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Austrian cities are bustling with rich culture, vibrant life, and outstanding beauty. Every city hums the lore of the bygone era; the historic monuments soundlessly speak of the centuries old stories of war, love and heroism. The main cities are its capital, Vienna and the capitals of its states (Bundesländer) St. Pölten, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bregenz, Klagenfurt, Graz and Eisenstadt.
Vienna is the capital, hub of the country's musical life and littered with beautiful buildings. Music, art and architecture reach baroque perfection in Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace. Innsbruck's snow-capped peaks frame its fascinating historic buildings.
Vienna
Vienna (German Wien) is the capital of Austria, and also one of Austria's nine federal states. It is situated on the river Danube, and is surrounded by the Austrian federal state of lower Austria. With a population of about 1.5 million, Vienna is the largest city and the cultural and political centre of Austria.
Vienna was originally a Celtic city founded around 500 BC. In 15 BC, it became a frontier city guarding the Roman Empire against the German tribes. In the middle Ages, it became the home of the Babenberg and, the Habsburg dynasties and through the latter it became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Before the Second World War, Vienna stood side by side with Paris and London in importance, beauty, and power. The rich and elite class of Europe vacationed here while the poor viewed it as an opportunity to escape their miseries. Vienna became an abode for artists and composers seeking inspiration and revolutionaries ironing out their ideas and theories.
Vienna offers a lot of different sightseeing attractions. The St. Stephan's Cathedral, one of the oldest buildings, combines, because of its long construction time, a variety of different architectural styles. The Ringstrasse, the former fortifying belt of the city core, turned into a magnificent street in the 19th century, is also worth a walk. A must for tourists is the Schloss Schönbrunn, the former seat and residence of the Habsburgs, with its parks, the palm house, the butterfly house and zoo.
Vienna is a traditional melting pot for what used to be a multinational empire during the Habsburg monarchy. Vienna is not only the political, but also the cultural capital of Austria. It offers a wide variety of theater, music, art and cinemas and the cultural tradition of the high art is well known worldwide. Vienna has been the home to many prominent and celebrated musicians, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Hayden, Ludwig van Beethoven and Falco. It is still a very popular stop and living place for artist from around the world.
Salzburg
Located near the German border, Salzburg is a federal state of Austria; it is one of the country's smallest states in terms of population. The capital city is Salzburg. Salzburg is home to one of the longest and deepest gorges of the Alps, Liechtensteinklamm. It is located near Sankt Johann im Pongau, a small town in the middle of the state.
Salzburg was an independent Archbishopric within the Holy Roman Empire until the Imperial reorganization of 1801. It was given as compensation to Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany, the brother of Emperor Francis II. After Austria's defeat in 1809, the province was handed over to Bavaria in 1810. In 1816, following the defeat of Napoleon and the provision of adequate compensation to Bavaria at the Congress of Vienna, it was returned to Austria, and has been an Austrian state ever since.
The birth of the town Salzburg can be traced back in the year 696 when the missionary St. Rubert arrived and founded the Benedictine Monastery of St. Peters. The town merged into an independent church state, ruled by a sovereign, the Archbishop. Salzburg is located between the two mountains Kapuzinerberg and Mönchsberg and the River Salzach. It is a picturesque city with small alleys, quaint colorful town homes, rich castles and palaces, neat gardens and a high density of churches and monasteries.
There are a lot of monuments one can never over look among them are; The Fortress of Hohensalzburg, a 900 year old building is considered to be the best-preserved Medieval Fortress throughout Europe, St. Sebastian is the city's most impressive church, built in the Gothic style, with a well-tended cemetery. Salzburg is also a city of music, like other Austrian cities the art can be sensed in the air. It was the home and birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the memorial on the Mozart place is honoring this city's famous son. Salzburg is still a famous stop for musicians from all around the world.
In the modern times, Salzburg is known for its annual Festival "Salzburger Festspiele", which offers a variety of operas, concerts and theatre plays, reaching from classical to contemporary styles. The city is also a very famous for musical or theatrical education and therefore many students from all around the world enroll to different music and performing art schools d in Salzburg every year.
Innsbruck
The Inn valley has always been very important for its geographical and favorable position; the valley's advantageous positioning made it a natural choice for settlements from the earliest times. The first settlements in the Inn's valley date back to the Bronze Age. When the Roman Empire expanded to the North, the valley became an important military transportation route.
In the year 1187 the name "Innsbrucke", which means Bridge over the River Inn, is first mentioned, the name of the city is derived from the original meaning 'bridge over the Inn'. This bridge was a key factor in the development of trade and the movement of goods between regions both north and south of the Alps. Innsbruck became the capital of all Tirol in 1429. The 15th and 16th centuries were Innsbruck's golden years. Emperor Maximilian I fashioned the city into a booming financial, cultural and administrative centre. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Innsbruck's architectural style was heavily influenced by the Türing and Gumpp dynasties.
With its 150.000 inhabitants Innsbruck is an international center for winter sports, due to its favorable position in the Alps, and was the host of the Olympic Winter Games twice, in 1964 and 1976. It is also kind of an unofficial capital for snowboarding in Europe. The Winter Olympic Games first took place in the city in 1964. This regular event has played a major role in Innsbruck's postwar growth and has led to the construction of some of the finest sporting facilities in the world. The Olympia Eisstadion, for example, has played host to competitions in high-speed ice skating, figure skating and ice hockey. Innsbruck has always been a lively city. Ever since the first settlements in 1180 around the area which now constitutes the old quarter, the city has grown continuously.
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