(Redirected from Vienna, Austria)
| State Coat of Arms |
|---|
| | |
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Country: | Austria |
| State Capital: | Vienna |
| : | AT-9 |
| Vehicle Registration: | W |
| Community Identification Number: | 90101 - 92301 |
| Postal codes: | 1010 - 1239, 1400, 1450 |
| Area code: | 01 |
| Homepage: | www.wien.gv.at |
| State Flag of Vienna | |
|---|---|
.svg.png) State Flag of the city/state of Vienna | |
| Map: Vienna in Austria | |
|---|---|
 Map of Austria (Vienna) | |
| Name in other languages | |
|---|---|
| German | Wien |
| Hungarian | Bécs |
| See | |
|---|---|
| Politics | |
|---|---|
| Mayor and governor | Michael Häupl (SPÖ) |
| Governing Party | SPÖ |
Seats in the Municipal Council
(100 seats): | SPÖ 55
ÖVP 18
Greens 14
FPÖ 13 |
| Last Election: | 23 October 2005 |
| Next Election: | October 2010 |
| Population | |
|---|---|
Population
Metropolitan Area: | 1,664,146 ''(01.01.2007)''[1]
2,268,656 ''(01.01.2007)''[2] |
Population density
Metropolitan Area: | 4,011/km²
492/km² |
| Geography |
|---|
| Area: | 414.90 km² |
| - percent land: | 395.51 km² (95,33%) |
| - percent water: | 19.39 km² (4,67%) |
| - Metropolitan Area: | 4,611.76 km² |
| Location: | |
| Dimensions: | North-South: 22.4 km
East-West: 29.2 km |
| Highest Point: | 543 m
(Hermannskogel) |
| Lowest Point: | 151 m
(Lobau) |
| Administrative Structure |
|---|
| Districts: | 1 Statutarstadt
23 Bezirke |
| Map: Districts of Vienna |
|---|
 Bezirke of Vienna | |
'Vienna' ( ,
Austro-Bavarian: ''Weăn'', see also ) is the
capital of
Austria, and also one of the nine
States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's
primate city; with a population of about 1.7 million (2.3 million within the
metropolitan area), and is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its
cultural, economic and
political centre. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the
Czech Republic,
Slovakia and
Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a
UNESCO World Heritage Site[3] and an
Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it third for quality of life.
[4]
History
Vienna in 1858
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 capital of the
Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. The
Ottoman invasions of
Europe in the
16th and
17th centuries were stopped twice just outside Vienna (see
Siege of Vienna, 1529 and
Battle of Vienna, 1683).
In
1805, Vienna became capital of the
Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1815
Congress of Vienna. After the
Ausgleich in
1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was now the
Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th Century the city developed what had previously been the
bastions and
glacis into the
Ringstraße, a major prestige project.
In
1918, after
World War I, Vienna became capital of the
First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of
Socialism in Austria, and became known as "
Red Vienna." The city was stage to the
Austrian Civil War of
1934, when Chancellor
Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In
1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria,
Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (''
Anschluß'') and the end of the
Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to
Berlin.
In
1945, the
Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After
1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the
Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international
espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.
In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor
Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the
Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the
United Nations (
UNIDO,
UNOV, and
UNODC), the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Historical population
Due to
industrialization 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, resulting in a decline in the Viennese population. At the height of the immigration, about one third of the people living in Vienna were of
Slavic or Hungarian descent.
By 2001, only 16% of people living in Vienna had nationalities other than Austrian, nearly half of which were from the former
Yugoslavia; the next most numerous nationalities in Vienna were
Turkish (39,000 or 2.5%),
Polish (13,600 or 0.9%) and
German (12,700 or 0.8%)
[5].
| '''Year''' | '''Total
Population''' |
| 1754 | 175,460 |
| 1800 | 271,800 |
| 1850 | 551,300 |
| 1900 | 1,769,137 |
| 1910 | 2,083,630 |
| 1923 | 1,918,720 |
| 1939 | 1,770,938 |
| 1951 | 1,616,125 |
| 1961 | 1,627,566 |
| 1971 | 1,619,885 |
| 1981 | 1,531,346 |
| 1991 | 1,539,848 |
| 2001 | 1,550,123 |
| 2007 | 1,664,146 |
Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005
The
Rathaus serves as the seat of the
mayor and city council of the city of Vienna
Subdivision
Main articles: Districts of Vienna
Vienna is composed of 23
districts (''Bezirke''). 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. Elections at the district level give the representatives of the districts some political power in fields such as planning and traffic.
