|
History Main article: History of Vienna Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north. During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home of the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 became residence city of the Habsburg Dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the secret capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. The Ottoman-Turkish Islamic invasions of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries were stopped twice just outside Vienna. See the Siege of Vienna (1529) and the Battle of Vienna (1683). In 1805, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire - the later Austro-Hungarian Empire, both played a major role in European and World politics. (See Congress of Vienna, 1815) In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. After the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938 (see Anschluss) Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin. A preliminary Austrian government was reinstated on April 27, 1945, with Vienna as capital once more. After 1945, Vienna and neutral Austria were a hotbed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs (Cold War). Since the end of the Cold War, the city of Vienna is actively rebuilding ties with its eastern neighbours. Historical population Due to the industrialisation and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as capital of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918). However, after World War I, many Czechs and Hungarians returned to their ancestral countries, which resulted in a decline in the population. Following the immigration at that time, about one third of the people in Vienna were of Slavic or Hungarian descent. Districts Main article: Districts of Vienna Vienna is composed of 23 districts (Bezirke), which, although they all have their own names, are numbered for the sake of convenience. Legally, they are not districts in the sense of administrative bodies with explicit powers (such as the districts in the other Austrian states), but mere subdivisions of the city administration. However, there are elections on the district level, which gives the representatives of the districts some political clout (e.g. in matters of planning, traffic etc.). 1. Innere Stadt (city centre) 2. Leopoldstadt 3. Landstraße 4. Wieden 5. Margareten 6. Mariahilf 7. Neubau 8. Josefstadt 9. Alsergrund 10. Favoriten 11. Simmering 12. Meidling 13.Hietzing 14. Penzing 15. Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus 16. Ottakring 17. Hernals 18. Währing 19. Döbling 20. Brigittenau 21. Floridsdorf 22. Donaustadt 23. Liesing The heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt, was once surrounded by walls and open fields (in order to deny cover to potential attackers). The walls were razed in 1857, making it possible for the actual city to expand and eventually merge with the surrounding villages. In their place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstraße was built, along which imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks now lie. These buildings include the Rathaus (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University, the Parliament, the twin museums of natural history and fine art, and the State Opera, which was burned in 1945 and reopened in 1955. It is also the location of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace. The mainly Gothic Stephansdom is located at the centre of the city, on Stephansplatz. Beyond the Ringstraße, there was another wall called the Linienwall, which was torn down in the second part of the 19th century to make room for expanding suburbs. It is now a ring road called Gürtel. Many of Vienna's famous parks include monuments, such as the Stadtpark with its statue of Johann Strauss II, and the gardens of the baroque palace, where the State Treaty was signed. The principal park of Vienna is the Prater which contains the Riesenrad, a ferris wheel. Schönbrunn, the beautiful Imperial Summer Palace, has an 18th century park which includes the world's oldest zoo, founded in 1752. Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is situated away from the main flow of the Danube, but is bounded by the Donaukanal ("Danube canal"). Vienna's second and twentieth districts are located between the Donaukanal and the Danube River. Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the Vienna International Centre. Vienna's postal codes can be determined by the district where a given address is located; 1XXA - 1 denotes Vienna, XX the district number (if it is a single digit then with a leading zero), A is the number of the post office (irrelevant in this case, usually zero). Example: 1070 for Neubau. Exceptions include 1300 for the Vienna International Airport located in Lower Austria near Schwechat, 1400 for the UN Complex, 1450 for the Austria Center, and 1500 for the Austrian UN forces. Religions Vienna is the seat of the Viennese Roman Catholic archdiocese, and its acting Archbishop is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. The religions of the Viennese resident population is divided according to the 2001 census as follows: Music, theatre and opera Translated from Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, in the areas of theatre, opera, classical music and fine arts. Apart from the Burgtheater which, together with its branch, the Akademietheater, is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world, the Volkstheater Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt also offer high-quality theatre entertainment. There is also a multitude of smaller theatres, often equal in quality to their larger counterparts and in many cases devoted to less mainstream forms of performing arts, such as modern, experimental plays or cabaret. Vienna also offers a great many opportunities for opera lovers: The Staatsoper and the Volksoper offer something for everyone, the latter being especially devoted to the typical Viennese operetta. Concerts of classical music are performed, among others, in the well known Wiener Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and in the Wiener Konzerthaus. In addition, various concert venues offer concerts aimed at visitors, featuring the best known highlights of Viennese music (particularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss). In recent years, the Theater an der Wien has become widely known for hosting