Austria
Austria is a country located in the middle of Europe. It borders to Germany, Switzerland,
Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It has a size of 84,000 km², of
which most lies in the Alps. Austria has a cool, temperate climate with nice warm summers
and cold winters. Over 8 million people currently live in Austria, of which approximately 2
million live in the country’s capital Vienna. The country is a parliamentary representative
democracy, consisting of nine federal states: Vienna, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg,
Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Styria and Burgenland.
Although it is a very small country, Austria has a long history and a very rich culture. Many
people world wide know, for example, the Austrian musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
who is famous for his opera Don Giovanni and other concertos and symphonies or Joseph
Haydn, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt. Other important aspects of Austrian
culture are the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Boys Choir. As Austria is a
Catholic country, it has many official holidays throughout the year. These are celebrated with
special dishes, drinks and music. Food is a very important aspect of Austria. The country has
a great mixture of dishes from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Special are, dishes
which are named after a federal state or city, for example Wiener schnitzel (coming from
Vienna) or Kärntner Käsnudel (coming form Carinthia). A very famous Austrian speciality
and a great souvenir to take home are the Mozart chocolates.
Austria is also famous for its beautiful sites. Locations like the river Danube, the
Salzkammergut or famous institutions like the “Goldenes Dachl” in Innsbruck or the
“Getreidegasse” in Salzburg, where Mozart was born, are known all over the world. Very well
known is also the Viennese state opera, where for example the world wide known musical
“The Sound of Music” was performed. The Sound of Music is about an Austrian family living
in Salzburg before the Second World War.
But Austria is not only known for its famous cuisine or its very old and rich culture, but also
for important institutions in sport. As Austria is located in the Alps, it is quite natural that
skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and the like are widely spread. There are many
festivals connected with this, for example the Ski-Alpine world cup races, the ski-jumping
championships or the ice skating on our, in winter gloriously frozen lakes, where many
tourists from all over the world come to watch or take part in.
In many countries people speak about Austria. This is also because of our celebrities, like for
example Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was born and grew up near Graz and after winning the
world championship in body building, immigrated to the US where he also became a famous
actor and the governor of California.
The beautiful country of Austria has attractions for all kinds of people, the only thing that
some people might miss is the seaside, but we can make up for it with our many marvellous
lakes.
About Austria
Maybe you haven’t heard about Austria but there are some important things of
Austrian traditions, culture and history you should know. Austria is situated next to
Germany and Italy. It has a population of 8 million people and the people speak
German but there are some minority languages spoken in Austria (Slovenian,
Croatian and Hungarian). In Austria are also various dialects.
Austria has also some very famous and important composers (Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Strauss). Vienna has long been an important
center of musical innovation. Vienna’s status began its rise as a cultural center in the
early 1500s. Composers of the 18th and 19th centuries made this city to the European
capital of classical music. Austrian folk music is also very popular. Yodeling is a type
of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called jauchzn or
juchazn. Famous Austrian folk dances are Schuhplattler, Landler, Polka, and Wiener
Walzer. More than 70% of the native population identify themselves as Roman
Catholic. Maybe that’s why Austria is rich in Roman Catholic tradition. On of Austria’s
oldest Cathedrals is the Minoritenkirche in Vienna. It was built in the Gothic style in
the year 1224. One of the world’s tallest cathedrals, the 136-meter-tall Stephansdom
is also in Austria. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. Two of the most famous
Austrian palaces are the Belvedere and Schönbrunn. There are also other famous
sights: Prater, Ring street, and lots of museums.
Austrian cuisine is derived from the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
some methods of food preparation have often been borrowed or influenced by the
Hungarian (Goulash), Czech, Jewish and Italian cuisine. Austria is famous for its
sweets and pastries (Apfelstrudel, Kaiserschmarren, Sacher Torte, Linzer Torte,
Manner Schnitte) and some other traditional meals like Wiener Schnitzel.
Austria is not only famous for food it’s also famous for beverages. There are many
different types of Austrian Beer to be found. Some of the most common brands of
beer to be found in Austria are Stiegl, Gösser and Hirter but there are also other
breweries to be found as well.
The most-liked sports in Austria are skiing, soccer and ice hockey. Austria is the best
skiing nation in the world because excellent skiers like Herman Maier, Benjamin
Raich, Michaela Dorfmeister, and Renate Götschl are consistently winning the largest
number of races and so they get the most points. We are also good at ski jumping.
One famous ski jumper is Thomas Morgenstern he won Olympia-Gold last year.
Other famous Austrian people are:
Maximillian Shell (actor)
Romy Schneider (actress)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (he was an actor and now he is the governor of California).
Niki Lauda (Formula One race driver)
Daniel Swarovski (founder of Swarovski Ag, world famous crystals)
Heinrich Harrer (mountaineer and writer)
Wolfgang Puck (famous cook)
I think now you know enough about Austria.
Austria
If you hear something about “Austria” maybe you think immediately about kangaroos and so
on. But that’s wrong! Austria is a little state in Europe. Its Federal capital is Vienna.
In Austria there live estimated 8 million people. The mother tongue of Austrians is German.
The education in Austria is quite good. You have to go to school 9 years long. Than you can
go working or you can go to school furthermore. Afterwards you are able to go to a university
and get a degree. About 74 % of Austrians are Roman Catholics. Almost 5 % are Protestants
and 12 % of the population doesn’t belong to any Church ore religious community. Austria is
famous for many things. For example for classic music. Very important classic musicians
were born in Austria. For example Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I think everybody knows him.
W. A. Mozart was born in Salzburg. It’s one of the nine Federal lands of Austria. The others
are Vienna, Upper and Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.
I’m sure you know something about Ludwig van Beethoven or Joseph Haydn too. They both
also were famous Austrian musicians. Austria is famous too for Yodeling and folk dancing.
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called
“juchazn”. Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler, Ländler, Polka, or
Waltz. A very important thing in Austria is winter sport. We have many quite good skiers like
Hermann Maier, Benjamin Reich or Michaela Dorfmeister. Skiing is so popular in Austria
because of the many mountains and ski resorts around. I’m sure you know the world famous
Swarovski crystals. The founder of this AG, Daniel Swarovski, was an Austrian too.
