Vienna - "Something Old,
Something New"
Austria's capital, which combines
imperial tradition with modern creativity, has attained an important place on the world
marketplace of tourism. In 2001, Vienna's 1.6 million inhabitants welcomed 3.3 million
visitors, who spent 7.7 million nights in the city. Most of them were attracted by
Vienna's rich musical life and its art treasures. The largest percentage of visitors came
from outside of Austria (6.4 million overnight stays in 2001). Thus, Vienna now ranks high
among European cities as a tourist destination. Vienna also ranks among the first four
cities in the world as an international conference destination.
Vienna is not only the capital of
Austria, but also one of its nine federal states. St. Stephen's Cathedral, considered the
center of the city by its inhabitants, is located 16o 22' 27'' east of Greenwich at 48o
12' 32'' northern latitude, and 171 meters above sea level. The city spreads over 415
square kilometers and is divided into 23 districts; almost half of the city is covered by
parks - Vienna has more parks than any other European capital. There are not only
"city greens," such as the Stadtpark (with the most photographed object in the
city, the golden Johann Strauss monument), the woods and meadows of the Prater, the
spacious Schönbrunn Palace Park, but also the Vienna Woods, vineyards and farmland as
well as the expansive river banks of the legendary Danube. During summer, the temperature
rarely rises above 30o C, during the winter it hardly ever falls below - 5o C.
From Roman Camp to Capital of the
Republic
Vienna's history goes back to the first
century, when the Romans founded the military camp Vindobona. In 1137, the city of Vienna
was first mentioned in documents, and around 1155 the Dukes of Babenberg chose it as their
residence; from 1282 on, the Habsburgs reigned there for more than six centuries. Today's
cityscape is dominated by the Baroque, which for the main part originated during the reign
of Empress Maria Theresia. Emperor Franz Joseph I also put his imprint on the city when he
leveled the city walls in 1857 and saw to it that the splendid Ringstrasse boulevard was
built. After 68 years as emperor, he died during World War I, and in 1918 Vienna became
the capital of the Republic of Austria. After the so-called "Anschluss" of
Austria to Hitler's Germany, Vienna was designated a "Reichsgau" (an
administrative district of the Third Reich during the Nazi period) in 1938; after 1945, it
once again became the capital of the republic. Since 1967, the city has been one of only
three United Nations cities (in addition to New York and Geneva) and in 1995 it became one
of 15 capitals of the European Union.
Imperial Romance and World-Class Art
Tourists are eager to visit Vienna
because of the city's exciting combination of the royal-imperial flair of the past with
the latest trends, the responsible cultivation of a precious heritage and charming
traditions. The Habsburg architecture is a suitable setting for this image: magnificent
buildings dating back to the baroque, to historicism (the so-called "Ringstrassen
Style") and to art nouveau as well as the opulent lay-out of the city make one forget
that this is the capital of the small Republic of Austria with only 8 million inhabitants.
- In Vienna, one still revels in the romantic center of a long-lost empire.
But much more than old buildings turn Vienna into a city of beauty: one also finds
excellent museums, fine art collections and world-renowned works of art in the city. The
Museum of Fine Arts offers the world's largest collection of paintings by Bruegel, many
works by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele are exhibited in the Austrian Gallery at Belvedere
and in the Leopold-Museum in the new Museumsquartier.
Since 2001, Vienna offers this new cultural attraction of international standing: the
MuseumsQuartier Wien in the center of the city, next to two renowned museums. Covering
45,000 square meters it is an architecturally fascinating combination of a baroque
building (the former Imperial Stables) with future-oriented design of the architects
Ortner&Ortner. With 60,000 square meters usable floor space on eight different levels,
it is one of the ten largest cultural centers in the world, offering a unique combination
of events. Among the highlights are the already mentioned Leopold Museum with the largest
collection of Schiele paintings in the world and works of such renowned modern Austrian
artists as Klimt, Kokoschka and Gerst, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tobacco Museum, the
Vienna Architecture Center, and the Kunsthalle Wien). Two festival halls (with 1,000
respectively 300 seats) are used by such prominent institutions as the Vienna Festival,
the International Dance Weeks and the film festival Viennale. The Children's Museum, an
Information Center for youngsters and a number of attractive restaurants, cafés and shops
complement the rich array of cultural events.
