39:27

they were playing music, they were meeting friends.

0:39:270:39:29

And I think this room has a really great and wonderful atmosphere.

0:39:290:39:33

It is indeed very atmospheric.

0:39:330:39:36

MUSIC: "Rondo Alla Turca" by Mozart

0:39:360:39:40

This building is where, aged five, Mozart began his composing career.

0:39:420:39:47

And it's also the birthplace of the thriving Mozart heritage industry,

0:39:470:39:52

thanks to a pair of British fans.

0:39:520:39:55

It started in 1829, there a British couple came here to see

0:39:550:40:01

the location of Mozart and it was the couple Vincent and Mary Novello.

0:40:010:40:08

The travel diaries of Vincent and Mary Novello in the year 1829.

0:40:080:40:12

"Vin and I made a pilgrimage to the house where the divine Mozart

0:40:120:40:17

"first drew breath. I cannot describe my feelings.

0:40:170:40:21

"We are both in a complete trance." That's beautiful!

0:40:210:40:26

The Novellos' published diaries helped inspire

0:40:280:40:30

the official Mozart tourist trail.

0:40:300:40:33

And in the late 19th century,

0:40:330:40:35

special railway tours began bringing Britons to see this house

0:40:350:40:39

and to attend many music festivals held in the city.

0:40:390:40:42

"Cook's personally conducted tour." Belgium, The Rhine, Nuremburg,

0:40:420:40:47

Salzburg and the Grand Mozart Festival.

0:40:470:40:50

Departing apparently from Holborn Station in London,

0:40:500:40:56

crossing the continent and spending about four days here

0:40:560:41:01

at the Salzburg Mozart Festival. That's fantastic.

0:41:010:41:05

Thomas Cook had organised his first railway excursions in the 1840s,

0:41:050:41:11

and soon took advantage of

0:41:110:41:12

the rapidly expanding international network

0:41:120:41:14

to launch continental tours. These "Mozart trains"

0:41:140:41:18

continued to be popular into the 20th century, and by 1913,

0:41:180:41:23

rail travellers had a new way to experience their favourite composer.

0:41:230:41:27

Even on a glorious afternoon like this, I feel I should find time

0:41:310:41:35

to hear some Mozart opera, and I'm on my way

0:41:350:41:38

to a little gem of a theatre.

0:41:380:41:40

I've come to this bijou playhouse in the heart of Salzburg,

0:41:480:41:52

to see a performance of The Magic Flute with a difference.

0:41:520:41:55

OPERA SINGING IN GERMAN

0:42:050:42:07

Today, the Marionette Theatre is one of Salzburg's best-loved tourist attractions,

0:42:150:42:21

and it all began in the era of my 1913 railway guide.

0:42:210:42:25

I'm going behind the scenes with puppeteer Philippe Brunner.

0:42:300:42:33

How long has opera been performed with these marionettes?

0:42:340:42:38

Since 1913 the theatre started with a very small opera

0:42:380:42:42

by Mozart Bastien und Bastienne and since then has done many

0:42:420:42:47

of Mozart's operas and also other composers.

0:42:470:42:50

With ever more tourists visiting Salzburg by rail,

0:42:510:42:55

the puppet theatre found a ready-made audience.

0:42:550:42:58

And while these days the puppeteers perform to recorded music,

0:42:580:43:02

Edwardian readers of my guidebook would have watched the marionettes

0:43:020:43:05

miming to live singers.

0:43:050:43:08

Do any of the puppets from 1913 survive?

0:43:080:43:11

Yes, they do. We have a lot of them in a museum but we have some here

0:43:110:43:15

I can show you.

0:43:150:43:17

This is father Mozart. He also dates from 1913.

0:43:180:43:23

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-How do you do?

-Very well.

0:43:230:43:26

MICHAEL LAUGHS

0:43:260:43:28

-He's beautiful.

-Yes, and you see, he is a much smaller scale

0:43:280:43:33

than the puppets we use today.

0:43:330:43:35

These must be very splendid people to work with.

0:43:350:43:39

-Oh, absolutely. They don't fuss around.

-No prima donnas!

0:43:390:43:44

No, not at all.

0:43:440:43:45

It takes up to eight years to learn how to work these remarkable

0:43:450:43:49

marionettes, but Philippe's going to see what he can teach me

0:43:490:43:51

in ten minutes.

0:43:510:43:54

You move from left to right and the puppet is walking.

0:43:540:43:56

And with your other hand you use the front and then you move the head

0:43:560:44:01

from left to right. And then you push here

0:44:010:44:06

-and then he opens his mouth.

-Raargh!

0:44:060:44:08

Great. You're doing very well.

0:44:080:44:13

My lion is taking a walk through the forest...when he meets a...

0:44:130:44:21

-Ooh!