Do you know something about Niki Lauda? He was a popular Formula One race car driver
and now he is the boss of “Lauda Air”. It’s a Austrian air line. Wolfgang Puck also was born
in Austria. He is a famous cook and he owns many awesome restaurants around the world. A
very important person for Austria is Arnold Schwarzenegger. At first he was a popular
bodybuilder than he became U.S. citizen and now he is the governor of the U.S. state of
California. Austria is a very beautiful country with many lakes, mountains and famous sites.
The most important place in Austria is probably the castle “Schönbrunn”. One of the world’s
tallest cathedrals is the 136-meter-tall (446-foot-tall) Stephansdom in Vienna. Many tourists
come to see this cathedral or the many other beautiful castles in Austria. In Austria there are
many traditional dishes. Like the ´Wienerschnitzel`, the ´Apfelstrudel` or the famous
´Sachertorte`.
And if you now still don’t know Austria I can say just “The Sound of Music” anymore. The
famous film tells the story about Austria while the National Socialism under the rule of Adolf
Hitler.
ABOUT AUSTRIA
Hy!
Would you like to hear something about my country and it`s culture?
Austria is a member of the European Unionit has 9 federal states: Charinthia(that`s where I
live), Salisburg, Burgenland, Upper and Lower Austria, Styria ,and Vienna-which is the
capital of Austria for more than a thousand years.
Vienna has long been an important center of musical innovation. Composers of the 18th and
19th centuries were drawn to the city by the patronage of the Habsburgs, and made Vienna the
European capital of classical music. During the classical-music era (18th and 19th)the city of
Vienna was an especially important place for musical innovation.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann Strauss, Jr., Falco, Haydn,
Schubert among others, were associated with the city.
In salisburg you can see the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born.We have
excellent singers, and musicians-every fifth person sings.
Maybe you know the famouse film ,”Sound of music”?
Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler, Landler, Polka, or Waltz.
We also have tradtional Austrian clothes (a Dirndl) that you wear when you dance traditional
dances on folkfests..
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called
juchazn and featured the use of both nonlexical syllables and yells that were used to
communicate across mountains-but we don`t do this anymore to communicate-nowadays we
take the telephone-or we send an -only on some fests you sometimes hear somebody
yodeling......bute-mail... just for fun...
Austria is known for its cemeteries and beautiful churches. Vienna it selves has about fifty
different cemeteries, and one of Austria's oldest cathedrals is the Minoritenkirche in Vienna.
Austria is rich in Roman Catholic tradition. One of the world's tallest cathedrals, the 136meter-tall (446-foot-tall) Stephansdom is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna; the
Stephansdom is 107 meters (351 feet) long and 34 meters (111.5 feet) wide.
Three of the most famous Austrian palaces are the Belvedere ,Schönbrunn and Minimundus.
Minimundus is built up like a city-but at this city are only very small buildings from all sights
all over the world.
Austrian cuisine is derived from the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In addition to
native regional traditions it has been influenced above all by Hungarian,Czech, Jewish, and
Italian cuisines, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been
borrowed.
Carinthian specialityies are for example:Käsnudel (a sort dumplings with curds – delicious),
Apfelstrudel,(apple pie),Kaiserschmarren, Sachertorte(a torte with much chocolate and a high
calorie ) ,Wiener Schnitzel and also Mozartkugeln and Reindling.content
In Austria every federal state has his own strong form of dialect.
Minority languages spoken in Austria include Slovenian, Croatian and Hungarian
73.6% of the native population identify themselves as Roman Catholic, while 4.7% consider
themselves Protestant. About 12% of the population does not belong to any church or
religious community. Of the remaining people, about 180,000 are members of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, about 7,300 are Jewish, and around 300,000 are members of various
Muslim religious communities. Prior to the Holocaust, about 200,000 Jews lived in Austria.
Common sports in Austria, are soccer, skiing, and ice hockey. Parts of Austria are located in
the Alps which makes it a prime location for skiing.-We really have much ski-resorts,and
more than 300 lakes. Austria is the leading nation in the Alpine Skiing World Cup and also
strong in many other winter sports such as ski jumping.
For example:Franz Klammer and Hermann Maier are Olympic alpine ski champions- and
Michaela Dorfmeister is one of our famous alpine skiers.
But we don`t have only famous skiers in Austria- maybe you know Niki Lauda,a Formula
One race car driver and aviation entrepreneur,or Dietrich Mateschitz-the businessman behind
the Red Bull brand, Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the
"people's car"), Daniel Swarovski, founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals, or
maybe you know Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and
writer (Seven Years in Tibet) ,and Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef and restaurateur,or Arnold
Schwarzenegger, (born 1947), bodybuilder, actor, became U.S. citizen, governor of the U.S.
state of California (2003– )-he is also from Austria-did you know some of them??!
I`m pretty sure that you know Adolf Hitler, Nazi dictator of Germany (1933-1945)-he was
born in Upper Austria-but we aren`t proud of this....
Oskar Schindler, industrialist and famous WWII hero (saved his Jewish factory workers from
Auschwitz) was also from Austria.
In Austria we have much more holidays that we celebrate than you have-for example the day
of the `inocent children`(28th of December)
I love Austria,because we have no netural disasters here,only in spring-because than the snow
melts,and it rains a lot and than we have some little inundations.
I would be very afraid if I`d live in a country where are huricanes “normal”...!!!
In winter we have about 25-32°C-and I think in winter we have about -20°C.
Every year we have much snow-but we nearly never have "white x-mas".
So,I`m pretty sure that you know now more about Austria than Austrian people do...:-) -and I
hope it was interessting !!!
