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Princess Alexandra of Liechtenstein

1955–1993

Born
25 Dec 1955, Vienna
Country of birth
Allied-occupied Austria, today Austria
Died
27 Feb 1993, Vienna
facts
8
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Vienna

    Birth, Vienna

  2. Died · Vienna

    Death, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1955: 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.

Princess was born around the same time as Hugo Chávez, Jackie Chan, and Tom Hanks.

Born around the same time

  • Hugo Chávez

    1954 · president of Venezuela (1999–2013); revolutionary and military officer

  • Jackie Chan

    1954 · Hong Kong actor and martial artist (born 1954)

  • Tom Hanks

    1956 · American actor and film producer (born 1956)

  • Martina Navratilova

    1956 · Czech-American tennis player

  • Vladimir Putin

    1952 · President of the Russian Federation

  • Angela Merkel

    1954 · chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 (born 1954)

Fashion

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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
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.

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.

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
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.

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.