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Tips & Advice

German is the language spoken in Austria; letters to Austrian institutions are more likely to be answered if they are written in German. Check the form letters and translation services.

 

See the LDS German Letter-Writing Guide.

 

Remember that research costs time and money. When making snail-mail inquiries, as a matter of courtesy, always enclose 2 international reply coupons and an addressed envelope.

 

Problems reading old documents ? Click here.

 

Genealogical research in Austria tends to be difficult for a number of reasons:

 

  • Genealogy has a slightly negative "flavour" in Austria. It is often associated with the misuse of genealogical research during the Nazi era and many Austrians unfortunately consider it as old fashioned and as a pastime for nobility and would-be-aristocrats. 
  • Austrian data privacy laws are very strict; lookups are difficult and frequently require valid powers of attorney, proof of descent, etc.
  • The boarders of Austria have changed over the centuries. Austria used to be a large empire; today Austria is a small country and a member of the European Union.


 

 

Please keep in mind that I maintain this site as a hobby. I, like many of you, am not a professional researcher.

 

If you have queries, please post them here. 

 

 

Important: researching can be difficult -- but never give up. If you're down, just click on the smile:

Click
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Today's Austria in Europe

The purpose of this webisite to to provide guidance and advice to researchers who are trying to trace their ancestors in today's or in former Austria.

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The WorldGenWeb Project is a non-profit, volunteer based organization dedicated to providing genealogical and historical records and resources for world-wide access! See Wikipedia

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