-Very tall person. Raargh!

0:44:210:44:27

Raargh!

0:44:270:44:29

-Raargh!

-I'm not afraid of you.

-You may have a long neck,

0:44:290:44:34

I have a very long tail.

0:44:340:44:37

Raargh!

0:44:370:44:39

Ah! I scared him off.

0:44:390:44:43

Well, I've pulled some political strings in my time

0:44:430:44:46

but I think I'd better leave the puppets to the pros.

0:44:460:44:49

It's time for me to swap historic Salzburg for the pure air

0:44:490:44:54

of the Austrian mountains. Now my Bradshaw's urges me

0:44:540:44:57

to head for the country to the Saltkammergut,

0:44:570:45:01

"A beautiful district of lake and mountain east of Salzburg,

0:45:010:45:05

"easily accessible by rail and steamer.

0:45:050:45:07

"Though a day may suffice for a hasty visit,

0:45:070:45:10

"the attractions of two or three favoured spots will hardly

0:45:100:45:14

"be appreciated unless a stay of a few days be made at each."

0:45:140:45:20

Oh, for the leisure of a 1913 traveller.

0:45:200:45:23

In the 1900s, only the wealthy middle and upper classes

0:45:260:45:30

could afford to explore this remarkable region,

0:45:300:45:33

but it's not hard to see why, once here, they wanted to linger.

0:45:330:45:37

With limestone mountains, glacial lakes and unspoilt villages,

0:45:380:45:42

it's a picture postcard landscape of breath-taking beauty.

0:45:420:45:46

I'm picking up my next form of transport in pretty St Gilgen,

0:45:490:45:53

to the east of Salzburg.

0:45:530:45:55

My Bradshaw's says that the steamer may be taken in preference

0:45:560:46:00

to the train, which is fortunate because some of the railway lines

0:46:000:46:03

that existed at the time of my guide have been axed.

0:46:030:46:06

So I will proceed by water.

0:46:060:46:08

My authentic paddle steamer's route hasn't changed since 1913.

0:46:090:46:15

Back then, this lovely scenery was already a firm favourite

0:46:150:46:17

with tourists. But in the 1960s,

0:46:170:46:19

the region was shot to international fame

0:46:190:46:23

as the setting for one of the most successful movies of all time...

0:46:230:46:27

The Sound Of Music.

0:46:270:46:29

# BOTH: My heart will be blessed with the sound of music

0:46:300:46:37

# And I'll sing once more. #

0:46:370:46:44

APPLAUSE

0:46:440:46:45

Wolfgang, do you find that the tourists who arrive,

0:46:450:46:48

they're coming in large numbers?

0:46:480:46:50

Yes. They join in, the sing and they dance and they clap their hands.

0:46:500:46:54

There are sometimes choruses of 50 people

0:46:540:46:57

and everybody is singing with us and that is a very high feeling.

0:46:570:47:02

Are they word perfect?

0:47:020:47:03

Yes, they know it by heart.

0:47:030:47:06

# BOTH: Doe, a deer, a female deer

0:47:060:47:09

# Ray, a drop of golden sun...

0:47:090:47:13

MICHAEL JOINS IN: # Me, a name I call myself

0:47:130:47:16

# Fa, a long, long way to run

0:47:160:47:20

# Sew, a needle pulling thread

0:47:200:47:24

# La, a note to follow so

0:47:240:47:27

# Tea, a drink with jam and bread

0:47:270:47:30

# That will bring us back to doe

0:47:300:47:35

# Doe, ray, me, fa, so, la, tea, doe

0:47:350:47:37

# So, doe... #

0:47:370:47:39

Luckily for my fellow tourists, there's no more time for singing.

0:47:410:47:45

My paddle steamer has carried me across the Wolfgansee Lake

0:47:450:47:49

to St Wolfgang Station.

0:47:490:47:51

From here, Edwardian travellers could experience the railway ride

0:47:520:47:55

of a lifetime.

0:47:550:47:57

HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN

0:47:580:48:01

My Bradshaw's is very clear about the next stage of my journey.

0:48:080:48:11

"From St Wolfgang a climbing rail ascends the Schafberg, 5,840 feet.

0:48:110:48:17

"The panorama from the top is very extensive."

0:48:170:48:20

And fortunately the climbing rail is still here.

0:48:200:48:24

I'm taking a trip on this beautiful tourist line with its director,

0:48:240:48:28

Gunther Mackinger.

0:48:280:48:30

-How very kind of you. Thank you very much. Thank you.

-Take a seat.

0:48:300:48:33

WHISTLE BLARES

0:48:340:48:35

TRAIN WHISTLES

0:48:350:48:36

Built in 1893, it's one of Austria's most vertiginous stretches of track.

