- This article is about the city and federal state in Austria. For other places
or things called Vienna, see Vienna
(disambiguation).
Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austria's
nine federal states (Bundesland Wien). Situated on both
sides of the river Danube, Vienna is 40
kilometres from the Slovakian border, and 50 kilometres from the Slovakian capital,
Bratislava. Vienna is surrounded by the Austrian federal state of Lower Austria. With a population of about 1.6 million, Vienna is the largest city
and the cultural and political centre of Austria.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as many other international institutions and companies, are located in Vienna.
History
Main article: History of Vienna
Vienna was originally a Celtic city founded around 500 BC. In 15 BC, it became a frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against the German tribes to the north. In the Middle Ages, it became the home of the Babenberg and, later,
the Habsburg dynasties and through the latter the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Ottoman Turkish invasions of Europe in the 16th and
17th centuries were stopped two times in total at Vienna. See the Battle of Vienna (1683). In 1815, Vienna was the site of the Congress of Vienna which redrew national boundaries in Europe after the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Waterloo.
During the Cold War, Vienna was a hotbed of international espionage owning to
its location in neutral Austria, between the Western and Eastern blocs.
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.
Viennese cafes claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from the captured
baggage after the second Turkish siege of 1683.
Historical population
The population of Vienna increased sharply during the Austro-Hungarian period (1867-1918), when there was a lot of immigration from other parts of the country. However, after World War I, a lot of Czechs returned to their ancestral country,
which resulted in a decline in the population. Following the immigration at that time, about one third of the population of
Vienna has a Slavic or Hungarian family
name.
As can be seen, the population gradually declined up to the 1980s.
1800: 231,900 inhabitants
1830: 338,700
1850: 446,400
1880: 724,800
1900: 1,769,137
1910: 2,083,630
1923: 1,918,720
1934: 1,935,881
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
2004 (estim.): 1.60 million.
Districts
The city itself 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 election on the district level, which gives the representatives of the districts some
political clout (e.g. in matters of planning, traffic etc.).
- Innere Stadt (city centre)
- Leopoldstadt
- Landstraße
- Wieden
- Margareten
- Mariahilf
- Neubau
- Josefstadt
- Alsergrund
- Favoriten
- Simmering
- Meidling
- Hietzing
- Penzing
- Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus (see [1] (http://www.fuenfzehn.at/))
- Ottakring
- Hernals
- Währing
- Döbling
- Brigittenau
- Floridsdorf
- Donaustadt
- Liesing
By looking at the postal code it can be determined in which district 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 of that are 1300 for the Vienna International Airport located in Lower Austria near Schwechat, 1400 for the UN Complex, and 1500 for
the Austrian UN-Forces.
Religions
Vienna is the seat of the Viennese archdiocese, and its acting Archbishop is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. The
religions of the Viennese resident population is devided according to the 2001 census as follows:
Culture
Theatre and opera
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Theater_.26_Oper)
Museums
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Museen)
In the Hofburg, the Sisi Museum allows
visitors to see the emperor's apartments as well as the silver chamber. Directly opposite the Hofburg, is the Kunsthistorisches Museum (along with Vienna's Natural History Museum) that houses multple paintings by the old masters.
Architecture
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Architektur)
There are buildings all architectural styles in Vienna, from the
Romanesque Ruprechtskirche to the Baroque Karlskirche, and classicist buildings all the way to modern architecture. Likewise, art nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna, such as The Secession, Karlsplatz Metropolitan Railway Station, and the church at Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of art nouveau in the world.
Other culture
Between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz is the Spanish
Riding School. It is a famous equestrian school. In terms of folk dancing,
the Viennese
Kathreintanz is the most important.
Education
Vienna is also Austria's main center of education and home to many universities, professional colleges and gymnasiums.
Universities
Transportation
12 Danube
bridges connect the city, which is divided by the Danube and the Danube Canal.
Public transporation
Vienna has a large public transportation network.
Vienna has an extensive tram network, which is one of the largest in the world, and also large number of bus routes. As all
routes in densely populated areas operated at dense intervals, even during off-peak hours, it usually not necessary to remmber
the time when the train or bus goes. Public transportation is thus used quite a lot.
The Viennese public transport is connected to services of train and bus lines operating 50 kilometres into the surrounding
countryside, which can be used under the same system of tickets.
Public transportation mostly closes during night hours, but there is a special bus service, the Nightline, operating on
the most important routes. However, those buses go only every thirty minutes.
