The history of otology in Austria begins with Adam Politzer, the founder of clinical otology. In 1873, Politzer and Gruber founded the Clinic of Otology of the University of Vienna, the first of its kind in the world. The first stapes mobilization was performed in 1875 by Kessel in Graz. Similar university clinics were founded in Graz under Habermann in 1893 and in Innsbruck under Juffinger in 1894. Urbantschitsch initiated auditory training of the hard of hearing. In 1914 Barany received the Nobel prize for his research on the vestibular apparatus. The history of laryngology in Austria begins in 1857 when the laryngeal mirror was used for diagnosis for the first time by Ludwig Türck. In 1870, the first clinic of laryngology in the world was opened in Vienna by Schrötter von Kristelli. In 1873, the surgeon, Theodore Billroth, performed the first total laryngectomy. All the investigations made at the Austrian clinics were of decisive importance for the development of our specialty.