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Maria-Pia Liechtenstein

b. 1960

Born
6 Aug 1960, Vienna
Country of birth
Austria

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
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sources
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images and files
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · Vienna

    Birth, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1960: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Maria-Pia was born the same year as Julianne Moore, Antonio Banderas, and Sean Penn.

Born the same year

  • Julianne Moore

    British-American actress and author (born 1960)

  • Antonio Banderas

    Spanish actor

  • Sean Penn

    American actor

  • Gary Lineker

    English football pundit and former player

  • Naruhito

    Emperor of Japan (born 1960)

  • Yulia Tymoshenko

    Ukrainian politician, former Prime Minister

Fashion

Four wardrobe sets for rural life

People typically owned four sets of clothing: work clothes, everyday attire, Sunday best, and special ceremonial garments for high holy days. The wedding suit often served as the high holy day outfit and was frequently worn for burial.

Youth rebellion and hidden fashion

Young people often defied strict prohibitions against modern styles by hiding items like blue jeans at school and changing into them only after classes. While authorities and parents viewed these trends as immoral, the youth actively sought out items associated with American culture.

Music

Traditional folk music and regional instruments

Traditional Austrian folk music featured instruments like the violin, harp, zither, dulcimer, accordion, and guitar, often tied to regional customs and feast days. Alpine genres like the Laendler, yodelling, and Schnadahuepfl songs remained central to these traditional celebrations.

Around 1950–1957

Jukeboxes were popular and expensive in Austria

In the 1950s, US jukeboxes became popular in Austrian espresso bars, with 2,790 units installed by 1957. These machines cost between 40,000 and 80,000 Austrian schillings, while a small Steyr-Puch 500 car cost 30,000 schillings.

Getting around
Around 1955–1959

Personal mobility with scooters and motorcycles

By the mid-1950s, the motorization wave allowed Austrians to travel to the Salzkammergut region using affordable vehicles like Vespas, Lambrettas, and Puch scooters.

Around 1950–1959

Transition from bicycles to motorized public transport

In the 1950s, men shifted from cycling to work in cities like Linz toward using new factory buses, public buses, and more frequent trains.

Daily life
Around 1950–1955

Housing shortages and lack of modern plumbing

In 1951, only 14% of Vienna flats had a bathroom, 44% had running water inside, and 40% had an internal toilet. Many families relied on public bathhouses, which saw 5 million visitors annually in 1950.

Food
Around 1951–1952

Mandatory meatless days in 1951

To combat meat shortages in 1951, the government mandated two meatless days per week, during which even self-sufficient families were prohibited from consuming meat dishes.

Around 1945–1955

Weak coffee in post-war Austria

In the immediate post-war years, Austrians drank Blümchenkaffee, which was so weak that one could see the floral patterns on the bottom of the cup through the liquid.

Prices and wages
Around 1956–1956

Cost of bread in 1956

In 1956, one kilogram of black bread cost 3.80 Schilling, while a bread roll cost 45 Groschen.

Around 1956–1956

Industrial worker monthly earnings in 1956

In 1956, an average industrial worker in Austria earned 1,690 Schilling gross per month, including special payments.

Work

Strict financial management in households

Housewives were often expected to keep a housekeeping book to record all expenses weekly or monthly for inspection by their husbands.

Around 1950–1959

Limited household technology for working women

Working women in the 1950s often managed multiple household roles alongside their jobs, but only 23% owned a hoover or fridge, 7% a blender, and 4% a washing machine by 1959.

News and letters

Censorship of letters in Austria

Letters entering or leaving Austria were routinely read by hundreds of postal employees working under Russian censorship requirements.

Sequencing letters to manage delivery delays

Students writing letters home often numbered them in sequence to help manage the frequent issues with letters being delivered out of order.

During their lifetime

  1. 1961

    Washing machines became household standard in 1961

    In 1961, washing machines became more affordable for broader social classes, transforming household chores for many women.

  2. 1995

    Austria joined European Union in 1995

    Austria joined the European Union in 1995, significantly shifting the country's economic and political landscape.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.