Wie man Salzburg überlebt - Book by Alex (Schiaches in Salzburg)
published on March 10, 2026
Hi Alex, we would love for you to introduce yourself to our community. Are you originally from Salzburg, and how did your relationship with the city begin?
Hello, my name is Alex and I am really bad at introductions. I am 38 years old, so basically a geriatric millennial, and I was born and raised in Salzburg. My relationship with this city began from day one so to speak. I am one of those rare types who never got to fly the coop and go to Vienna or something… Being “a echte Soizburgerin” and still living here baffles people sometimes.
You have been doing Schiaches in Salzburg for a while now. How did that start, and at what point did you realise this could become a book?
It has been so long at that point, I really have to pick my brain to remember… I started “Schiaches Salzburg” in the beginning of 2020 as a collection of weird photos and the odd meme here and there. Thematically revolving around the not so glamourous life in Salzburg mixed with everyday humour. The plan originally was to turn it into a bit of a mockery of a classic influencer account.
Then the pandemic hit, I started to go on more walks, collected more material, was one day lucky enough get a column at Fräulein Flora, then I was approached by publishers who wanted to make a book with me, and the rest is history.
And while it was a childhood dream of mine to become an author one day, it was never the plan to make a book out of “Schiaches Salzburg”, that just sort of happened. What’s that clichéd saying? Life is what happens while you try to make other plans? There seems to be some truth in that.
Would you say you have mastered the art of surviving Salzburg by now, or is it still a daily negotiation?
It is a process… While Salzburg is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world, its ugliness shines brighter because of that omnipresent, sheer beauty opposed to it. “Ugly”, for me, not only entails weird architecture or found objects, there’s also a lot of ugliness going on in a broader, sociological sense. Rent prices, overtourism, gentrification, the job market or – in general – how we treat those who are deemed “weak” in a system that is built for and by those who are already privileged. Also: Being good never seems to be enough here, and that can get tiring.
So maybe my book is a little, long overdue purge concerning all of the above…
If Salzburg were a wildlife documentary, what would be the rarest species to spot during Festspiel season?
That one was the hardest of all your questions… Hmm… It would have to be a frugal animal. Completely unbothered by their and others’ appearance. Robust. Able to live under harsh conditions, yet completely chill and unpretentious and maybe working together in a really progressive social structure, in a matriarchal society. So… a naked mole rat, maybe? I love naked mole rats. And I guess with those traits, you’re typically not on the red “Festspiel” carpet.
What is the most Salzburg thing that has ever happened to you, the kind of moment that made you think this is completely absurd and somehow still beautiful?
With 38 years of Salzburg life combined, it is hard to think about one specific moment like that.
But every year in spring when the magnolias at Makartplatz are in bloom, I am amused and bewildered by the fact how aggressively people elbow their way under the trees to get cute, aesthetic pictures of those specific, delicate magnolias. It’s like a stampede. And opposed to the tenderness of the subject they try to catch, the absurdity of that behavior really stands out.
To me this is peak Salzburg. Yes, those trees really are beautiful. And also yes, it is really weird, behaving like that, when there is beauty everywhere and you’re probably just on the hunt for that one picture for your carefully curated Instagram feed and will never look at it again…
Was there a passage in the book that made you hesitate before publishing it, a line where you thought this might ruffle a few feathers?
I guess there is a lot of potential to ruffle some feathers. Not only in a few lines but in the entirety of the book. The sections about hiking, skiing, folk traditions, The Sound of Music, the Businesslauf or the Festspiele for example. Those are deemed sacred cows by Salzburgers and Austrians and I am not holding back there. I touch a lot of untouchable stuff :D … so yeah. Some will really love the book (I hope!) and others will deem it filth. But that’s okay <3
And finally, if you had to give our community one practical survival tip from “Wie man Salzburg überlebt,” what would it be?
For the love of god: Don’t ever rely on the punctuality of the Obus Linie 1 Richtung Europark and avoid the Getreidegasse in summer at all costs, even if you consider yourself a people person. Good luck out there kids!