The 23 districts are numbered for convenience in a roughly clockwise fashion starting in the city centre: 1.
Innere Stadt, 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 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
Staatsoper. 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 latter half of the
19th century to make room for expanding
suburbs. It is now a
ring road called
Gürtel.
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.
Politics
Until 1918, Viennese politics were shaped by the
Christian Social Party, in particular long-term mayor
Karl Lueger. Vienna is today considered the centre of
Social Democracy in Austria. During the period of the
First Republic (1918-1934), the Vienna Social Democrats undertook many overdue social reforms, improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of workers in the city. At that time, Vienna's municipal policy was admired by
Socialists throughout Europe, who therefore referred to the city as "
Red Vienna" (''Rotes Wien''). Since the end of the
First World War, the city has been governed by the Social Democratic Party with absolute majorities in the city parliament. Only between 1934 and 1945, when the Social Democratic Party was illegal, mayors were appointed by the
austro-fascist and later by the
Nazi authorities. Current
mayor of Vienna is
Michael Häupl. The Social Democrats currently hold 55% of the seats with a 49% share of the vote
[6]. 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'').
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
:
Culture
The ''Museum moderner Kunst'' ("museum of modern art") is a part of the
Museumsquartier
Library of the University of Vienna
Music, theatre and opera
:''Translated from ''
Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including
theatre,
opera,
classical music and fine arts. The
Burgtheater is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world alongside its branch, the Akademietheater. The
Volkstheater Wien and the
Theater in der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations. There is also a multitude of smaller theatres, in many cases devoted to less mainstream forms of performing arts, such as modern, experimental plays or
cabaret.
Vienna is also home to a number of opera houses, including the
Staatsoper and the
Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese
operetta. Classical concerts are performed at well known venues such as the
Wiener Musikverein, home of the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Wiener Konzerthaus. Many concert venues offer concerts aimed at tourists, featuring popular 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 musical by far was "
Elisabeth", which was later translated into several other languages and performed all over the world. The
Haus der Musik ("house of music") opened in
2000.
Many Roman Catholic churches in central Vienna also feature performances of religious or other music, including masses sung with classical music and organ.
Museums
: ''To be translated from ''
The
Hofburg is the location of the Schatzkammer (treasury), holding the imperial jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Sisi Museum (a museum devoted to Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria) allows visitors to view the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg are the ''
Kunsthistorisches Museum'' and the Naturhistorisches Museum, which houses many paintings by old masters and ancient and classical artifacts.
A number of museums are located in the
Museumsquartier (museum quarter), the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s. It houses the Museum of Modern Art (Ludwig Foundation), the
Leopold Museum (focussing on works of the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian Expressionism), additional halls with feature exhibitions and the Tanzquartier. The Liechtenstein Palace contains one of the world's largest private art collections. There are a multitude of other museums in Vienna, including the Military History Museum, the
Technical Museum, the Vienna Clock Museum and the Burial Museum. The museums dedicated to Vienna's districts provide a retrospective of the respective districts.
Architecture
: ''Translated from ''
A variety of
architectural styles can be found in Vienna, such as the
Romanesque Ruprechtskirche and the
Baroque Karlskirche. Styles range from
classicist buildings to
modern architecture.
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. In recent years, Vienna has seen numerous architecture projects completed which combine modern architectural elements with old buildings, such as the remodelling and revitalisation of the old
Gasometer in 2001.
Most buildings in Vienna are relatively low; there are currently (early 2006) around 100 buildings higher than 40 m. The number of high-rise buildings is kept low by building legislation aimed at preserving green areas and districts designated as
world cultural heritage. Strong rules apply to the planning, authorisation and construction of high-rise buildings. Consequently, much of the inner city is a high-rise free zone.
Education
Vienna is also Austria's main centre of education and home to many universities, professional
colleges and
gymnasiums.
