VWW: WILDE WANDA

Who was this Wanda? And what made her so wild?

Gertrude “Wanda” Kuchwalek was born in Vienna in 1947 into a circus troupe. Her mother worked as an acrobat, her father was probably a Soviet occupation soldier. At the age of six, she was placed in a reformatory run by nuns in Wiener Neudorf.

However, it became apparent early on that she would not put up with anything and responded to violence with violence. She stood out. Because of her height, her austere beauty, her brutality. And also because she did not hide her love for women. In Austria in the 1960s, this was a taboo. As Kuchwalek herself described in later TV documentaries, she first came into contact with prostitutes at the age of 19 in Leopoldstadt. She had relationships with them, but also had them work for her. Thus, she became the first woman in the world of pimps.

At that time, it was dominated by underworld figures with nicknames like “der G'schwinde” (the swift one), “die Schmutzer-Buam” (the dirty boys) or “Notwehr-Krista” (self-defense Krista), who sometimes shot at each other on Praterstraße. None of them lived to a ripe old age. At that time, Leopoldstadt was as notorious as Chicago in the 1930s.

But Kuchwalek knew how to assert herself in this society. Just by her appearance alone. She usually wore a jacket, a slouch hat, and cowboy boots, in which she kept an extendable steel rod. Knives and pistols were part of her basic equipment and were also used.

Kuchwalek's mood swings, often triggered by alcohol and stimulants, were feared. She could suddenly explode for no apparent reason. Then strong men flew through closed bar doors and women ended up in hospital with cut faces.

“She could be sweet one minute and insanely brutal the next. Still, I think she's great.”

How she came to give her name to the cult band Wanda will become clear on this unusual tour, which takes us through a series of bars - some of which are still open!

Vienna Walking Week tells new stories about our home town, and every year celebrates a woman who we find special. Starting with Hedy Lamarr in 2022, then Johanna Dohnal, Toni Spira and Eva Kail last year.