Johanna
Austria is situated in the middle of Europe.It consists of nine independet federal states called:
Styria, Vienna (the capital city of Austria),Tirol, Burgenland, Vorarlberg, Upper and Lower
Austria, Salzburg and Carinthia( where I live).Every federal state has a own
gouvernment.Austria is famous for the wonderful and clear lakes, where you can have a cooldown in summer. It also has many ski areas where you can go skiing or snowboarding in
winter. Of the approximately 8 million inhabitants in Austria 98% speak German and also
´minoritys are recognized.More than the half inhabitants are Roman Catholic and 5% are
Protestant.In the southern part of Austria lies Carinthia.The capital city is Klagenfurt, wich is
famous for the Wörthersee wich is one of the largest lakes in Europe.The Wörthersee also has
a outdoor theater wich lies directly on the beach and overlooks the lake.Every summer some
of the biggest productions and shows in Europe come to play at the theater.Carinthia also has
many things that are interessting about the country where I live.One interessting thing for
example is the "four-mountains-run".Only in Klagenfurt you can do this sort of activity.Also
the Minimundus is quite interessting.There you can see the most important sights in the
world.Of course they are not so big as the real ones, but I think it's Fun to visit
Minimundus.Also very famous Stars were born in Austria.Arnold Schwarzenegger the
Gouverneur of Kalifornien for example was born in Steiermark.Or wolfgang Puck,the famous
cook, who has for example a Cafe in Orlando and many Restaurants in Amerika. Something
that Austria is also famous for is: Yodeling.Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed
in the Alps.Also the Austrian "Dirndl" is very famous.Paris Hilton for example wore it when
she visited Austria.I'm very glad that I live in Austria, because we have a beautiful landscape
with wonderful mountains and the people there also are very nice!!Verena
Easter Saturday
A big religious feast in Austria is Easter! We celebrate this after old traditions.
In general we celebrate it for three days. I want to tell you something more about
the first one. In German it’s called “Karsamstag”, that means fast-Saturday. On
this day you have to fast until midday.
My family and I, we always go to the meat-consecration, where the priest
consecrates the basket with the Easter-lunch. The traditional lunch is a cold
meal. There is ham, horseradish, sausages, plated loaf, “Reindling” (Austrian
cake made out of a yeast dough with raisins, cinnamon and nuts) and last but not
least Easter eggs. These are hard-cooked and coloured eggs.
After the long fast-period we all enjoy the tasty meal.
When we have finished, my sister and I always go to our relatives, who are our
grandparents’ neighbours. There we look for Easter-nests.
Like you believed on Santa Claus when you were a little child, we thought that
the Easter-bunny comes to us each year and hides little baskets with sweets in
our garden. Now I know that this is the grown ups’ job, but they are so nice that
they still hide Easter-nests for us! In these baskets there is always grass and
there lie a lot of sweets. There are Easter-eggs, chocolate-eggs, chocolatebunnies, candy-chicken…Often there’s also a little surprise!
When we are finished with our Easter-nest search at our relatives, we go to our
grandparents and do the same there. At the back of each tree could be a nest but
where is it?
In the afternoon we sit relaxed together and enjoy the time…
When the sun sets, my cousins ( who are in the same age as I) and I go to the
Easter-fire. There’s a big heap! Some people light it and in the night we have a
big, warm fire.
Austria
Austria lies in the middle of Europe. It`s a member of the European Union and of the UN. The
9 provinces of Austria are Carinthia, Styria, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg,
Salzburg, Burgenland and Vienna.
Dialects
While strong forms of the various dialects are not normally comprehensible to Northern
Germans, there is virtually no communication barrier to speakers from Bavaria. The Central
Austro-Bavarian dialects are more intelligible to speakers of Standard German than the
Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects of Tirol. Viennese, the Austro-Bavarian dialect of Vienna,
is most frequently used in Germany for impersonations of the typical inhabitant of Austria.
The people of Graz, the capital of Styria, speak yet another dialect which is not very Styrian
and more easily understood by people from other parts of Austria than other Styrian dialects,
e.g. from western Styria.
Minority languages spoken in Austria include Slovenian, Croatian and Hungarian.
Religion
73.6% of the native population identify themselves as Roman Catholic, while 4.7% consider
themselves Protestant. About 12% of the population does not belong to any church or
religious community. Of the remaining people, about 180,000 are members of the Eastern
Orthodox Church, about 7,300 are Jewish, and around 300,000 are members of various
Muslim religious communities. Prior to the Holocaust, about 200,000 Jews lived in Austria.
Famous sights
 Minoritenkirche: Vienna, one of Austria`s oldest cathedrals, built in the Gothic style in
1224. One of the world's tallest cathedrals, the 136-meter-tall (446-foot-tall)
Stephansdom is
 Stephansdom: One of the world`s tallest cathedrals (107 meters/351 feet long, 136
meters/446 feet tall and 34 meters/111.5 feet wide),the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna
 Belvedere: The baroque-style Belvedere palace was built in the period 1714–1723, by
Prince Eugene of Savoy, and now is home to the Austrian Gallery.
 Scönbrunn: The Schönbrunn palace was built in 1696 by Johann Bernhard Fischer von
Erlach for Emperor Leopold I; empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered the palace
restyled in Rococo; in 1996, it was added to the United Nations' World Cultural Heritage
list.
Some more famous sights are
„Goldenes Dachl“ (Innsbruck), spanische Hofreitschule, Krimmler waterfalls, Swarovski
christal world, Mariazell, Festung Hohensalzburg
Sport
Common sports in Austria, are soccer, skiing, and ice hockey. Parts of Austria are located in
the Alps which makes it a prime location for skiing. Austria is the leading nation in the Alpine
Skiing World Cup (consistently winning the largest number of points of all countries) and
also strong in many other winter sports such as ski jumping. Austria's national ice hockey
team ranks 13th in the world.
Famous Austrian Sportsmen:
 Annemarie Moser-Pröll, alpine skier
 Franz Klammer, Olympic alpine ski champion, born in Mooswald (Carinthia), 1953
 Hermann Maier, Olympic alpine ski champion, born 1972
 Niki Lauda, (born 1949), Formula One race car driver and aviation entrepreneur
 Ernst Happel (1925-1992), football player and coach
 Thomas Muster, tennis champion, born 1967
 Jochen Rindt, race car driver, Formula One World Champion of 1970 (he died during that
season!)