In Vienna there are also two park railways: the Liliputbahn Prater in the Viennese Prater and the Donauparkbahn in Danube Park.
Railways
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:
- Vienna Franz Josefs Station is the starting point of the Franz Josefs Railway
- Vienna West
Station is starting point of the West Railway
- Vienna South
Station (Former South and East Station) for the South Railway and the East Railway
as well as several through train stations:
- Vienna Hütteldorf
on the West Railway
- Vienna
Heiligenstadt on the Franz Josefs Railway
- Vienna North
(Viennese lines: Praterstern) on the North Railway. The convenient North Station was destroyed in World War II and was not built again after the decay of the Danube monarchy, especially when the Iron Curtain closed almost all passenger traffic to the north.
- Vienna Meidling
(Philadelphia bridge) - South Railway
- Vienna Central (Landstraße)
Between these, there are still many smaller stations that are particularly important for local passenger traffic.
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 Vienna-Central Europe that will be constructed somewhat to the south of today's South
Station. This new station will give Vienna a main train station for the first time.
Road traffic
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Straßenverkehr)
Like the train lines, the old freeways (Late Federal Highways)
leave the city in a star shapped pattern. They are designated after their final destination (Prager Straße -- to Prague, Linzer Straße -- to Linz, Triester Straße -- to Trieste and Brünner Straße -- to Brno).
Air traffic
Southeast of Vienna is Vienna International
Airport. In 2004, there were over 224,809 separate flights departing or arriving, and
the airport was used by 14.8 million passengers.
Naval transportation
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Schifffahrt)
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.
Leisure activities
Nightlife
Vienna has a variety of nightlife options. Its low crime rate and extensive public transportation network make going out at
night safe and convenient. Regular public transportation (subway, tram, and bus) runs until approximately 12:30. After this,
nighttime bus lines provide service every half hour (fifteen minutes on some segments). Almost all night lines circle the inner
city before heading outbound. Most lines are numerated the same as their corresponding daytime line. For example, if you take the
60 tramline followed by the U4 subway into the city, you can take the N60 bus directly from the city back out. At approximately 5
a.m. the daytime lines resume. Day and night lines now use the same tickets.
Starting in the 1980s, the pedestrian zone between the St. Ruprecht's Church (the oldest in Vienna) and the Bermuda Bräu
microbrewery became the now-popular "Bermuda Triangle." It is the one area of the inner city district where relative loud music
and noise is tolerated. Many bars and small clubs are located in this neighborhood.
The First District in general has an abundance of night life options for any budget. There are many Irish pubs with pint
prices starting at €2. On the other side of the price-spectrum are bars such as Sky Bar and Do & Co.,
which are frequented by the Austrian elite. Opening hours vary essentially by neighborhood noise ordinance agreements. In the
summer, bar's outdoor seating often has to be vacated by 11 p.m. Generally there is an abundance of establishments open until 4
a.m. or later, especially on the weekend.
Larger nightclubs are generally located further out. Popular ones include
U4 Disco, located on the U4 subway line, two medium sized clubs in the wine-producing neighborhood of Grinzing, and an ever-increasing amount of large
clubs on the eastern side of the Danube, often located in shopping malls and cinema complexes. One popular club located near the
center of the city is Flex, which is on the shores of the Donaukanal, and, like U4 is also located on the U4 subway
line. Flex often features world-acclaimed dance music DJs.
In the summer, the eastern shore of the Danube is very popular. It is called Copa Cagrana, which is a word-play of
Copacabana and Kagran, which is a sub-district nearby.
Starting in the late 1980s, the city undertook much effort to revitalize the area around the Westgürtel (Western
Beltway), which had become a red-light district. Today, large
portions of the Westgürtel have been modernized, with many restaurants, bars, and mini-clubs now located under the
elevated tracks of the U6 subway line.
Recently the Freihausviertel, right outside the First District by Karlsplatz has also gained some popularity for
its restaurants. It includes the Naschmarkt, the major market in Vienna.
Useful Nightlife Terminology: Austria, particularly Vienna, has very unique terminology for drinks. Here is the
terminology commonly used:
Beer Sizes: These are either ordered by name or small/large for the 0.3/0.5 L sizes. The names are usually one used for
draft beer, as it is dispensed into glasses of the same name.