0:48:380:48:43

This is a lovely railway. What sort of gradient does it reach?

0:48:440:48:48

This is the steepest railway with 26%.

0:48:480:48:53

That's what we would call one in four, that's very steep indeed.

0:48:530:48:57

The line was built so that tourists could admire the stunning views.

0:48:590:49:04

To cope with the gradient, cogs were used for traction

0:49:040:49:07

and a rather unusual engine was designed.

0:49:070:49:09

Your locomotive is very distinctive

0:49:110:49:13

because it's kind of built at an angle.

0:49:130:49:16

Because the railway is so steep and the water in the boiler

0:49:160:49:20

must always fill the boiler complete,

0:49:200:49:24

otherwise there would be the danger of a boiler explosion.

0:49:240:49:27

It's absolutely obvious when you say it, but it had never occurred to me.

0:49:270:49:31

Although the railway does still run original locomotives

0:49:360:49:39

from the 1890s, this engine is a modern copy.

0:49:390:49:42

And powered by steam climbing the Shafberg is an unforgettable ascent.

0:49:440:49:49

My Bradshaw's promised me a panorama

0:49:530:49:56

but I never expected anything as grand and as magnificent as this.

0:49:560:50:01

Danke. Auf wiedersehen.

0:50:350:50:39

Fortunately for me, as I leave the train,

0:50:390:50:41

it's not the last I'll see of the vista.

0:50:410:50:45

Because amazingly, the cog train has brought me

0:50:450:50:48

to my bed for the night.

0:50:480:50:50

After one of the most remarkable train journeys in the world,

0:50:500:50:53

I am now going to be staying in an extraordinary place...

0:50:530:50:56

on top of a mountain.

0:50:560:50:58

There's been a hotel perched atop the Shafberg ever since 1862.

0:51:050:51:09

It must surely be one of the most spectacular places in Europe

0:51:100:51:14

to break a railway journey.

0:51:140:51:16

Having woken at my hotel in the clouds, it's time for me to descend

0:51:340:51:38

the mountain and continue my exploration of the Salzkammergut.

0:51:380:51:42

From medieval times, this region fuelled the wealth and power

0:51:440:51:48

of the Habsburg dynasty, who had a monopoly

0:51:480:51:50

on the valuable salt deposits hidden in the mountains.

0:51:500:51:55

But by the early 20th century,

0:51:550:51:57

the family was coming here by rail on holiday.

0:51:570:51:59

Their favourite bolt hole was Bad Ischl,

0:52:000:52:03

described in my 1913 guide as "a very fashionable resort."

0:52:030:52:07

To get there, my Bradshaw's outlines "a comparatively tame train ride

0:52:080:52:12

"of half an hour" on the Salzkammergut Local Railway.

0:52:120:52:16

But that service was closed in 1957, so I'm taking a very scenic route

0:52:170:52:22

to my final destination.

0:52:220:52:24

At Bad Ischl, my Bradshaw's tells me that the park of Imperial Villa

0:52:300:52:35

may be visited during absences of the family.

0:52:350:52:39

I'm headed for the place where, with a few strokes of the pen,

0:52:390:52:42

a Habsburg Emperor consigned his dynasty to history.

0:52:420:52:46

Just a year after my guidebook was published, the spa town of Bad Ischl

0:52:560:53:00

played a pivotal role in the events which led to the First World War.

0:53:000:53:04

But the story began half a century earlier, when this grand villa was

0:53:070:53:11

given to the Emperor Franz Josef by his mother, as a wedding present.

0:53:110:53:15

Nice to see you.

0:53:180:53:19

I'm taking a tour with historian Lothar Hobelt.

0:53:190:53:22

Now, Franz Josef was not necessarily a very happy man

0:53:260:53:29

during his life, was he happy here?

0:53:290:53:31

I think this is where, the part of the world he found easiest to relax.

0:53:310:53:35

So he came here almost every summer.

0:53:350:53:38

I mean, Franz Joseph was not a great man to relax, anyway.

0:53:380:53:41

A great pastime he enjoyed most was hunting.

0:53:410:53:45

One's of course got remember that that was the pastime for aristocrats

0:53:450:53:49

or the elite in general, just like golfing today.

0:53:490:53:51

And it was also a place where he could meet people informally,

0:53:510:53:56

you know? I mean, everything else is at a court like Franz Josef's

0:53:560:54:00

and he's a stickler for detail. Everything else is arranged

0:54:000:54:02

according to ceremonial, but with hunting

0:54:020:54:05

it gets a little more relaxed.

0:54:050:54:07

But soon after my guidebook was written,

0:54:100:54:12

events caught up with the Emperor even in his private paradise.

0:54:120:54:16

By the summer of 1914, simmering tensions with the neighbouring

0:54:160:54:20

Kingdom of Serbia had reached boiling point.

