Encyclopedia
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 1.6 million , Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political centre.
Vienna lies in the south-eastern corner of
Central Europe and is close to the
Czech Republic,
Slovakia and
Hungary.
Vienna is the seat of a number of
United Nations offices and various international institutions and companies, including the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization , the
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries , the
International Atomic Energy Agency , the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe . Furthermore, the 1980 Diplomatic Conference was held in Vienna that led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Additionally, Vienna is the seat of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law's secretariat .
History
Main article: History of ViennaFounded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement.
In 15 BC, Vienna became a
Roman frontier city 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 and the
Battle of Vienna .
In 1805 Vienna became capital of the
Austrian Empire - the later
Austro-Hungarian Empire, both played a major role in European and World politics.
In 1918 after
World War I Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. After the annexation of Austria by
Germany in 1938 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 . Since the end of the
Cold War the city of Vienna is actively rebuilding ties with its Eastern neighbours.
Historical population
Due to the industrialization and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as capital of
Austria-Hungary . 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 population of Vienna were of
Slavic or
Hungarian descent.
Districts
Main article: Districts of ViennaThe city itself is composed of 23 districts , 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 , 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 .
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.
LiesingThe heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt , was once surrounded by walls and open fields . 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 the Ringstraße are imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks. These buildings include the Rathaus , the
Burgtheater, the University, the Parliament, the twin museums of
Natural History and
Art-history, 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 Saint Stephen's Cathedral is located in the centre of the 1st district. Beyond the Ringstraße 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 street called Gürtel .
Many of Vienna's famous parks include monuments, such as the
Stadtpark with its statue of
Johann Strauss II, and Belvedere Park with its
baroque palace where the
State Treaty was signed. The principal park of Vienna is the
Prater which contains the
Riesenrad, a huge
Ferris Wheel.
Schönbrunn, the beautiful Imperial Summer Palace, has an 18th century park which includes
the world's oldest zoo .
Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is not situated at the Danube, but at the Donaukanal . Vienna's second and twentieth districts are located between the canal and the
Danube River. Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the International Center.
Vienna's postal codes can be determined by the district where a given address is located; 1XXA - 1 denotes Vienna, XX the district number , A is the number of the post office . Example: 1070 for Neubau. Exceptions of that are 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:
Culture
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 .
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. With the opening of the Haus der Musik in 2000, Vienna also has a "Museum of Sound" for all ages now.
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 Philharmonic,
Vienna State Opera,
Vienna State Opera Ballet
Museums
- To be translated from
In the
Hofburg, the Schatzkammer holds the imperial jewels. The Sisi Museum allows visitors to see the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg is the
Kunsthistorisches Museum that houses multiple paintings by the old masters.
The group is completed by the
Museumsquartier, the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a complex of museums in the 1990s. This houses the Museum of Modern Art , the Leopold Museum , 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 Viennas 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 Donau City and Wienerberg . The 202 m high
Millennium Tower located at Handelskay is the highest building in Vienna since the time of its construction in 1999. In the last years, Vienna completed numerous architecture projects combining modern architecture elements with old buildings, like the remodelling and revitalization of the old
Gasometers in 2001.
However, Vienna is not a city of
skyscrapers. Currently around 100 buildings top the 40 m mark. 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, authorization and construction of high-rise buildings, and as a consequence, some parts of Vienna, in particular the inner districts, are declared as highrise free zones.
Other culture
Between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz is the Spanish Riding School. It is a famous
equestrian school.
Other famous Viennese features include the
Lipizzaner stallions of the Spanish Riding School, the
Vienna Boys' Choir ,
Wiener Schnitzel 