 Toni Sailer, 1956 Olympic Games - won all three gold medals earning himself the Triple
Crown of Alpine Skiing; born 1935
Music
Vienna has long been an important center of musical innovation. Composers of the 18th and
19th centuries were drawn to the city by the patronage of the Habsburgs, and made Vienna the
European capital of classical music. Slavic and Hungarian folk forms influenced Austrian
music. Vienna's status began its rise as a cultural center in the early 1500s, and was focused
around instruments including the lute.
 Classical music:During the 18th century, the classical-music era dominated European
classical music, and the city of Vienna was an especially important place for musical
innovation. Three composers arose, making lasting innovations: Ludwig von Beethoven's
symphonic patterns, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's balance between melody and form, and
Joseph Haydn's development of the string quartet and sonata.
 Schrammelmusik: The most popular form of modern Austrian folk music is Viennese
Schrammelmusik, which is played with an accordion and a double-necked guitar.
 Alpine New Wave: This genre of punk rock, whose name may be shortened to alpunk
originated in the Alpine regions of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Alpunk fuses the
chaotic, energetic rhythms of punk music with the accordion-based folk music that the
region is famous for.
 Ländler: The ländler is a folk dance of uncertain origin. Known under several names for a
long period, it became known as Landl ob der Enns, which was eventually shortened to
ländler. The dance became popular in about 1720. It required close contact between
members of the opposite sex, and was thus denounced as lustful by some church
authorities. Ländlers were brought first to Vienna, and later to places as far away as the
Ukraine. The ländler eventually evolved into what is known as the waltz.
 Yodeling: Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it
was called juchazn and featured the use of both nonlexical syllables and yells that were
used to communicate across mountains.
 Austrian folk dancing: Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler,
Landler, Polka, or Waltz.
Famous Austrian Musicians:
 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer
 Franz Schubert, composer and musician, 1797-1828
 Johann Strauss, Sr., composer 1809-1849
 Johann Strauss, Jr., composer 1825-1899
 Josef Strauss, composer 1827-1870
Vienna
Vienna is the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural center
of the country.
 Vienna developed its own regional cuisine. Viennese Cuisine is the only kind of cuisine
named after a city. Famous Viennese dishes are Apfelstrudel, Kaiserschmarren, Liptauer,
Powidl, Sachertorte and Wiener Schnitzel
 Vienna has long been an important center of musical innovation (see music)
 Vienna has many famous sights (see Famous sights)
 Vienna has fifty different cemeteries, of which the Zentralfriedhof is the most famous.
The Habsburgs are housed in the Imperial Crypt
Famous Austrians:
 Dietrich Mateschitz, businessman behind the Red Bull brand
 Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the "people's car"),
born in Austria-Hungary
 Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, automotive engineer and entrepreneur, he expanded the
sports car manufacturer Porsche AG to what it is now
 Robert Schlumberger, entrepreneur
 Frank Stronach, (born in Austria), entrepreneur
 Daniel Swarovski, founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals
 Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and writer (Seven
Years in Tibet)
 Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, diplomat
 Maximilian Schell, actor (played a defending lawyer in Judgment at Nuremberg)
 Romy Schneider, actress (starring in Orson Wells' The Trial) (German mother and
German citizenship)
 Arnold Schwarzenegger, (born 1947), bodybuilder, actor, became U.S. citizen, governor
of the U.S. state of California (2003– )
 Bertha von Suttner, writer and pacifist Nobel Peace Prize winner
 Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef and restaurateur
 Oskar Schindler, industrialist and famous WWII hero (saved his Jewish factory workers
from Auschwitz)
 Georg Ritter von Trapp, head of The Sound of Music family
 Simon Wiesenthal, 1908–2005, pre-eminent Nazi hunter
 Kurt Waldheim, diplomat and politician; former Secretary-General of the United Nations
from 1972 to 1982, former President of Austria from 1986 to 1992
 Elisabeth, Empress-Consort of Austria, wife of Francis Joseph I. Franz Ferdinand,
Archduke (assassinated in 1914)
 Francis Joseph I, Emperor of Austria
 Maria Theresia, Archduchess of Austria, Holy Roman Empress-Consort, last male-line
Habsburg
 Marie Antoinette, Archduchess, became Queen of France
 Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist, father of psychoanalysis
 Paul Watzlawick, communication theory
 Konrad Lorenz zoologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
 Gregor Mendel, pioneer of genetics
Famous Austrian Sportsmen: see Sport
Famous Austrian musicians: see Music
Austria is a country in Central Europe. Its capital city is vienna. In Austria there live
about
8 Mio. people. German speaking Austrians are the largest group with 90% of
Austria´s population. In Carinthia we have a Slovenian minority with about 14.000
people. In Burgenland we also have Hungarians and Croatians.
The official language is German. It is spoken by almost all residents of the country.
Austria is a democracy country and consists of nine federal states.
This states are: Burgenland, Charinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg,
Styria, Tyrol, Voralbergand Vienna. It is one of six European countries that have
declared permanent neutrality. The area of Austria is about 83.000 km². Austria is
mountainous country and the highest mountain is the “Großglockner” with 3797
meters.
The greater part of Austria is in the cool climate zone. In the East there is less rain
then in the alpine areas.
Our country is rich in Roman Catholic tratition. One of the oldest cathedrals is the
Minoritenkirche in Vienna. One of the world´s tallest cathedralst is the Stephansdom.
It is 107 meters long.
Two of the most famous palaces are the Belvedere and Schönbrunn.
Austria has also a great cuisine, witch is derived from the cuisine of the AustroHungarian Empire. Goulash is one example of this.Austria is also famous for his
“Sachertorte” and his “Wienerschnitzel”. The traditional drink of the Austrian
population is beer.
The famed cook is Wolfgang Buck. He is born in St.Veit/ Glan in Carinthia. Now he
cooks for popular people in Hollywood.
Common sports in Austria are skiing and ice hockey. The famoust skier is Hermann
Maier. Other famous sportsmen are: Niki Lauda, Franz Klammer, Michaela
Dorfmeister, Ernst Happel and Thomas Muster.
