Read our seperate guide to Vienna here
It's a German-speaking country, and Austria has produced a remarkable number of famous residents for its size, Sigmund Freud and Amadeus Mozart among them. Vienna commemorates both men in its landmarks. The capital is rich in culture and holds some of Europe's finest Baroque architecture. Beethoven settled here as well, and on many an evening the great classical symphonies are still performed in the city.
Coffee here has been raised to an art form. A morning in a traditional coffee house, with a melange and a slice of cake, counts among the city's quiet pleasures. Vienna is often called Europe's cultural capital, and its architecture backs the claim up. The Imperial Schonbrunn Palace and the Hofburg, once the seat of the Habsburg dynasty, both welcome visitors. Climb the North Tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral and the whole city spreads out below you.
Cultural life runs from the Vienna Boys' Choir, singing at the Burgkapelle, to the Vienna Philharmonic. The neoclassical Kunsthistorisches Museum holds a collection of European painting that few institutions can match.
History.
Austria belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire right up until the First World War ended, at which point the country took the name Republic of German-Austria in a bid to unite with Germany. From 1938 until the close of the Second World War it was occupied by the Nazis. Democracy came back afterwards, and these days the country is divided into 9 federal states. Austria ranks among the wealthiest nations on earth and belongs to the EU and the United Nations.
Geography and climate.
Set in the Alps, Austria is landlocked and mountainous, sharing borders with the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland & Liechtenstein. Winters here are cold, while summer temperatures climb fairly high. A weather chart on our website, or a look at www.worldclimate.com, will give you a sense of conditions for your dates.
Food.
Typical Austrian sweets include Krapfen, doughnuts filled with apricot jam, along with Apfelstrudel, which has an apple filling, and Topfenstrudel, which is filled with cheese. Wiener Schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet, turns up on most menus, and Knodel, the local dumplings, are often served on the side of a meal.
Economy of Austria:
Austria sits in Central Europe as a small, landlocked nation. Along its borders lie Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland.
Few economies anywhere are as advanced or as prosperous as Austria's. Industry here is strong. Foreign trade carries great weight, since exports and imports together account for about 60% of gross domestic product (GDP). The export list is led by machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, paper and paper products, chemicals, iron and steel, and foodstuffs. Machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, petroleum, and textiles rank among the chief imports.
Diversification is a hallmark of the Austrian economy. High-tech and service industries get strong emphasis, with particular focus on information technology and telecommunications. High-tech manufacturing matters too, as does research and development. The banking and finance sector is highly developed and plays a major role.
Fiscal discipline and sound economic management are commitments of the Austrian government, and they've brought low inflation, low unemployment and strong public finances. Social welfare also gets strong commitment. That takes in a generous pension system, extensive health care benefits, and generous unemployment benefits.
The government is committed to the European Union, and Austria was one of the founding members of the currency union. Its economy is highly integrated with the rest of the EU, and the country is a major participant in the European single market.
Austria belongs to the OECD and the United Nations. It's a signatory to the Schengen Agreement and a member of the European Free Trade Association. Foreign trade matters enormously to the Austrian economy, which is deeply integrated into the global system. Free trade has strong backing here, and Austria has signed agreements with a number of countries, among them Japan, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Turkey.
