DIE DOHNAL Tour in Frauenwoche. Part 1 - Penzing

Johanna Dohnal was a feminist pioneer. Using humour, determination, persuasion and skill, she changed many details of Austrian life, and also the way people thought at the time.

She was Viennese, and learned the hard way about the difficulties of being a girl and woman in the 1940s and 50s.

On this tour, we will explore her beliefs, where she lived and worked, how necessary her ideas were, and look at the context of her life. Her resilience is reflected across the city, from art to a film, books, buildings and a street name. Some of her struggles were within her own political party, to show that women's needs are in fact society's needs, and affect everybody. Vienna later became a visionary city in issues of gender-mainstreaming, and gay rights. Dohnal became one of the first women's rights ministers in a European government.

This is a storytelling walk, and Eugene aims every year to tell more women's history, since it is under-represented. This will be the fourth of his tours about inspiring Vienna figures, after Hedy Lamarr, Elizabeth Spira, and Eva Kail.

Thanks to the Culture Department of Penzing Council for this co-operation. And to Doris Plank for pushing the project forward. This is part 1, about Johanna's early life in Penzing. Tomorrow afternoon, her later years, in power.