Parlament at night
Introducing Viennas
City of History
Vienna was the capital of the mighty
Austro-Hungarian Empire, which once
spread until the western frontier of
Romania. The city has also been part of
the Roman Republic (Vindobona) and in
this city is where the final battle between
the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman
Empire. Some of the Habsburg palaces
and other remarkable buildings still exist
up to this day.
City of Contrast
Vienna is one of the very few cities, which
can incorporate the past and present as
well as urban and green spaces well. The
west of the city is well surrounded by the
woods of the Wienerwald, whereas in the
east of the city there is the Nationalpark
Donau-Auen, one of the biggest remaining
floodplains in Europe that has been a
protected green area since 1978. Many
baroque buildings can be found in the city
center. One particular building, the Haas
Haus, stands out above the rest as it was
built in postmodernist style. In front of it
stands the Stephansdom, Vienna’s main
gothic cathedral.
Nature and Being Green
The people of Vienna are very considerate
when it comes to protecting green spaces
in the city. Especially when the Green
Party (Die Grünen) has attracted more
people in the upcoming national elections,
some significant actions might be done.
Recent events such as making parts of
Mariahilfer Straße a pedestrian zone and
higher the cost of Parkscheine (used for
short-term parking) urge people to stop
using their cars and rely on public
transport. There are also more than 800
parks scattered around the 23 districts in
Vienna. Approximately 200 km2 of Vienna
are green areas.
Arts and Music
Austria, and the city of Vienna in
particular, are often referred to its history
and past – famous classical musicians
such as Mozart and Beethoven used to
have concerts in this city. It was as well
home to artists such as Klimt and
Kokoschka.