Although Austria is a small country, it is the birthplace of many famous composers.
For example: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Johann Strauß. Ludwig
van Beethofen spent the better part of his live in Vienna.
Austria has always been a country of poets, writers and novelists.It was the home of
Arthur Schnitzler, Franz Grillparzer, Rainer Maria Rilke or Adabert Stifter.
The most important Austrian painters are Friedensreich Hundertwasser or Gustav
Klimt.
We can be very proud and happy that we can say: “ I am from Austria.”
Classical music
During the 18th century, the classical-music are dominated European classical music, and the
city of Vienna was an especially important place for musical innovation. Three composers
arose, making lasting innovations: Ludwig von Beethoven's symphonic patterns, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart's balance between melody and form, and Joseph Haydn's development of
the string quartet and sonata.
Ländler
The ländler is a folk dance of uncertain origin. The dance became popular in about 1720. It
was thus denounced as lustful by some church authorities. The ländler eventually evolved into
what is known as the waltz.
Yodeling
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called
juchazn and featured the use of both nonlexical syllables and yells that were used to
communicate across mountains.
Palaces
Two of the most famous Austrian palaces are the Belvedere and Schönbrunn. The baroquestyle Belvedere palace was built in the period 1714–1723, by Prince Eugene of Savoy. The
Schönbrunn palace was built in 1696 by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach for Emperor
Leopold I.
Viennese Cuisine
Vienna is the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural center
of the country and developed its own regional cuisine. Viennese Cuisine is the only kind of
cuisine named after a city.
Apfelstrudel, Kaiserschmarren, Liptauer, Powidl, Sachertorte, Wiener Schnitzel;
Sports
Common sports in Austria, are soccer, skiing, and ice hockey. Parts of Austria are located in
the Alps which makes it a prime location for skiing. Austria is the leading nation in the Alpine
Skiing World Cup (consistently winning the largest number of points of all countries) and
also strong in many other winter sports such as ski jumping.
Religion
73.6% of the native population identify themselves as Roman Catholic, while 4.7% consider
themselves Protestant. About 12% of the population does not belong to any church or
religious community.
Some famous people of Austria:
Romy Schneider: actress (starring in Orson Wells' The Trial)
Franz Schubert: composer and musician, 1797-1828
Johann Strauss, Sr.: composer 1809-1849
Johann Strauss, Jr.: composer 1825-1899
Josef Strauss: composer 1827-1870
Ferdinand Porsche: automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the "people's car"),
born in Austria-Hungary
Daniel Swarovski: founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals
Heinrich Harrer: mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and writer (Seven
Years in Tibet)
Elisabeth: Empress-Consort of Austria, wife of Francis Joseph I.
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke (assassinated in 1914)
Francis Joseph I: Emperor of Austria
Franz Klammer: Olympic alpine ski champion, born in Mooswald (Carinthia), 1953
Hermann Maier: Olympic alpine ski champion, born 1972
Bertha von Suttner: writer and pacifist Nobel Peace Prize winner
Wolfgang Puck: celebrity chef and restaurateur
Georg Ritter von Trapp: head of The Sound of Music family
what is carinthia famous for:
Hey, in this letter you will hear something about carinthia and its famous
people, dishes and about religions.
I think it is famous for the beautiful lakes. Ok in Italy and French and
also in America you have the sea it is also nice with the waves and the
sand. But I like our lakes too. They are clear and the water is not salty.
well-known lakes are: the Längsee (carinthia), Millstättersee (carinthia),
Weißensee, Neusiedlersee (in Burgenland) Ossiachersee (carinthia) and so
on. Here we also have high mountains, another sign for our country. The
highest mountain is the Großglockner it is about 11.000ft high!
I am sure you have heard about Wolfgang Puck. He represents the ultimate in
the culinary arts and restaurant hospitality. He is born in carinthia and at
the age of fourteen he inspired his mother, Maria, a hotel chef. Encouraged
by a friend, Wolfgang left Europe in 1973 at the age of 24, having already
learned his craft as a classically trained French chef in the master
kitchens of three star French restaurants. He also wrote two books, of
course cookbooks.
Maybe you want to know a bit about our religion. Approximate 73.6 % of the
native population identify themselves as Roman Catholic, while 4.7 %
consider themselves Protestant. About 12 % of the population does not belong
to any church or religious community. Of the remaining people, about 180,000
are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, about 7,300 are Jewish, and
around 300,000 are members of various Muslim religious communities. Prior to
the Holocaust, about 200,000 Jews lived in Austria.
We also had great composers for instance Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he was
exactly born 250 years ago in Salzburg. In many shops you get a famous
Mozartkugel. They taste not bad it is a marzipan-nougat mass covered with
chocolate.
Carinthia is also famous for some special dishes: for instance the
Käsnudeln. If you order it in a restaurant, you get a noodle. dough, filled
with curd, and mint? and potatoes.
I really like this meal and it is healthy too. Another food is the
apfelstrudel. you have a strudel-dough and in it are apples, rosins,
cinnamon, sugar. it looks a bit like a snake.
I am 100% sure that you know Arnold Schwarzenegger, we sometimes call him
"Arnie".
You know he is the governor of the U.S. He was born in 1947 in styria and
first he was a bodybuilder. He also played parts in famous films.
Two of the most famous Austrian places are the Belvedere and Schönbrunn. The
baroque-style Belvedere place was built in the period 1714-1723, by Prince
Eugene of Savoy, and now is home to the Austrian Gallery. The Schönbrunn
place was built in1696 by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach for Emperor
Leopold 1; empress Maria Theresa of Austria ordered the palace restyled in
Rococo; it was added to the United Nations´ World Cultural Heritage list.
So that was a bit about carinthia I hope you write me also some information
about your country.
Bye, bye
Rebecca
About Austria
Maybe you haven’t heard about Austria but there are some important things of
Austrian traditions, culture and history you should know. Austria is situated next to
Germany and Italy. It has a population of 8 million people and the people speak
German but there are some minority languages spoken in Austria (Slovenian,
Croatian and Hungarian). In Austria are also various dialects.
