Austria

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**Austria**
Flag of Austria
Capital	Vienna
Inhabitants	8.402.549
Language(s)	German Austrian

Austria is located in Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia. The Geographic coordinates are 47 20 N, 13 20 E. The total area that surrounds Austria is 83,858 sq km, land is 82,738 sq km and the remaining is water 1,120 km². Border countries are Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km and Switzerland 164 km.

Climate The Austrian climate varies with altitude, continent, and Mediterranean influences. Spring and fall are usually mild throughout the country while summers are short, with moderate temperatures. Winters are often cold and severe and last about three months in the valleys, where they are usually ended by the foehn, a warm, dry wind from the south that is often accompanied by damp fog and sudden thaws that precipitate avalanches. Average annual temperatures range between about 7ºC and 9ºC (about 44ºF and 48ºF) throughout the country.

History

Settled in prehistoric times, the central European land that is now Austria was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts. Thousands of years ago the Celts were the original settlers, mining the area for iron. Romans followed, and then other tribes such as, Huns, Ostrogoths, Lombard's, Turks and Bavarians. After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which Austria was part, the area was invaded by Bavarians and Slavic Avars. Charlemagne conquered the area in C.E. 788 and encouraged colonization and Christianity. In 1252, Ottokar, King of Bohemia, gained possession, only to lose the territories to Rudolf of Hapsburg in 1278. Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling house, the Hapsburgs. Austria was home of the Habsburgs, the continent's most influential and long-lasting dynasty. During World War I, Austria-Hungary was one of the Central powers with Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and the conflict left the country in political chaos and economic ruin. Austria, shorn of Hungary, was proclaimed a republic in 1918, and the monarchy was dissolved in 1919. At the end of World War I, the multiethnic Austro-Hungarian empire was broken up, creating Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania, while other territories became parts of Poland, Italy and Yugoslavia. Austria became the small German-speaking country we know today (population: almost 8 million). The country slowly emerged from its imperial past, via an uneasy and unsatisfactory alliance with Germany, to become one of the most highly developed European countries.

Culture

The city chosen as capital of Europe for 2003 is Graz, Austria's second largest city. There is a packed program of music, dance theatre, photography, art exhibits and children's activities throughout the year. Festivities kick off with an outdoor music festival and the premiere of 'Butterfly blues', a play written by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell especially for Graz.

Music

Austria's hills are alive with the sound of music. Composers throughout Europe were drawn to the country in the 18th and 19th centuries by the generous patronage of the Habsburgs. During this period Vienna became to classical music what Seattle is to grunge. In fact many of the Habsburgs were themselves gifted musicians and would, history allowing, have made a funky quartet consisting of Leopold I (composer), Charles VI (violin), Maria Theresa (double bass) and Joseph II (harpsichord and cello). Back in the real world, at various times Beethoven, Brahms, Gluck, Hayden, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Schonberg and the Strausses all had their heads in the clouds and their bums on piano stools in Vienna. Today, institutions such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the angelic Vienna Boys' Choir, the Staatsoper (State Opera), the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus are unrivalled.

Architecture

Austria has its fair share of fantastic buildings just to prove that some arty types were actually outside wearing tin hats and big boots instead of slippers and wigs. The Gothic style was popular between the 14th and 16th centuries, as evidenced by the number of imposing buildings with flying buttresses, pointed arches, ribbed ceiling vaults and pigeon toes. St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is considered to be Austria's Gothic masterpiece. The next major stylistic influence was Baroque. Learning from the Italian model, Fischer von Erlach developed a national style called Austrian Baroque, typified in the National Library and the Church of St Charles in Vienna. Empress Maria Theresa had a fling with Rococo, a style so fussy that it makes Baroque look like Bauhaus - the interior of the Schobrunn Palace is a fine example of such prissiness. The most interesting modern buildings are those designed by maverick architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser: several of his structures are the closest an apartment builder has ever got to recreating the exuberance of Gaudi.

Art

There's plenty of beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art in Austria's churches. Biedermeier, which is more well-known as a furniture style, also had its day in the gallery - and Biedermeier artist Moritz Michael Daffinger even found his way onto the AS20 note. The most famous Austrian painters were probably Gustav Klimt (Art Nouveau ) and Oskar Kokoschka (Viennese expressionism), but the most outrageous publicity was reserved for Viennese Actionism. This offshoot of abstract expressionism emerged in the late 1950s and sought access to the subconscious through the frenzy of direct art - read pouring paint over canvas and slashing it with knives; using blood and excrement as 'paint' and human bodies as 'brushes'; psychological endurance tests, self-mutilation and other nice Sunday school activities.

Food & Drinks

Traditional Austrian food is stodgy, hearty fare of the meat-and-dumpling variety. Wiener Schnitzel is Vienna's best known culinary concoction and it has spread to every two-bit eating house from New York City to Alice Springs. It's a fried cutlet, usually veal, covered in a coating of egg and breadcrumbs and, when cooked properly, has actually been known to be edible. Austrians are fond of eating bits of beasts that other nations ignore. Beuschel may be translated on menus as 'calf's lights' but it's really thin slices of calf's lungs and heart. It's quite tasty. Really. Austria's excellent pastries and cakes are effective at transferring bulk from your money belt to your waistline. The most famous Austrian dessert is the strudel, a baked dough filled with a variety of fruits and a sprinkling of raisins and cinnamon. You'll need to wash down this calorie hit with a cold glass of Austrian beer or a swig of fine Austrian wine.

National holidays

Jan 1: New Year's Day
Jan 6: Epiphany
Easter
May 1: Labour Day
Aug 15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Oct 26: National Day
Nov 1: All Saints Day
Dec 8: Immaculate Conception
Dec 25: Christmas Day
Dec 26: Boxing Day

Under some collective labour agreements holidays may include 24 December or 31 December.

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Austria

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