- "Ein Pfiff": 0.2L / 6 U.S. oz. (not always available) Meaning: "A whistle"
- "Ein Seidl" or Ein kleines Bier: 0.3L / 10 U.S. oz. (common)
- "Ein Krügerl" or Ein grosses Bier 0.5L / 17 U.S. oz. (common) Meaning: "A crocky"
- "Ein Maß" 1 Liter (usually only available in microbreweries) This term originates from Bavaria, and essentially means "a measurement."
Wine Sizes: These are ordered in fractions of a liter
- "Ein Achtel" 1/8 L / 4.25 U.S. oz.
- "Ein Viertel" 1/4 L / 8.50 U.S. oz.
It is also common to order a half-a-liter or a liter of wine with mineral water and then mix them to a desired concentration.
The above mentioned quantities are also nearly always available pre-mixed with mineral water. This is called "Gespritz't" ("sprayed"). So to order wine one would say "Ein Achtel/Viertel Rot (red) /
Weiß (white), followed by the word "Gespritz't" if one wants it diluted.
Viennese coffeehouses
- Translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Wiener_Kaffeehaus)
Yet another unique aspect of Viennese culture is represented by the Viennese Coffeehouse, in which is served both a number of
coffee-based speciality drinks and light snacks. A number of visitors will take advantage of the opportunity during their visit
to read through the typically rich selection of newspapers available. In addition to the many modern chrome-brightened
'Espressi', a number of 'real' Vienna coffeehouses still exist to maintain the original charm of this institution.
Viennese parks and greenspace
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Wiener_Parks_und_Grünanlagen)
Sport
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#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 will take place in Austria,
with the final being 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 FK Austria Wien (22 time Austrian national champions) and SK Rapid Wien (30 time Austrian national champions). Other important 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).
Native Viennese
- Alfred Adler, founder of individual
psychology
- Ilse Aichinger,
writer
- Wolfgang Ambros, one of
the founders of Austropop
- André Asriel, composer
- Carl Auer von Welsbach, chemist
- Alban Berg, composer
- Ludwig Boltzmann, physicist
- Arik Brauer, painter, singer,
and poet
- Martin Buber, philosopher
- Georg Danzer, song writer
- Elfi von Dassanowsky, singer, pianist, film
producer
- Heimito von Doderer, writer
- Peter Drucker, economist
- Albert Ehrenstein,
writer
- Falco, singer and musician
- Viktor Frankl, psychologist, neurologist, founder of Logo Therapy
- Karl von Frisch, zoologist, animal psychologist, bee keeper,
Nobel Prize
Winner
- Franz Grillparzer, playwright
- Friedrich Hayek, economist, Nobel Prize Winner
- Hugo von Hofmannsthal, writer, founder of the
Salzburger Festspiele
- Friedensreich Hundertwasser, artist,
architect, painter
- Ernst Jandl, poet and writer
- Franz König, Cardinal
Archbishop
- Gustav Klimt, painter
- Karl Kraus, satirist, publisher of "Die Fackel"
- Wolfgang Kraus, essayist,
leader for many years of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Literatur
- Karl Landsteiner, doctor, bacteriaologist, discoverer of
blood group, Nobel Prize Winner
- Fritz Lang, director
- Joseph Lanner, composer
- Niki Lauda, race car driver and entrepreneur
- B.M.
Leser-Lasario, singer
- Leopold Lindtberg,
director
- Konrad Lorenz, behavioural scientist, Nobel Prize Winner
- Friederike
Mayröcker, writer
- Lise Meitner, physicist
- Johann Nestroy, playwright
- Karl Popper, philosopher
- Helmut Qualtinger,
actor, writer, cabaret actor
- Ferdinand Raimund, play writer
- Alma Rosé, violin virtuoso, killed
in Auschwitz
- Arthur Schnitzler, story teller and playwright
- Arnold Schönberg, composer, music theorist, painter
- Erwin Schrödinger, physicist, Nobel Prize WInner
- Franz Schubert, composer
- Erwin Steinhauer,
actor
- Johann Strauss I, composer
- Johann Strauss II, composer
- Johann Georg
Stuwer, fireworks foreman
- Friedrich Torberg, writer and journalist
- Otto Wagner, architect
- Anton von Webern, composer
- Otto Weininger, philosopher
- Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher
- Joe Zawinul, jazz pianist, keyboard player, and composer
- Stefan Zweig, writer
Culinary specialities
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Kulinarische_Spezialitäten)
Tourist attractions
Among the most important places of interest are:
other tourist attractions:
other attractions
- Cafe Hawelka
- Cafe Demel
- Mariahilfer
Straße
- Kärtner Straße
- Graben
- Kohlmarkt
- Heurigen in Grinzing
- Wienerwald (Vienna Woods)
- Donauinsel (Danube Island) with
Copa Cagrana
- Republik Kugelmugel
International organisations in Vienna
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Internationale_Organisationen_mit_Sitz_in_Wien)
Twin cities
Vienna is twinned with the following cities:
In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with Japanese cities/districts:
External links
Viennese coffeehouses
- Translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Wiener_Kaffeehaus)
Yet another unique aspect of Viennese culture is represented by the Viennese Coffeehouse, in which is served both a number of
coffee-based speciality drinks and light snacks. A number of visitors will take advantage of the opportunity during their visit
to read through the typically rich selection of newspapers available. In addition to the many modern chrome-brightened
'Espressi', a number of 'real' Vienna coffeehouses still exist to maintain the original charm of this institution.