Universities
★
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
★
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
★
Medical University of Vienna
★
PEF Private University of Management Vienna
★
University of Applied Arts Vienna
★
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna
★
University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
★
University of Vienna
★
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
★
Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration
★
Vienna University of Technology
★
Webster University Vienna
★
Internationales Kulturinstitut
International schools
★
American International School Vienna
★
Danube International School
★
Vienna Christian School
★
Vienna International School
★ Lycée Francais de Vienne
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
The
ULF tram stock, designed by
Porsche and built by
Siemens boasts an entry height of 180
mm (7
in), the lowest in the world. Of these vehicles, by 2003 some 150 were in use by the municipal
Wiener Linien, along with around 400 older high-floor models (substitution proceeding)
Vienna has a large public transportation network.
★
Vienna S-Bahn
★
Vienna U-Bahn
★
Local Railways (Lokalbahn Wien-Baden)
★
Wiener Linien (= Vienna Lines, municipal company operating
U-Bahn,
tram, and most
bus routes)
Vienna has an extensive tram and bus network - the tram network being third largest in the world. In the most populated areas of Vienna, public transport runs so frequently (even during off-peak hours) that any familiarity with departure timetables is virtually unnecessary. The convenience and flexibility of the public transport is in turn reflected by its popularity; 53% of Viennese workers travel to their workplace by public transport.
[7] During night hours, public transport is continued by the ''Nightline'' buses operating on all the main routes, generally every half hour.
Fare prices within the city are independent of the length of the journey and covers all modes of public transport. Tickets are also available for various time periods, such as 24 hour, monthly or yearly tickets.
The Viennese public transport services are incorporated into a larger concentric system of transport zones, the VOR (Verkehrsverbund Ostregion = eastern region traffic association). VOR includes railway and bus lines operating 50 kilometers into the surrounding areas, and ticket prices are calculated according to the number of zones.
Tickets must be purchased (and often stamped) prior to boarding or entering a station. Tickets are not checked when entering a station or boarding, there are however regular ticket inspections on all routes.
There are also two miniature railways: the
Liliputbahn in the
Wiener Prater and the Donauparkbahn in the
Donaupark.
Railways
Historically, all transport was oriented towards the main cities in the
Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Vienna has several train stations that form the beginning of several train lines:
★
Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, the starting point of the
Franz Josef Railway
★
Wien Westbahnhof, starting point of the
Western Railway
★
Wien Südbahnhof (Former South and East Station) for the
Southern Railway and the
Eastern Railway
There are also several through train stations:
★
Wien Hütteldorf on the Western Railway
★
Wien Heiligenstadt on the Franz Josef Railway
★
Wien Praterstern (Formerly known as Wien Nord or Wien Nord-Praterstern) on the
Northern Railway.
★
Wien Meidling (Philadelphiabrücke) on the Southern Railway. This is Vienna's most frequented transit station.
★
Wien Mitte (
Landstraße) on the S-Bahn Stammstrecke ("main line") is the nearest railway station to the centre of Vienna.
There are also a large number of smaller stations that are important for local passenger traffic. Since the mid 1990s, the Westbahnhof and Südbahnhof have handled all long-distance travel. Many trains also 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 Western Railway to the Southern Railway. The new bundled train line will connect to a new through train station called
Wien Zentralbahnhof that will be constructed instead of the Südbahnhof.
Road traffic
: ''To be translated from ''
Similar to the train lines, ''Bundesstraßen'' leave the city in a star-shaped pattern. Some are named after their historical final destination (Prager Straße to
Prague, Linzer Straße to
Linz, Triester Straße to
Trieste and Brünner Straße to
Brno). ''Bundesstraßen'' can be compared to
Federal Highways in the United States, being two-lane in rural areas and multi-lane in urban areas.
Three national
autobahns leave Vienna in the westerly (
A1), southerly (A2), and easterly directions (A4). Similar to the rail lines, they are commonly referred to after their exit direction (
Westautobahn, Südautobahn, and Ostautobahn). In addition, several spur and branch autobahns circle around the southern and eastern areas of the city. The protected
Wienerwald forest area in the western and northern areas has been left mostly untouched.