premieres of musicals, although it has recently devoted itself to the opera again. The most successful by far was "Elisabeth" which was afterwards translated into several foreign languages and performed all over the world. The Haus der Musik ("house of music") opened in 2000. Finally, many Roman Catholic churches in central Vienna feature performances of religious or other music, including masses sung with classical music and organ. See also: Vienna State Opera Ballet Museums To be translated from In the Hofburg, the Schatzkammer (treasury) holds the imperial jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Sisi Museum (the museum of Queen Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria) allows visitors to see the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg is the Kunsthistorisches Museum that houses many paintings by the old masters and many ancient and classical artifacts. A number of museums are organised into the Museumsquartier, the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a complex of museums in the 1990s. This houses the Museum of Modern Art (Ludwig Foundation), the Leopold Museum (which primarily displays works of the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian Expressionism), and additional halls with changing exhibitions as well as the Tanzquartier. The Liechtenstein Palace presents one of the world's largest private art collections. Additionally there are a multitude of other museums, from the Military History Museum to the Technical Museum, from the Vienna Clock Museum to the Burial Museum. The museums of Vienna's districts are not to be missed as they offer a view into the history of their respective districts. Architecture Translated from There are buildings of all architectural styles in Vienna, from the Romanesque Ruprechtskirche to the Baroque Karlskirche, and classicist buildings all the way through to modern architecture. Likewise, Art Nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna. The Secession, Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world. The Hundertwasserhaus by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designed to counter the clinical look of modern architecture, is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions. Another example of unique architecture is the Wotrubakirche by sculptor Fritz Wotruba. In the 1990s, a number of quarters were adapted and extensive building projects were implemented in the areas around Donaustadt (north of the Danube) and Wienerberg (in southern Vienna). The 202 m-high Millennium Tower located at Handelskai is the highest building in Vienna since the time of its construction in 1999. In recent years, Vienna completed numerous architecture projects combining modern architecture elements with old buildings, like the remodelling and revitalisation of the old Gasometer in 2001. However, Vienna is not a city of skyscrapers. Currently (early 2006) around 100 buildings are taller than 40 m. The number of high-rise buildings is kept low by building legislation to preserve areas of unspoiled nature and to preserve city districts declared as world cultural heritage. Therefore strong rules apply to planning, authorisation and construction of high-rise buildings, and as a consequence, some parts of Vienna, in particular the inner districts, are declared as high-rise free zones. Other culture Other famous Viennese features include the Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School, the Vienna Boys' Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), Wiener Schnitzel, Sachertorte, and various pastries, including the bagel. Viennese cafés claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from the captured baggage after the second Turkish siege in 1683. Viennese cafés claim that when the invading Turks left Vienna that year, they abandoned hundreds of sacks of coffee beans. The Emperor gave a man named Franz George Kolschitzky some of this coffee as a reward for providing information that allowed the Austrians to defeat the Turks. Kolschitzky then opened Vienna's first coffee shop. The Viennese passion for coffee continues to this day. In terms of folk dancing, the Viennese Kathreintanz is the best known. Education Vienna is also Austria's main centre of education and home to many universities, professional colleges and gymnasiums. Universities International schools Transportation Twelve bridges cross the Danube in the city, which is divided by the Danube and its branch, the Neue Donau ("new Danube"). Public transportation
Railways 37.jpg|thumb|Vienna public transportation single ride ticket ''(hint saying "Bitte entwerten" / please validate = stamp: like mentioned in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna#Public_transportation preceding article, drawing to its close)'' Historically, all traffic facilities were oriented towards the main capitals and residential cities of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy consequently, Vienna has several train stations that form the beginning of several train lines: as well as several through train stations: Between these, there are still many smaller stations that are particularly important for local passenger traffic. Since the mid 1990s, the West and South stations have handled all long-distance travel. Many trains stop at Hütteldorf or Meidling, especially when inbound. In order to bundle all long-distance traffic it has become necessary to build a tunnel, colloquially known as the Wildschweintunnel ("boar tunnel"), underneath Lainzer Tiergarten linking the West Railway to the South Railway. The new bundled train line will connect to a new train station called Wien Hauptbahnhof that will be constructed between today's Südbahnhof and Ostbahnhof. Road traffic
