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Multiple popular songs have been written about Vienna, such as Vienna by Billy Joel, Vienna by Ultravox, and Vienna Calling by Falco. The Vienna's English Theatre (VET) is an English theater in Vienna.
- Austria
- Vienna
Mar 27, 2024 · Blake Ehrlich. Author of Paris on the Seine; London on the Thames. Blake Ehrlich, Lutz Holzner. Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Lutz Holzner, Roland John Hill. Former London Correspondent, Die Presse ( Vienna) and Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart, West Germany. Roland John Hill. Fact-checked by.
Feb 25, 2021 · Additional rivers of size include the Drau, Enns, Inn, Mur, Raab and Traun. Dozens and dozens of lakes run amidst the mountain ranges, especially in the south and to the immediate east of Salzburg. The largest in the county is Lake Neusiedler. At 115.45 m (378.8 ft), Lake Neusiedl hosts the lowest point in Austria.
- Vienna
- Republic of Austria
- 82,445.00 km 2
- 83,871.00 km 2
- Overview
- Land
- Relief
- Drainage
Austria, largely mountainous landlocked country of south-central Europe. Together with Switzerland, it forms what has been characterized as the neutral core of Europe, notwithstanding Austria’s full membership since 1995 in the supranational European Union (EU).
A great part of Austria’s prominence can be attributed to its geographic position. It is at the centre of European traffic between east and west along the great Danubian trade route and between north and south through the magnificent Alpine passes, thus embedding the country within a variety of political and economic systems. In the decades following the collapse in 1918 of Austria-Hungary, the multinational empire of which it had been the heart, this small country experienced more than a quarter century of social and economic turbulence and a Nazi dictatorship. Yet the establishment of permanent neutrality in 1955, associated with the withdrawal of the Allied troops that had occupied the country since the end of World War II, enabled Austria to develop into a stable and socially progressive nation with a flourishing cultural life reminiscent of its earlier days of international musical glory. Its social and economic institutions too have been characterized by new forms and a spirit of cooperation, and, although political and social problems remain, they have not erupted with the intensity evidenced in other countries of the Continent. The capital of Austria is historic Vienna (Wien), the former seat of the Holy Roman Empire and a city renowned for its architecture.
Austria is bordered to the north by the Czech Republic, to the northeast by Slovakia, to the east by Hungary, to the south by Slovenia, to the southwest by Italy, to the west by Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and to the northwest by Germany. It extends roughly 360 miles (580 km) from east to west.
Mountains and forests give the Austrian landscape its character, although in the northeastern part of the country the Danube River winds between the eastern edge of the Alps and the hills of Bohemia and Moravia in its journey toward the Alföld, or Hungarian Plain. Vienna lies in the area where the Danube emerges from between the mountains into the drier plains.
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The Austrian Alps form the physical backbone of the country. They may be subdivided into a northern and a southern limestone range, each of which is composed of rugged mountains. These two ranges are separated by a central range that is softer in form and outline and composed of crystalline rocks. The Alpine landscape offers a complex geologic and topographical pattern, with the highest elevation—the Grossglockner (12,460 feet [3,798 metres])—rising toward the west. The western Austrian Länder (states) of Vorarlberg, Tirol, and Salzburg are characterized by the majestic mountains and magnificent scenery of the high Alps. This high Alpine character also extends to the western part of the state of Kärnten (Carinthia), to the Salzkammergut region of central Austria, and to the Alpine blocks of the state of Steiermark (Styria).
North of the massive Alpine spur lies a hilly subalpine region, stretching between the northern Alps and the Danube and encompassing the northern portion of the state of Oberösterreich (Upper Austria). To the north of the river is a richly wooded foothill area that includes a portion of the Bohemian Massif, which extends across the Czech border into the state of Niederösterreich (Lower Austria). This part of Austria is furrowed by many valleys that for centuries served as passageways leading to the east and southeast of Europe and even—in the case of medieval pilgrims and Crusaders—to the Holy Land. The lowland area east of Vienna, together with the northern part of the state of Burgenland, may be regarded as a western extension of the Little Alföld (Little Hungarian Plain).
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Austria is a land of lakes, many of them a legacy of the Pleistocene Epoch (i.e., about 2,600,000 to about 11,700 years ago), during which glacial erosion scooped out mountain lakes in the central Alpine district, notably around the Salzkammergut. The largest lakes—lying partly in the territory of neighbouring countries—are Lake Constance (Bodensee) in the west and the marshy Neusiedler Lake (Neusiedlersee) in the east.
Nearly all Austrian territory drains into the Danube River system. The main watershed between the Black Sea and the North Sea runs across northern Austria, in some places lying only about 22 miles (35 km) from the Danube, while to the west the watershed between the Danube and the river systems emptying into the Atlantic and the Mediterranean coincides with the western political boundary of Austria. In the south the Julian and Carnic (Karnische) Alps and, farther to the west, the main Alpine range mark the watershed of the region draining into the Po River of northern Italy.
To get an idea of connections and frequencies check these key train journeys to and from Vienna, as well as flights to and from Vienna within Europe. As modern highways connect most nearby cities many travellers opt for a day excursion by car, for example to Salzburg, Bratislava and even Budapest.
- Where Is Vienna Austria on The Map?Latitude and Longitude of Vienna 16° 21′ O, 48° 13′ NSee Vienna’s geographical location on this map. It includes most of Austria’s neighbouring cou...
- Where Is Vienna Austria Compared to Nearby Cities?Where is Vienna Austria? Orientate yourself with this list of selected nearby cities and other major European destinations. Many of them are among...
- Where in Austria to Travel from Vienna?Other than Vienna and Salzburg, Austria remains largely unknown for many culture travellers. Native Austrians like me have it easy to find the best...
Karl Renner and Adolf Schärf (Socialist Party of Austria [Social Democrats and Revolutionary Socialists]), Leopold Kunschak (Austria's People's Party [former Christian Social People's Party]), and Johann Koplenig (Communist Party of Austria) declared Austria's secession from the Third Reich by the Declaration of Independence on 27 April 1945 ...
[2] History. Vienna in 1858. Founded around 500 B.C.E., Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. The name “ Wien” derived from the Celtic "Vedunia" for “river in the woods.” In 15 B.C.E., Vienna became a Roman frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.
