Der Spinner aus England

Few things have transformed Austrian transportation as much as the railway. Routes that once took two days to traverse can now be completed in two hours—life speeds up. Episode two explores how industrialization revolutionized Austria, turning it from a relatively backward country into a land of inventors: Josef Madersperger invents the sewing machine, Josef Ressl the ship's propeller, bridge and road builder Alois Negrelli becomes the leading mind behind the construction of the Suez Canal, chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach discovers the incandescent lamp, and arms manufacturer Josef Werndl invents the game-changing breech-loading rifle. Carl Ritter von Ghega, once the face of the 20-shilling note, pushes through the Semmering and becomes the father of all mountain railways. The construction of the railway costs 700 workers their lives, a fact that was accepted at the time. Meanwhile, the Pottendorf spinning mill in the south of Vienna grows to become the largest of its kind in all of Continental Europe. Using elaborate studio animations, Andreas Pfeifer explains Austria's path to progress, which has laid the foundation for our prosperity to this day. Mariella Gittler visits original sites like the tunnel for the future U5 subway line.