Air traffic
Vienna International Airport is located to the southeast of Vienna. The airport handled over 237,400 departures in 2006 and was frequented by 16.86 million passengers
[8]. Following lengthy negotiations with surrounding communities, the airport will be expanded to increase its capacity by adding a third runway. The airport is currently undergoing a major expansion(construction of several new buildings) to prepare for an expected increase in passengers.
Water transportation
: ''To be translated from ''
Vienna is connected to
Rotterdam and German
Industrial areas via the
Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, and to
Eastern European countries along the Danube to the
Black Sea. The planned
Danube-Oder canal remains unfinished.
The "Twin City Liner" boat service connects Vienna and Bratislava.
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. The pipelines stretch 120
km (75
miles) and 200 km (124 miles) from the
Alps to the city's
Hietzing district. The Alpine sources are pristine and the water does not require treatment.
Leisure activities
Viennese parks and gardens
The "Alte Donau", one of the top bathing and recreation spots
Vienna possesses many park facilities, including the ''
Stadtpark'', the ''Burggarten'', the ''Volksgarten'' (part of the ''Hofburg''), the ''Schloßpark'' at Schloss Belvedere (home to the
Vienna Botanic Gardens), the ''Donaupark'', the ''Schönbrunner Schlosspark'', the ''
Prater'', the ''Augarten'', the ''Rathauspark'', the ''
Lainzer Tiergarten'', the ''Dehnepark'', the ''Resselpark'', the ''Votivpark'', the ''Kurpark Oberlaa'', the ''Auer-Welsbach-Park'' and the ''Türkenschanzpark''. Green areas include ''Laaer-Berg'' (including the Bohemian Prater) and the foothills of the ''
Wienerwald'', which reaches into the outer areas of the city. Small parks, known by the Viennese as ''Beserlparks'', are everywhere in the inner city areas.
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. Vienna's principal park is the
Prater which is home to the
Riesenrad, a
ferris wheel. The imperial
Schönbrunn's grounds contain an 18th century park which includes
the world's oldest zoo, founded in 1752.
The
Donauinsel, part of Vienna's flood defences, is a 21.1 km long artificial island between the Danube and Neue Donau dedicated to leisure activities.
Sport
Vienna hosts 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 and the final was played in Vienna. Vienna's
Ernst Happel Stadium was the venue of four
Champions League and European Champion Clubs' Cup finals (
1964,
1987,
1990,
1995) and will host the final of
Euro 2008.
Austria's capital is home to numerous teams. The best known are the local
football clubs
SK Rapid Wien (31
Austrian Bundesliga titles),
FK Austria Wien (23 Austrian Bundesliga titles and 26-time cup winners) and the oldest team,
First Vienna FC. Other important sport clubs include the Chrysler Vikings Vienna (
American Football), who won the
Eurobowl title in 2004, the Vienna Hot Volleys, one of Europe's premier
Volleyball organisations, and the Vienna Capitals (
Ice Hockey).
Culinary specialities
Food
Vienna is 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 restaurant that serves Viennese cuisine. Other examples of Viennese cuisine include "
Tafelspitz" (very lean boiled beef), which is traditionally served with "
Gerösteten Erdäpfeln" (boiled potatoes mashed with a fork and subsequently fried) and horseradish sauce, "Apfelkren" (a mixture of horseradish, cream and apple) and "Schnittlauchsauce" (a chives sauce made with 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 dry chocolate cake with apricot jam from the
Sacher Hotel, is world famous.
In winter, small street stands sell traditional Maroni (hot chestnuts) and potato fritters. Sausages are also popular and available from street vendors throughout the night. The sausage known as Wiener (German for "Viennese") in the USA and Germany is however called a Frankfurter. Other popular sausages are Burenwurst (a coarse beef and pork sausage, generally boiled) and Käsekrainer (spicy pork with small chunks of cheese).
The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and much more from around the world. The city centre has many speciality food stores, such as the "
Julius Meinl am Graben".
Drink
Vienna, along with
Paris and
Prague, is one of the few remaining world capital cities with its own vineyards. 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 many.
