''Wiener Zeitung'' is an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n newspaper. It is one of the oldest, still published newspapers in the world. It is the official publication used by the Government of the Republic of Austria for legally-required announcements, such as company registrations,§ 10 (1) UGB, dRGBl. S 219/1897 as amended by BGBl. I Nr. 63/2019 and was also the official publishing body for laws and executive orders until 2004.Bundesgesetz über das Bundesgesetzblatt 2004, BGBl. I Nr. 100/2003 As of 2002, ''Wiener Zeitung'' was among the four Austrian newspapers of record beside the right-liberal '' Die Presse'', the left-liberal ''

Der Standard ''Der Standard'' is an Austrian daily newspaper published in Vienna. History and profile ''Der Standard'' was founded by Oscar Bronner as a financial newspaper and published its first edition on 19 October 1988. German media company Axel Sprin ...

'' and the Christian-liberal and conservative '' Salzburger Nachrichten''.

History and profile

The newspaper, founded in 1703 under the name ''Wiennerisches Diarium'', was considered the official mouthpiece of the Imperial Court due to its being supplied information directly and exclusively by the Court. The paper was published bi-weekly, usually running around eight pages in length. Supplements and other extensive reports were published during war time, mainly about Austria, the

Franco-Austrian Alliance The Franco-Austrian Alliance was a diplomatic and military alliance between France and Austria that was first established in 1756 after the First Treaty of Versailles. It lasted for much of the remainder of the century until it was abandoned d ...

, and their mutual enemy

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

. Field journals and diaries from the Austrian army were the main sources used by the paper, reporting on officer promotions, troop deployments and other public announcements pertaining to the war, mostly of local interest. Around 15 per cent of reports were about battles and armed conflicts while 3 per cent were about war crimes committed by Prussian troops. Like many papers at the time, ''Wiennerisches Diarium'' started out by reporting regional and international news. In addition it published birth and wedding announcements as well as obituaries of the

aristocracy Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

and provided coverage of the imperial court. Wiener Zeitung Wiedner Gürtel 10

Since 1780, the paper was known as ''Wiener Zeitung'' (meaning ''Viennese newspaper'' in English) and in 1810 it became the official government newspaper. In 1857 the government acquired the paper and it was printed until 1997 by the

Austrian State Printing Office Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

. The first edition after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

appeared on 21 September 1945. The number of copies sold has grown from 4,500 in 1855 to an estimated 24,000 today. In 1998 the paper was transferred to a GmbH (Limited Liability Company), which is owned by the Austrian Government. ''Wiener Zeitung'' is also the official publication used by the Government of the

Republic of Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine States of Austria, states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, th ...

for formal announcements. Such announcements, for example, civil service vacancies and changes in the

commercial register This is a list of official business registers around the world. There are many types of official business registers, usually maintained for various purposes by a state authority, such as a government agency, or a court of law. In some cases, ...

, are printed in the Official Journal insert of ''Wiener Zeitung''. Until 2004 it also used to publish the official version of newly passed Austrian laws. Today the governmental version of newly passed statutes and treaties are officially published in the Internet, the law gazette thus is not available in a printed version anymore. Until 2009 ''Wiener Zeitungs

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

was Andreas Unterberger, before being replaced by Reinhard Göweil. While Unterberger hired mostly outspoken conservative columnists, the paper returned to its liberal position under

Reinhard Göweil Reinhard is a German, Austrian, Danish, and to a lesser extent Norwegian surname (from Germanic ''ragin'', counsel, and ''hart'', strong), and a spelling variant of Reinhardt. Persons with the given name *Reinhard of Blankenburg (after 1107 – 11 ...

. The Austrian government is widely criticized among entrepreneurs because they are legally required to publish certain legal announcements, such as shareholder meeting conventions and changes of the commercial register in the Wiener Zeitung and therefore have to pay certain fees, although publications are also done through the Internet. Entrepreneurs and private newspapers argue, alleging anti-competitive measures, that the newspaper is financed through these mandatory fees. The

Austrian Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Justice (german: Oberster Gerichtshof or ) is the final appellate court of Austria for civil and criminal cases. Along with the Supreme Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court, it is one of Austria's three courts ...

dismissed claims on this matter. A decision of the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European U ...

is pending. The issue is even more controversial since today the only authentic source of Austrian statutory law is the Internet, whereas business publications also have to be announced through ''Wiener Zeitung''.

References

External links

''Wiener Zeitung'' homepage

Exhibition to the 300-year anniversary of the ''Wiener Zeitung''

Austrian National Library , Annual overview of the issues of the ''Wiener Zeitung''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiener Zeitung 1703 establishments in Austria German-language newspapers published in Austria Newspapers published in Vienna Daily newspapers published in Austria Publications established in 1703

History and profile

See also

References

External links