Air traffic Southeast of Vienna is Vienna International Airport. In 2005, there were over 230,900 separate flights departing or arriving, and the airport was used by 15.86 million passengers. After a several year long negotiation with surrounding communities it was decided to enlarge the capacity of with the addition of a third runway. Currently the the airport is undergoing a major enlargement (construction of several new buildings) to prepare for an expected increase in passengers. Water transportation To be translated from Vienna is connected to water by the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal via the port in Rotterdam and its nearby German Industrial areas, as well as Eastern European countries up to the Black Sea. The planned Danube-Oder canal remains unfinished. Nearly all of Vienna's drinking water is brought to the city via two large water pipelines, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and stretching 120 km (75 miles) and 200 km (124 miles), respectively, from the Alps to the city's Hietzing district. The Alpine sources are pristine enough that their water does not have to be treated. Politics Vienna is today considered the centre of social democracy in Austria. In memory of the First Republic (1918-1934), the name Rotes Wien ("Red Vienna") is also used. Since the end of the First World War, the city has mostly been governed by a social democratic party with absolute majority. Current mayor of Vienna is Michael Häupl. Before the World Wars, Viennese politics were shaped by the Christian Social Party, in particular long-term mayor Karl Lueger. An example of the city’s many social democratic policies is its low-cost residential estates called Gemeindebauten. Ever since Vienna obtained federal state (Bundesland) status of its own in 1921, the mayor has also had the role of the state governor (Landeshauptmann). The Rathaus accommodates the offices of the mayor and the state government (Landesregierung). The city is administered by a multitude of departments (Magistratsabteilungen). Viennese coffeehouses Viennese cafés have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend. Traditionally, the coffee comes with a glass of water. Viennese parks and gardens
Sport Vienna has become a popular host of many different sporting events including the Vienna City Marathon, which attracts more than 10,000 participants every year and normally takes place in May. In 2005 the Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Austria, the final was played in Vienna. After already being the stage of four Champions League (originally European Champion Clubs' Cup) finals (1964, 1987, 1990, 1995) the final of Euro 2008, the European Football Championships, will take place in Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium. Austria's capital is also the home of numerous sports teams. The best known of them are the local football clubs SK Rapid Wien (31 time Austrian national champions), FK Austria Wien (23 time Austrian national champions and record 25-time cup-winners) and the oldest of all, First Vienna FC. Important other sport clubs are the Chrysler Vikings Vienna (American Football), who won the Eurobowl title as Europe's best American Football team in 2004, the Vienna Hot Volleys, one of Europe's premier Volleyball-organisations, and the Vienna Capitals (Ice Hockey). Vienna submitted a bid for the 1964 Olympic Games. Food In winter small stands on bustling street corners sell hot chestnuts and potato fritters. Sausages are also well loved and available almost everywhere. The sausage known in the USA and Germany as Wiener (German for "Viennese") is called a Frankfurter here. However other varieties are more popular at Vienna's sausage stands, such as Burenwurst, a coarse, usually boiled, beef and pork sausage or Käsekrainer, spicy pork with small chunks of cheese within it. Hot dogs are also very common, whereas due to regional food legislation the Bosner or Bosna as the Austrian equivalent of a hot dog (filled with a fried Bratwurst sausage, onions and spices) can seldom be found at the typical Viennese Würstelstand. Vienna is also well known for Wiener schnitzel, a cutlet of veal that is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in clarified butter. It is available in almost every eatery that serves Viennese cuisine for about 14 Euros. It should not be confused with pork schnitzel Viennese style (Schweinsschnitzel Wiener-Art). Other examples of Viennese cuisine include "Tafelspitz" (very lean boiled beef), which is traditionally served with "Gerösteten Kartoffeln" (boiled potatoes mashed with a fork and subsequently fried), "Apfelkren" (a mixture of horseradish, cream and apple) and "Schnittlauchsauce" (a "sauce of chives" based on mayonnaise and old bread). Vienna has a long tradition of cakes and desserts. These include Apfelstrudel (hot apple strudel), Palatschinken (sweet pancakes), and Knödel (dumplings) often filled with fruit such as apricots (Marillenknödel). Sachertorte, a chocolate cake from the Sacher Hotel, is world famous and available to take home from many shops at Vienna airport. The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and much more. It is well worth a visit. The city centre has many specialty food stores, such as those part of the Julius Meinl chain. Drink Vienna is the world's only capital city with its own vineyards (although Paris also retains a single vineyard). The wine is served in small Viennese pubs known as Heuriger, which are especially numerous in the wine growing areas of Döbling (Grinzing, Neustift am Walde, Nußdorf, Salmannsdorf, Sievering) and Floridsdorf (Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf). The wine is often drunk as a spritzer ("G'spritzter") with sparkling water. The Grüner Veltliner, a white wine, is the most widely cultivated wine in Austria. Beer is next in importance to wine. Vienna has a single large brewery, Ottakringer, and more than ten microbreweries. A "Beisl" is a typical small Austrian pub, of which Vienna has large numbers. Tourist attractions
International organisations in Vienna The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund (OPEC Fund), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as other United Nations Offices and many international institutions and companies, are located in Vienna. Charitable organisations in Vienna Alongside the international and intergovernmental organisations, there are dozens of charitable organisations based in Vienna; these organisations provide relief goods and assistance to tens of thousands of disadvantaged children and needy people in developing countries. One such organisation is the network of SOS Children's Villages, founded by Hermann Gmeiner in 1949. Today, SOS Children's Villages are active in 132 countries and territories worldwide. Others include HASCO and the Childrens Bridge of Hope. Sister cities Vienna is twinned with the following cities: In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with Japanese cities/districts: See also | |||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| |