Austria has also some very famous and important composers (Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Strauss). Vienna has long been an important
center of musical innovation. Vienna’s status began its rise as a cultural center in the
early 1500s. Composers of the 18th and 19th centuries made this city to the European
capital of classical music. Austrian folk music is also very popular. Yodeling is a type
of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called jauchzn or
juchazn. Famous Austrian folk dances are Schuhplattler, Landler, Polka, and Wiener
Walzer. More than 70% of the native population identify themselves as Roman
Catholic. Maybe that’s why Austria is rich in Roman Catholic tradition. On of Austria’s
oldest Cathedrals is the Minoritenkirche in Vienna. It was built in the Gothic style in
the year 1224. One of the world’s tallest cathedrals, the 136-meter-tall Stephansdom
is also in Austria. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. Two of the most famous
Austrian palaces are the Belvedere and Schönbrunn. There are also other famous
sights: Prater, Ring street, and lots of museums.
Austrian cuisine is derived from the cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
some methods of food preparation have often been borrowed or influenced by the
Hungarian (Goulash), Czech, Jewish and Italian cuisine. Austria is famous for its
sweets and pastries (Apfelstrudel, Kaiserschmarren, Sacher Torte, Linzer Torte,
Manner Schnitte) and some other traditional meals like Wiener Schnitzel.
Austria is not only famous for food it’s also famous for beverages. There are many
different types of Austrian Beer to be found. Some of the most common brands of
beer to be found in Austria are Stiegl, Gösser and Hirter but there are also other
breweries to be found as well.
The most-liked sports in Austria are skiing, soccer and ice hockey. Austria is the best
skiing nation in the world because excellent skiers like Herman Maier, Benjamin
Raich, Michaela Dorfmeister, and Renate Götschl are consistently winning the largest
number of races and so they get the most points. We are also good at ski jumping.
One famous ski jumper is Thomas Morgenstern he won Olympia-Gold last year.
Other famous Austrian people are:
Maximillian Shell (actor)
Romy Schneider (actress)
Arnold Schwarzenegger (he was an actor and now he is the governor of California).
Niki Lauda (Formula One race driver)
Daniel Swarovski (founder of Swarovski Ag, world famous crystals)
Heinrich Harrer (mountaineer and writer)
Wolfgang Puck (famous cook)
I think now you know enough about Austria.
Austria
If you hear something about “Austria” maybe you think immediately about kangaroos and so
on. But that’s wrong! Austria is a little state in Europe. Its Federal capital is Vienna.
In Austria there live estimated 8 million people. The mother tongue of Austrians is German.
The education in Austria is quite good. You have to go to school 9 years long. Than you can
go working or you can go to school furthermore. Afterwards you are able to go to a university
and get a degree. About 74 % of Austrians are Roman Catholics. Almost 5 % are Protestants
and 12 % of the population doesn’t belong to any Church ore religious community. Austria is
famous for many things. For example for classic music. Very important classic musicians
were born in Austria. For example Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I think everybody knows him.
W. A. Mozart was born in Salzburg. It’s one of the nine Federal lands of Austria. The others
are Vienna, Upper and Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.
I’m sure you know something about Ludwig van Beethoven or Joseph Haydn too. They both
also were famous Austrian musicians. Austria is famous too for Yodeling and folk dancing.
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called
“juchazn”. Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler, Ländler, Polka, or
Waltz. A very important thing in Austria is winter sport. We have many quite good skiers like
Hermann Maier, Benjamin Reich or Michaela Dorfmeister. Skiing is so popular in Austria
because of the many mountains and ski resorts around. I’m sure you know the world famous
Swarovski crystals. The founder of this AG, Daniel Swarovski, was an Austrian too.
Do you know something about Niki Lauda? He was a popular Formula One race car driver
and now he is the boss of “Lauda Air”. It’s a Austrian air line. Wolfgang Puck also was born
in Austria. He is a famous cook and he owns many awesome restaurants around the world. A
very important person for Austria is Arnold Schwarzenegger. At first he was a popular
bodybuilder than he became U.S. citizen and now he is the governor of the U.S. state of
California. Austria is a very beautiful country with many lakes, mountains and famous sites.
The most important place in Austria is probably the castle “Schönbrunn”. One of the world’s
tallest cathedrals is the 136-meter-tall (446-foot-tall) Stephansdom in Vienna. Many tourists
come to see this cathedral or the many other beautiful castles in Austria. In Austria there are
many traditional dishes. Like the ´Wienerschnitzel`, the ´Apfelstrudel` or the famous
´Sachertorte`.
And if you now still don’t know Austria I can say just “The Sound of Music” anymore. The
famous film tells the story about Austria while the National Socialism under the rule of Adolf
Hitler.
Austria
If you hear something about “Austria” maybe you think immediately about kangaroos and so
on. But that’s wrong! Austria is a little state in Europe. Its Federal capital is Vienna.
In Austria there live estimated 8 million people. The mother tongue of Austrians is German.
The education in Austria is quite good. You have to go to school 9 years long. Than you can
go working or you can go to school furthermore. Afterwards you are able to go to a university
and get a degree. About 74 % of Austrians are Roman Catholics. Almost 5 % are Protestants
and 12 % of the population doesn’t belong to any Church ore religious community. Austria is
famous for many things. For example for classic music. Very important classic musicians
were born in Austria. For example Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I think everybody knows him.
W. A. Mozart was born in Salzburg. It’s one of the nine Federal lands of Austria. The others
are Vienna, Upper and Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.
I’m sure you know something about Ludwig van Beethoven or Joseph Haydn too. They both
also were famous Austrian musicians. Austria is famous too for Yodeling and folk dancing.
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called
“juchazn”. Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler, Ländler, Polka, or
Waltz. A very important thing in Austria is winter sport. We have many quite good skiers like
Hermann Maier, Benjamin Reich or Michaela Dorfmeister. Skiing is so popular in Austria
because of the many mountains and ski resorts around. I’m sure you know the world famous
Swarovski crystals. The founder of this AG, Daniel Swarovski, was an Austrian too.