Viennese cafés
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 cafés claim to have invented the process of filtering
coffee from bounty captured after the second
Turkish siege in
1683. Viennese cafés claim that when the invading Turks left Vienna, they abandoned hundreds of sacks of coffee beans. The Emperor gave
Franz George Kolschitzky (Polish - Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki) 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.
Julius Meinl set up a modern roasting plant in the same premises where the coffee sacks were found, in 1891.
Tourist attractions
Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the
Hofburg and
Schönbrunn (also home to the world's oldest zoo,
Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the
Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the
Burgtheater, the
Wiener Staatsoper, the
Lipizzaner horses at the
spanische Hofreitschule and the
Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.
There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year
[9]. The most popular ones are
Albertina,
Belvedere,
Leopold Museum in the
Museumsquartier,
KunstHausWien,
BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin ''
Kunsthistorisches Museum'' and ''
Naturhistorisches Museum'', and the
Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year
[10].
There are many popular sites associated with composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven's various residences and grave at
Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) which is the largest cemetery in Vienna and the burial site of many famous people.
Mozart has a memorial grave at the Hapsburg gardens and at
St. Marx cemetery (where his grave was lost). Vienna's many churches also draw large crowds, the most famous of which are
St. Stephen's Cathedral, the
Deutschordenskirche, the
Jesuitenkirche, the
Karlskirche, the
Peterskirche,
Maria am Gestade, the
Minoritenkirche, the
Ruprechtskirche, the
Schottenkirche and the
Votivkirche.
Modern attractions include the
Hundertwasserhaus, the
United Nations headquarters and the view from the
Donauturm.
International organizations in Vienna
UN complex in Vienna, with the Austria Center Vienna in front, taken from
Danube Tower in the nearby Donaupark before the extensive building work
Vienna is the seat of a number of
United Nations offices and various international institutions and companies, including the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Additionally, Vienna is the seat of the
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's secretariat (UNCITRAL).
Various special diplomatic meetings have been held in Vienna in the latter half of the 20th Century, resulting in various documents bearing the name
Vienna Convention or
Vienna Document. Among the more important documents negotiated in Vienna are the
1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as the
1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (
CFE).
Charitable organizations 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.
Twin cities
Vienna is
twinned with the following cities:
★ Belgrade, Serbia
★ Bratislava, Slovakia
★ Budapest, Hungary
★ Ljubljana, SloveniaOther forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes:
★ Niš, Serbia |
★ Tel Aviv, Israel
★ Warsaw, Poland
★ Moscow, Russia
★ Zagreb, Croatia
★ Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine |
In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with
Japanese
cities/
districts:
★
Alsergrund with
Takarazuka,
Hyōgo. Since
1994.
★
Döbling with
Setagaya,
Tokyo. Since
1985.
★
Donaustadt with
Arakawa, Tokyo. Since
1996.
★
Floridsdorf with
Katsushika, Tokyo. Since
1987
★
Hernals with
Fuchu, Tokyo. Since
1992.
★
Hietzing with
Habikino,
Osaka. Since
1995.
★
Innere Stadt with
Taito, Tokyo. Since
1989.
★
Meidling with
Gifu,
Gifu. Since
1992.
See also
★
Vienna International Airport
★
Vienna Circle
★
List of mayors of Vienna
★
List of Viennese
★
List of Honorary Citizens of Vienna
★
Viennese German
★
Donauinsel
★
Donauinselfest
References
1. Bevölkerung zu Quartalsbeginn seit 2002 nach Staatsangehörigkeit und Bundesländern
2. NUTS 3 mit Gemeinden, Flächen und Bevölkerung
3. Historic Centre of Vienna
4. Vancouver is 'best place to live'
5. Volkszählung. Hauptergebnisse I - Wien, , , , Statistik Austria, 2003,
6. Gemeinderatswahl 2005
7. Der Standard, Tuesday 27th March 2007
8.
9. Vienna in figures: Special Issue for the EU Presidency 2006
10. Top 30 Sights, Museums, Exhibition Halls 2005
External links
★
Wien.info - Official site of the tourism board: events, sightseeing, cultural information, etc.
★
Wien.gv.at - Official site of the municipality, with interactive map.
★
List of Embassies in Vienna
★
★
Map and directory of attractions of Vienna
.svg)
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