Viennese parks and greenspace
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Wiener_Parks_und_Grünanlagen)
Sport
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#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 will take place in Austria,
with the final being 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 FK Austria Wien (22 time Austrian national champions) and SK Rapid Wien (30 time Austrian national champions). Other important 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).
Native Viennese
- Alfred Adler, founder of individual
psychology
- Ilse Aichinger,
writer
- Wolfgang Ambros, one of
the founders of Austropop
- André Asriel, composer
- Carl Auer von Welsbach, chemist
- Alban Berg, composer
- Ludwig Boltzmann, physicist
- Arik Brauer, painter, singer,
and poet
- Martin Buber, philosopher
- Georg Danzer, song writer
- Elfi von Dassanowsky, singer, pianist, film
producer
- Heimito von Doderer, writer
- Peter Drucker, economist
- Albert Ehrenstein,
writer
- Falco, singer and musician
- Viktor Frankl, psychologist, neurologist, founder of Logo Therapy
- Karl von Frisch, zoologist, animal psychologist, bee keeper,
Nobel Prize
Winner
- Franz Grillparzer, playwright
- Friedrich Hayek, economist, Nobel Prize Winner
- Hugo von Hofmannsthal, writer, founder of the
Salzburger Festspiele
- Friedensreich Hundertwasser, artist,
architect, painter
- Ernst Jandl, poet and writer
- Franz König, Cardinal
Archbishop
- Gustav Klimt, painter
- Karl Kraus, satirist, publisher of "Die Fackel"
- Wolfgang Kraus, essayist,
leader for many years of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Literatur
- Karl Landsteiner, doctor, bacteriaologist, discoverer of
blood group, Nobel Prize Winner
- Fritz Lang, director
- Joseph Lanner, composer
- Niki Lauda, race car driver and entrepreneur
- B.M.
Leser-Lasario, singer
- Leopold Lindtberg,
director
- Konrad Lorenz, behavioural scientist, Nobel Prize Winner
- Friederike
Mayröcker, writer
- Lise Meitner, physicist
- Johann Nestroy, playwright
- Karl Popper, philosopher
- Helmut Qualtinger,
actor, writer, cabaret actor
- Ferdinand Raimund, play writer
- Alma Rosé, violin virtuoso, killed
in Auschwitz
- Arthur Schnitzler, story teller and playwright
- Arnold Schönberg, composer, music theorist, painter
- Erwin Schrödinger, physicist, Nobel Prize WInner
- Franz Schubert, composer
- Erwin Steinhauer,
actor
- Johann Strauss I, composer
- Johann Strauss II, composer
- Johann Georg
Stuwer, fireworks foreman
- Friedrich Torberg, writer and journalist
- Otto Wagner, architect
- Anton von Webern, composer
- Otto Weininger, philosopher
- Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher
- Joe Zawinul, jazz pianist, keyboard player, and composer
- Stefan Zweig, writer
Culinary specialities
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Kulinarische_Spezialitäten)
Tourist attractions
Among the most important places of interest are:
other tourist attractions:
other attractions
- Cafe Hawelka
- Cafe Demel
- Mariahilfer
Straße
- Kärtner Straße
- Graben
- Kohlmarkt
- Heurigen in Grinzing
- Wienerwald (Vienna Woods)
- Donauinsel (Danube Island) with
Copa Cagrana
- Republik Kugelmugel
International organisations in Vienna
- To be translated from here (http://de.wikipedia.org/pac/Wien#Internationale_Organisationen_mit_Sitz_in_Wien)
Twin cities
Vienna is twinned with the following cities:
In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with Japanese cities/districts:
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