Do you know something about Niki Lauda? He was a popular Formula One race car driver
and now he is the boss of “Lauda Air”. It’s a Austrian air line. Wolfgang Puck also was born
in Austria. He is a famous cook and he owns many awesome restaurants around the world. A
very important person for Austria is Arnold Schwarzenegger. At first he was a popular
bodybuilder than he became U.S. citizen and now he is the governor of the U.S. state of
California. Austria is a very beautiful country with many lakes, mountains and famous sites.
The most important place in Austria is probably the castle “Schönbrunn”. One of the world’s
tallest cathedrals is the 136-meter-tall (446-foot-tall) Stephansdom in Vienna. Many tourists
come to see this cathedral or the many other beautiful castles in Austria. In Austria there are
many traditional dishes. Like the ´Wienerschnitzel`, the ´Apfelstrudel` or the famous
´Sachertorte`.
And if you now still don’t know Austria I can say just “The Sound of Music” anymore. The
famous film tells the story about Austria while the National Socialism under the rule of Adolf
Hitler.
Austria
Austria has a population of 8, 26 Million people and is has an area of 83.871 kilometers² (32,378
sq mi). It has nine federal states. Those are Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol (East Tyrol), Carinthia,
Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna, Styria and Burgenland. Most of Austrians area is forest.
Vienna is the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural center of the
country and developed its own regional cuisine. Some spezial meals are: Apfelstrudel
Kaiserschmarren Liptauer Powidl Sachertorte Wiener Schnitzel
Tyrol and Carinthia are known ski areas and Austria is also known for its very good skiers like:
Michaela Dorfmeister, alpine skier
Hansi Hinterseer (born 1954), Skier, Singer, Actor, Entertainer
Franz Klammer, Olympic alpine Ski Champion, Born in Mooswald (Carinthia), 1953
Hermann Maier, Olympic alpine Ski Champion, Born 1972
Annemarie Moser-Pröll, alpine Skier
Stephan Eberharter, Benjamin Raich, Mario Matt, Thomas Morgenstern, and so on….
The movie „The sound of music“ was made in Salzburg. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a famous
composer) lived in Salzburg. The year 2006 is also the “Years of Mozart”.
Austrias highest mountain is the “Großglockner”, he is close to Carinthia, Salzburg and Austria.
I’m sure that you’ve heard about Arnold Schwarzengger (the governor of California). He’s from
Styria.
Music is also very important to our culture.
During the 18th century, the classical-music era dominated European classical music, and the city
of Vienna was an especially important place for musical innovation. Three composers arose, making
lasting innovations: Ludwig von Beethoven's symphonic patterns, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
balance between melody and form, and Joseph Haydn's development of the string quartet and
sonata.
Yodelling
Yodelling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called juchazn and
featured the use of both no lexical syllables and yells that were used to communicate across
mountains.
At the end some other famous Austrians
Bertha von Suttner, writer and pacifist Nobel Peace Prize winner
Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef and restaurateur
Oskar Schindler, industrialist and famous WWII hero (saved his Jewish factory workers from
Auschwitz)
Georg Ritter von Trapp, head of The Sound of Music family
Simon Wiesenthal, 1908–2005, pre-eminent Nazi hunter
Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist, father of psychoanalysis
Paul Watzlawick, communication theory
Konrad Lorenz zoologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Gregor Mendel, pioneer of genetics
Dietrich Mateschitz, businessman behind the Red Bull brand
Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the "people's car"), born in
Austria-Hungary
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, automotive engineer and entrepreneur, he expanded the sports car
manufacturer Porsche AG to what it is now
Robert Schlumberger, entrepreneur
Frank Stronach, (born in Austria), entrepreneur
Daniel Swarovski, founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals
Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and writer (Seven Years in
Tibet)
Austria
Austria has a population of 8, 26 Million people and is has an area of 83.871 kilometers² (32,378
sq mi). It has nine federal states. Those are Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol (East Tyrol), Carinthia,
Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna, Styria and Burgenland.
Vienna is the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural center of the
country and developed its own regional cuisine. Some special meals are: Apfelstrudel
Kaiserschmarren Liptauer Powidl Sachertorte Wiener Schnitzel
A very importend thing in Austrians culture is music. So here is some information.
Vienna has long been an important center of musical innovation. Composers of the 18th and 19th
centuries were drawn to the city by the patronage of the Habsburgs, and made Vienna the
European capital of classical music. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johann
Strauss, Jr., among others, were associated with the city.
Classical music
During the 18th century, the classical-music era dominated European classical music, and the city
of Vienna was an especially important place for musical innovation. Three composers arose, making
lasting innovations: Ludwig von Beethoven's symphonic patterns, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
balance between melody and form, and Joseph Haydn's development of the string quartet and
sonata.
Yodeling
Yodeling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called juchazn and
featured the use of both nonlexical syllables and yells that were used to communicate across
mountains.
Austrian folk dancing
Austrian folk dancing is mostly associated with Schuhplattler, Landler, Polka, or Waltz.
Austria is also good at sports
Michaela Dorfmeister, alpine skier
Erich Eliskases (1913-1997), chess grandmaster
Toni Fritsch, soccer and football player who won the Super Bowl in 1972
Ernst Grünfeld (1893-1962), chess grandmaster
Ernst Happel (1925-1992), football player and coach.
