Why is Vienna considered the ultimate playground for spies? We start with the Habsburgs' surprising innovations in spycraft and how Metternich made "the walls listen" with his sophisticated network of informants. From there, we uncover how the city evolved into the espionage capital of the world, from its Cold War heyday to modern cloak-and-dagger operations. And for those with espionage aspirations, we wrap up with some tips and tricks—just in case you're looking to trade in your day job for a double life.

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Links

https://unipub.uni-graz.at/obvugrhs/content/titleinfo/213364/full.pdf

https://greydynamics.com/vienna-a-city-of-spies-a-history-of-espionage/

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/book-review/viennas-history-of-espionage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria_and_Russian_intelligence

https://secretvienna.org/the-city-of-spies-about-viennas-history-of-espionage/

https://www.bmi.gv.at/104/Wissenschaft_und_Forschung/SIAK-Journal/SIAK-Journal-Ausgaben/Jahrgang_2007/files/Beer_3_2007.pdf

https://www.derpragmaticus.com/r/spionage#:~:text=Spionage%20und%20ihre%20Technologien&text=Die%20Spionage%20richtete%20sich%20als,ge%C3%B6ffnet%20und%20wieder%20verschlossen%20wurden.

https://www.bbc.com/news/10564994

https://www.wienmalanders.at/blog/unterwelt-wien