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Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

b. 1951

Born
10 Oct 1951, Graz
Country of birth
Allied-occupied Austria, today Austria

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

facts
6
sources
1
images and files
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Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Graz

    Birth, Graz

What was it like?

The world around Graz, 1951: 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.

Prince was born the same year as Robin Williams, Sting, and Phil Collins.

Born the same year

  • Robin Williams

    American actor and comedian (1951–2014)

  • Sting

    British musician (born 1951)

  • Phil Collins

    English drummer, singer, and songwriter (born 1951)

  • Anatoly Karpov

    Russian chess player

  • Michelle Bachelet

    president of Chile from (2006–2010; 2014–2018)

  • Mohamed Morsi

    president of Egypt from 2012 to 2013

Fashion
Around 1945–1949

Clothing Scarcity Post-War

Following World War II, clothing was so scarce that grandmothers would rip small pullovers apart to re-knit them using only a little extra wool. Children’s shoes that became too small were simply kept in use by cutting the front part open.

Nylon stockings and repair culture

Nylon stockings were a prized luxury, and because they were expensive and fragile, special workshops were established in Vienna to repair runs in them. By 1958, seamless stockings replaced the original seamed version.

Music

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.

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.

Getting around

Post-war train travel with occupation checkpoints

In 1951, a train journey through the Mürztal and over the Semmering pass to Vienna still required identification papers for crossing occupation zones, and the trip could take over 1.5 hours.

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

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.

Around 1946–1949

Teaching eight grades in one classroom

One-class primary schools in 1946 accommodated 28 children across eight grades in a single small classroom, requiring the teacher to organize 15-minute direct lessons for each group while others performed silent work.

Food

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.

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 1946–1946

Jeep driving jobs were highly desired

In 1946, a jeep driver for the American Army was one of the most sought-after jobs in Vienna, paying 5.25 dollars for a 50-hour week and including one meal a day.

Around 1946–1946

Meager food rations in 1946 Vienna

In 1946, the official ration for a normal citizen in Vienna provided only 1,131 calories, far below the 2,200 calories recognized as the minimum to ward off disease.

Work

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.

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.

News and letters
Around 1949–1949

Postage restrictions in late 1949

By late 1949, letters sent between Western Austria and Western Germany could not contain money and were restricted to a maximum weight of 500 grams.

Around 1949–1949

Telegram service limitations in 1949

As of late 1949, international telegrams from Austria could not include money-order, luxury, express, or code services, and urgent telegrams cost double the standard rate.

During their lifetime

  1. 1955

    Austria State Treaty signed in 1955

    In 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed, ending the Allied occupation and restoring Austrian sovereignty.

  2. 1959

    First Steyr tractor introduced in 1959

    The introduction of the first Steyr tractors in 1959 revolutionized agricultural work, making many manual farm roles obsolete.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.