Hansi Hinterseer (born 1954), skier, singer, actor, entertainer
Franz Klammer, Olympic alpine ski champion, born in Mooswald (Carinthia), 1953
Hans Krankl, football player and coach
Niki Lauda (born 1949), Formula One race car driver and aviation entrepreneur
Hermann Maier, Olympic alpine ski champion, born 1972
Annemarie Moser-Pröll, alpine skier
Thomas Muster, tennis champion, born 1967
Some other famous Austrians
Bertha von Suttner, writer and pacifist Nobel Peace Prize winner
Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef and restaurateur
Oskar Schindler, industrialist and famous WWII hero (saved his Jewish factory workers from
Auschwitz)
Georg Ritter von Trapp, head of The Sound of Music family
Simon Wiesenthal, 1908–2005, pre-eminent Nazi hunter
Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist, father of psychoanalysis
Paul Watzlawick, communication theory
Konrad Lorenz zoologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Gregor Mendel, pioneer of genetics
Dietrich Mateschitz, businessman behind the Red Bull brand
Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the "people's car"), born in
Austria-Hungary
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, automotive engineer and entrepreneur, he expanded the sports car
manufacturer Porsche AG to what it is now
Robert Schlumberger, entrepreneur
Frank Stronach, (born in Austria), entrepreneur
Daniel Swarovski, founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals
Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and writer (Seven Years in
Tibet)
Austria
Austria has a population of 8, 26 Million people and is has an area of 83.871 kilometers² (32,378
sq mi). It has nine federal states. Those are Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol (East Tyrol), Carinthia,
Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Vienna, Styria and Burgenland. Most of Austrians area is forest.
Vienna is the capital of Austria for more than a thousand years. It became the cultural center of the
country and developed its own regional cuisine. Some spezial meals are: Apfelstrudel
Kaiserschmarren Liptauer Powidl Sachertorte Wiener Schnitzel
Tyrol and Carinthia are known ski areas and Austria is also known for its very good skiers like:
Michaela Dorfmeister, alpine skier
Hansi Hinterseer (born 1954), Skier, Singer, Actor, Entertainer
Franz Klammer, Olympic alpine Ski Champion, Born in Mooswald (Carinthia), 1953
Hermann Maier, Olympic alpine Ski Champion, Born 1972
Annemarie Moser-Pröll, alpine Skier
Stephan Eberharter, Benjamin Raich, Mario Matt, Thomas Morgenstern, and so on….
The movie „The sound of music“ was made in Salzburg. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (a famous
composer) lived in Salzburg. The year 2006 is also the “Years of Mozart”.
Austrias highest mountain is the “Großglockner”, he is close to Carinthia, Salzburg and Austria.
I’m sure that you’ve heard about Arnold Schwarzengger (the governor of California). He’s from
Styria.
Music is also very important to our culture.
During the 18th century, the classical-music era dominated European classical music, and the city
of Vienna was an especially important place for musical innovation. Three composers arose, making
lasting innovations: Ludwig von Beethoven's symphonic patterns, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
balance between melody and form, and Joseph Haydn's development of the string quartet and
sonata.
Yodelling
Yodelling is a type of throat singing that developed in the Alps. In Austria, it was called juchazn and
featured the use of both no lexical syllables and yells that were used to communicate across
mountains.
At the end some other famous Austrians
Bertha von Suttner, writer and pacifist Nobel Peace Prize winner
Wolfgang Puck, celebrity chef and restaurateur
Oskar Schindler, industrialist and famous WWII hero (saved his Jewish factory workers from
Auschwitz)
Georg Ritter von Trapp, head of The Sound of Music family
Simon Wiesenthal, 1908–2005, pre-eminent Nazi hunter
Sigmund Freud, psychiatrist, father of psychoanalysis
Paul Watzlawick, communication theory
Konrad Lorenz zoologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Gregor Mendel, pioneer of genetics
Dietrich Mateschitz, businessman behind the Red Bull brand
Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, designed the Volkswagen (the "people's car"), born in
Austria-Hungary
Ferdinand Anton Ernst Porsche, automotive engineer and entrepreneur, he expanded the sports car
manufacturer Porsche AG to what it is now
Robert Schlumberger, entrepreneur
Frank Stronach, (born in Austria), entrepreneur
Daniel Swarovski, founder of Swarovski AG, world famous crystals
Heinrich Harrer, mountaineer (first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid) and writer (Seven Years in
Tibet)
Austria
Austria is a country located in the middle of Europe. It borders to Germany, Switzerland,
Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It has a size of 84,000 km², of
which most lies in the Alps. Austria has a cool, temperate climate with nice warm summers
and cold winters. Over 8 million people currently live in Austria, of which approximately 2
million live in the country’s capital Vienna. The country is a parliamentary representative
democracy, consisting of nine federal states: Vienna, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg,
Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Styria and Burgenland.
Although it is a very small country, Austria has a long history and a very rich culture. Many
people world wide know, for example, the Austrian musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
who is famous for his opera Don Giovanni and other concertos and symphonies or Joseph
Haydn, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt. Other important aspects of Austrian
culture are the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Boys Choir. As Austria is a
Catholic country, it has many official holidays throughout the year. These are celebrated with
special dishes, drinks and music. Food is a very important aspect of Austria. The country has
a great mixture of dishes from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Special are, dishes
which are named after a federal state or city, for example Wiener schnitzel (coming from
Vienna) or Kärntner Käsnudel (coming form Carinthia). A very famous Austrian speciality
and a great souvenir to take home are the Mozart chocolates.
Austria is also famous for its beautiful sites. Locations like the river Danube, the
Salzkammergut or famous institutions like the “Goldenes Dachl” in Innsbruck or the
“Getreidegasse” in Salzburg, where Mozart was born, are known all over the world. Very well
known is also the Viennese state opera, where for example the world wide known musical
“The Sound of Music” was performed. The Sound of Music is about an Austrian family living
in Salzburg before the Second World War.
But Austria is not only known for its famous cuisine or its very old and rich culture, but also
for important institutions in sport. As Austria is located in the Alps, it is quite natural that
skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and the like are widely spread. There are many
festivals connected with this, for example the Ski-Alpine world cup races, the ski-jumping
championships or the ice skating on our, in winter gloriously frozen lakes, where many
tourists from all over the world come to watch or take part in.
In many countries people speak about Austria. This is also because of our celebrities, like for
example Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was born and grew up near Graz and after winning the
world championship in body building, immigrated to the US where he also became a famous
actor and the governor of California.
The beautiful country of Austria has attractions for all kinds of people, the only thing that
some people might miss is the seaside, but we can make up for it with our many marvellous
lakes.