0:54:200:54:24

In June of that year, Franz Josef's nephew and heir,

0:54:240:54:27

Franz Ferdinand, was visiting the Empire's Balkan territories

0:54:270:54:31

when a Serbian nationalist took drastic action.

0:54:310:54:35

And he receives news here, does he,

0:54:350:54:38

of the assassination of the heir Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo?

0:54:380:54:43

Yes. And I think he knew even then that this was going to mean war.

0:54:430:54:48

By 1914, Franz Josef was increasingly worried

0:54:490:54:52

about Serbia's aggressive nationalist ambitions,

0:54:520:54:55

and the assassination of the heir apparent was the final straw.

0:54:550:54:59

On 28th July, here in Bad Ischl, the Emperor declared war

0:54:590:55:04

on his troublesome neighbour.

0:55:040:55:05

Once the Emperor had signed the declaration of war at Bad Ischl,

0:55:070:55:10

does he go back to Vienna?

0:55:100:55:11

Yes, he does, and he leaves by train, of course,

0:55:110:55:14

and it seems he never came back to this house, because during wartime

0:55:140:55:18

it simply wasn't thought appropriate to take summer holidays.

0:55:180:55:21

Thanks to complex alliances, other powers were soon drawn into the conflict.

0:55:220:55:27

Germany sided with Austria-Hungary,

0:55:270:55:30

while Russia, allied to France, backed Serbia.

0:55:300:55:33

The Emperor's show of strength quickly snowballed

0:55:340:55:36

into a global war.

0:55:360:55:38

Franz Josef died in 1916.

0:55:380:55:41

And when German and Austro-Hungarian forces were defeated

0:55:410:55:45

two years later, his successor abdicated

0:55:450:55:48

as the empire crumbled around him.

0:55:480:55:51

But the Habsburg family didn't die out.

0:55:510:55:53

Amazingly, this villa is still family home to Markus Habsburg.

0:55:530:55:58

-Wilkommen.

-How very nice to see you. Michael Portillo.

-Come here.

0:55:590:56:05

So, I am addressing the great grandson of the Emperor Franz Josef.

0:56:070:56:12

-Ja.

-What a great pleasure.

0:56:120:56:13

Having made his fateful decision, Franz Josef wrote to his peoples,

0:56:130:56:18

making the case for war.

0:56:180:56:20

And the manifesto that he produced was signed in this very room.

0:56:200:56:24

Yes, these are the four sheets of paper typewritten,

0:56:240:56:28

and it bears a signature of Franz Josef

0:56:280:56:33

and it was signed on 28 July 1914.

0:56:330:56:37

It was finally printed in all the newspapers

0:56:370:56:42

and in all the languages of the monarchy.

0:56:420:56:45

There were 13 languages in his empire.

0:56:450:56:48

The most important decision of Franz Josef's life?

0:56:480:56:51

It was heavy decision for him personally,

0:56:510:56:56

but an important decision in European history, unfortunately.

0:56:560:57:01

A very historic document and a very historic piece furniture.

0:57:020:57:05

On this journey, I've discovered the rich complexity of pre-war

0:57:120:57:16

Austria-Hungary.

0:57:160:57:18

An patchwork of nationalities, it was held together by one family

0:57:180:57:22

and its historic power.

0:57:220:57:24

But by the time my guidebook was published,

0:57:240:57:27

the seeds of its demise had already been sown.

0:57:270:57:30

When Franz Josef left here by train in 1914, he had unknowingly

0:57:300:57:35

sealed the fate of the Habsburg Empire.

0:57:350:57:37

The First World War destroyed it and Austria, Hungary

0:57:370:57:41

and the other countries went their separate ways.

0:57:410:57:44

My Bradshaw's has guided me through the Empire's twilight years

0:57:440:57:48

of extravagance and sensuality. Compared with the horrors

0:57:480:57:53

that were to befall those countries in the rest of the 20th Century,

0:57:530:57:56

it was an age of innocence.

0:57:560:57:59

Next time, I'll take to the tracks in the former German Empire,

0:58:050:58:08

Europe's industrial powerhouse...

0:58:080:58:11

I can actually see into everybody's window,

0:58:110:58:13

I can see into everybody's house.

0:58:130:58:15

..in its most scenic spots.

0:58:150:58:17

When on the Rhine, eat as Rhinelanders do.

0:58:170:58:20

I'll learn what attracted Edwardian tourists...

0:58:200:58:23

-Hello, my beauties!

-Nice to meet you!

0:58:230:58:25

..and discover how its close ties with Britain were soon to be shattered.

0:58:250:58:29

So the two countries that went to war

0:58:290:58:31

-were ruled over by first cousins?

-Yes, first cousins.

0:58:310:58:34

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