Alexander Juraske – Historian, Eyewitness, and Lifelong Vienna Supporter

Alexander Juraske – Historian, Eyewitness, and Lifelong Vienna Supporter

Historians are both chroniclers and storytellers. Their professional calling is to ensure the past is not forgotten, casting a scholarly eye into the rearview mirror of time. Alexander Juraske is a historian who volunteers his expertise for First Vienna FC and, in a sense, captures Austria’s oldest football club with a long exposure—both as researcher and witness.

How did you come to specialize in sports history as a historian?

• My academic focus was actually on antiquity. I wrote my master’s thesis on the film *Spartacus*, and my doctoral dissertation explored historical films set in the Roman Republic. But my historical interest in football has a very different origin.

What was it?

• That has a lot to do with my grandfather. Karl Juraske was the first-choice goalkeeper for First Vienna FC in the late 1920s. At that time, the Döbling side was one of the top teams in the "Wiener I." league. As a child, my grandfather would take me to Vienna’s home matches at the Hohe Warte. That’s how I came to experience the atmosphere of football firsthand at a young age.

Is that why you're a Vienna supporter today?

• Absolutely. That created a deep connection with the club. Over the years, I’ve experienced all the highs and lows Vienna has gone through. That shaped me and strengthened my loyalty. My father was also a die-hard Vienna fan. I'm quite sure he would have disinherited me had I ever supported another club.

Your first book about Vienna is titled “Blue and Yellow Is My Heart.” Why that topic?

• As both a historian and a Vienna supporter, it felt like an open goal to research and write a well-documented book about the club. It covers the development of First Vienna FC and the socio-political context surrounding it, from its founding to the present day. The book was first published in 2017 and reissued with updates in 2019.

Did that experience motivate you to write more books about Vienna?

• It definitely led me to dive deeper into the specialized field of sports history. My second book was co-authored with Agnes Meisinger and Peter Menasse, and focuses on Hans Menasse, a former Austrian international and forward for Vienna. Menasse, the son of a Jewish father, was forced to flee Austria during the Nazi era. His biography is both dramatic and compelling. The book was published in 2019. That same year, I also released a pocket-sized book titled “First Vienna FC – Fußballfibel”. Across 150 pages, it gives voice to the fans, capturing the vibrant supporter culture at the Hohe Warte and highlighting their efforts to engage with the club’s leadership on equal footing.

How are books like these, with small print runs and niche audiences, actually funded?

• (Laughs) That truly requires a lot of patience and persistence. There are public funding bodies where you can apply for financial support, but the approval processes are lengthy and you never know if you’ll get the green light. Of course, there’s also some support from Vienna itself — all of my books are sold in the club’s fan shop. But let’s be honest: you don’t write this kind of sports history for profit. It’s a labor of love.

In 2019, you also published a book about Otto "Schloime" Fischer.

• Yes, Fischer was an incredible dribbler, an Austrian international, and a star at Vienna. During his career, as a Jew, he was repeatedly targeted by antisemitic attacks. After retiring as a player, he worked as a coach in Eastern Europe and led Olimpija Liepāja in Latvia to three national championships. Tragically, in 1941, he was murdered by the Nazis and disappeared from memory. I was fascinated by the life of this influential Vienna player, and that's why I wrote a monograph about him. At the end of April, there will be a memorial event in Latvia in his honor, where I’ll present my book.

Your most recent major publication is "Blau-Gelb unterm Hakenkreuz". What motivated you to explore this topic?*

• The idea emerged in 2011, when Rapid began addressing its Nazi-era history and the book “Grün-Weiß unterm Hakenkreuz” was published. I became interested in the fate of the Jewish players and officials of Vienna who were excluded during the Nazi period. I wanted to examine how Austrian football, and specifically Vienna, changed after 1938, yet still achieved significant success. The club won the so-called Gau-Liga or Bereichsklasse three times, reached the final of the German football championship in 1942, and won the Tschammer-Pokal in 1943.

What did the research for this book involve?

• I spent three years gathering sources, researching stories, searching for photos, and writing manuscripts. It involves many hours spent in archives and libraries. The work of a historian is similar to that of an archaeologist: historians “dig” through piles of documents in archives. It’s often tedious, but also incredibly fascinating.

When can we expect to read something new from you?

• I’m a regular contributor to the football magazine Ballesterer, where I write about historical topics. I’m still passionate about historical research in sports. Another area I’m exploring is the history of Jewish sports clubs in Austria before 1938. There were around 80 such clubs. We’ll see where that leads. My fountain pen still has plenty of ink left.

For your information: Alexander Juraske will present his book “Blau-Gelb unter dem Hakenkreuz” on May 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Döbling District Museum (19th district, Döblinger Hauptstraße 96).

All books by Alexander Juraske are also available in our online shop and at the fan shop at the Hohe Warte (SHOP).