Renowned Austrian television presenter Vera Russwurm has been awarded one of the nation’s highest distinctions — the Golden Medal of Merit for Services to the City of Vienna, an honour bestowed upon individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the city’s cultural and public life.

The award ceremony took place at Vienna City Hall in the presence of numerous distinguished guests. Mayor Michael Ludwig personally presented Russwurm with the medal, expressing his gratitude for her decades of dedication, commitment to her hometown, and remarkable influence on Austrian television culture.

Among those in attendance were her husband, Peter Hofbauer, theatre director Alfons Haider, journalist Uschi Pöttler-Fellner, as well as many representatives of Austria’s cultural, media, and political elite. A particularly touching moment came with the arrival of Russwurm’s father, who will celebrate his 100th birthday next year.

Russwurm’s career began during her university years at ORF, where in 1979 she joined the programme Tritsch-Tratsch and worked at the Ö3 radio station until 1982. Her breakthrough came with the youth programme Okay, which quickly turned her into one of the country’s most beloved television personalities.

She went on to host a number of successful television formats, including Hallo Fernsehen, Was wäre wenn («What If»), and Familienfest («Family Celebration»). Her talent and charisma earned her the Women’s Oscar from Basta magazine and three Romy Awards as Austria’s most popular TV host (1990–1992).

In 1993, she launched the debate show Duell («Duel»), followed two years later by the legendary talk show Vera, which remained one of Austria’s highest-rated programmes for over a decade. Later, she worked on projects such as Schicksalstag («Day of Destiny»), Primavera, and Vera Exklusiv.

Since 2016, Russwurm has hosted the talk show Vera. Das kommt in den besten Familien vor («Vera. It Happens in the Best of Families»), which later returned in a refreshed format simply titled Vera. In late November 2023, she recorded the final episode — Vera: Leben ist Leben – 30 Jahre Talkshow («Vera: Life Is Life – 30 Years of Talk Shows») — marking the conclusion of one of Austria’s longest and most successful television careers.

Photo: Sofija Galogaza