Hapsburg Capitals: Vienna, Prague, Budapest

Ruled by the indomitable Hapsburg monarchy in Central Europe's strategic heart, Vienna, Prague and Budapest grew from ancient roots into vibrant, modern and ethnically diverse urban centers. Each developed a distinct and colorful cultural and political personality.

As the grand imperial capital on the Danube, Vienna, home to the waltz, achieved an architectural and musical "nervous splendor" rivaling Paris and London. “Golden Prague,” capital of the Czech lands, famous for beer gardens and sausage, asserted its Slavic identity in a burst of cultural renewal in the late nineteenth century, after centuries of Austrian domination. Straddling the banks of the Danube on the vast Hungarian plain at the edge of the Ottoman Empire, exotic and rebellious Budapest eventually gained status as a dual capital with Vienna of the new (and short-lived) Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the Empire vanished in 1918, these closely linked cities assumed new and difficult identities in a region afflicted by ethnic violence and ideological conflict.

We will read selections from fiction, memoir and history as we explore the multi-layered story of these magnificent capitals on the eve of World War I.

Faculty Bio

Harlow Robinson is Professor of History, Emeritus, at Northeastern University, and the author of five books of biography and cultural history. Recipient of two Fulbright Fellowships, he earned his B.A. from Yale University, and M.A. and Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley.

This is a Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will stream live on the scheduled day and time
• Classes will also be video recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Tuesday, Jan. 16, and ends on Tuesday, Feb. 27
• There is no class on Tuesday, Jan. 23
• Classes meet for six weeks, 1.5 hours per session (1–2:30 PM)
• Videos will post on Fridays in Member Dashboards
• All course materials, including videos, will be available to view and enjoy through March 31

Member Praise for Harlow Robinson

Professor Robinson's lectures were excellent and informative, very nuanced and showed the depth and level of his knowledge of the material.

An excellent course! Packed with information and well paced. His breadth of knowledge on the topic is obvious and impressive. 

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Harlow Robinson from our archive.