City of Music with Lifestyles from
Gemütlich to Trendy
The high value placed on art in Vienna
traditionally fostered creativity by its citizens, and attracted artists from other
countries. Vienna boasts 50 theaters, including three opera houses and two theaters
staging musicals, 100 museums, as well as renowned drama, music and dance festivals. In
addition, outstanding exhibitions are shown all year long. This means that an
extraordinarily rich cultural program is available throughout the year, which makes Vienna
one of the leading cultural centers of Europe. This eminence is fostered by a pleasant
interaction between skilled cultural managers and comparatively high subsidies for leisure
and culture.
Vienna, as a city of music, enjoys a paramount reputation around the world. No other city
has been home to so many composers of international renown: some, such as Schubert,
Strauss, Schoenberg and Berg were born there, others, such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
Brahms and Mahler chose to live there. The Wiener Philharmoniker is one of the world's
best orchestras, and the Vienna Symphony and several other orchestras and groups are not
far behind. The Vienna State Opera is one of the finest opera houses anywhere, and the
city is home to two additional opera houses. The Vienna Boys' Choir enchants music lovers
around the world. In addition to classical music, Vienna has also made its mark as a city
of musicals, and recent successes in electronic music show that avant-garde music is also
taken seriously in Vienna. A very special way to enjoy music is presented at the House of
Music - a unique high-tech adventure journey into the phenomenon of music - where sounds
will become visible, organ pipes may be walked on and visitors can be turned into virtual
conductors or composers, all on an area of 2000 square meters.
Lifestyle: Royal-Imperial Nostalgia and
New Trends
This juxtaposition of such traditional
gems as coffeehouses and Heurigen, which demonstrate Vienna's ability to enjoy life in a
relaxed atmosphere, and ultra-modern events such as the Life Ball and the Festival for
Electronic Music, conveys a lifestyle that is attractive to the modern tourist: an array
from which he or she may choose according to his or her mood, a choice between relaxation
and serenity or action and stimulation.
Around the Naschmarkt, Vienna's multi-national fruit and vegetable market - every
Saturday, a Flea Market next to it adds a special flair - an extraordinarily diverse
gastronomic scene has developed over the past years. Mariahilfer Strasse - the direct link
between the historic old city and Vienna's most popular sightseeing attraction,
Schönbrunn Palace - has been transformed into an attractive Shopping Mile since the
completion of the Underground line U 3. During the summer, Viennese and tourists alike
visit not only the Prater with its Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), but also the Copa
Cagrana on Danube Island - which boasts Europe's largest open-air party. And the Heurigen
regions on the hillsides of the Vienna Woods invite one and all to seriously
"study" Vienna and its wines …
Service: From the Vienna Card to New
Tourist Information
The Vienna Tourist Board is happy to be
of service to Vienna's many visitors: city maps, hotel and museum lists, monthly listings
of events, gastronomic tips and other information in many languages and also hotel rooms
can be ordered at the service-tel.: 0043-1-24 555 or at info@wien.info . This website also
offers an extensive calendar of events and many useful hints for a sojourn in Vienna.
The Vienna Card, at 16,90 Euro, permits not only unlimited travel for 72 hours on Vienna's
transportation system, but many additional advantages for a duration of four days. It is
available at travel agencies, tourist information centers and almost every hotel. Holders
of the Vienna Card can make use of to 170 discounts, from museum admission fees to
wonderful shops.
The central Tourist Information of the Vienna Tourist Board is located just behind the
Vienna State Opera on Albertinaplatz/corner Maysedergasse. In addition to general
information and assistance in obtaining hotel accommodations, this information office also
offers entrance tickets, guided city tours and money exchange, daily from 9:00 a.m. to
7:00 p.m.
A good year after all: 2001
For Vienna's tourism the year 2001 was
nearly as successful as 2000, the best yet: Vienna could boast of 7.7 million overnight
stays and 3.3 million arrivals and only had to take a minimal drawback of 0,2% into
account. Most overnight stays in hotels were produced by visitors from Germany (nearly
22%), Austria (17 %), the U.S. (more than 8%), Italy (over 8%), Great Britain (5%), Japan
(nearly 5 %), Spain (about 4%), Switzerland (over 3%), France (nearly 3%), GUS (more than
2%). Vienna offers around 37,000 hotel beds, more than half of them in the four-star
category; the average length of stay of visitors to Vienna was 2.4 nights.
