Austria

Austria or the Republic of Austria is a country situated in the Central Europe. Its capital city is Vienna. Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are the neighboring Countriesof Austria. The country covering an area of 83,871 square kilometers with a population of 8,292,322 people is a land of variety. Arts and science, music, literature, tourism, cuisine, architecture are the major assets of this Central European nation.

Official Languages:

Connectivity with Countries like Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Czech Republic, etc have played a major role in the diversification of languages in Austria. German is the official language in Austria but apart from German other languages that the Austrian people speak in are Slovene, Croatian Hungarian, Bavarian, Romanian, Alemannisch and Walser. However education in schools and colleges are provided in German language.

Independence, Republic and Government:

Two dates are significant in the history and independence of the republic of Austria. It was on July 27, 1955 when the Austrian State Treaty with Soviet Russia came into force and the country declared its neutrality on October 26, 1955 and joined the European Union in the same year. The country has a parliamentary representative democracy and consists of nine federal states. Austria is one of the few European nations that includes the concept of everlasting neutrality. Austria has a federal constitution and a federal government. The head of the state is called the Federal President and the chairman of the federal government is called the Federal Chancellor who is appointed by the Federal President. The Parliament of Austria is situated in the capital city Vienna. The Parliament of Austria consists of two chambers. General citizens determine thecomposition of the Nationalrat once in every four years through general election. The Nationalrat dominates the former of legislation in Austria and the Bundesrat is the upper house of the Parliament. At present a coalition government formed by the People's Party and Social Democrats in January is ruling Austria with Social Democrat Alfred Gusenbauer as the Federal Chancellor. The other major political parties of Austria are the Freedom Party, The Greens, and Liberal Forum.

The federal republic of Austria comprises nine states which are again divided in cities and districts and the districts are again subdivided into municipalities. Vienna, Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Voralberg are the nine states of Austria and the major cities are:

• Graz
• Innsbruck
• Klagenfurt
• Linz
• Salzburg
• Sankt Potten
• Villach
• Wels
• Wien
• Bregenz

• Graz: Graz is a county located in the south-east corner of Austria and the capital of Styria. Graz is surrounded by rolling hills in north east and west. Today with a population of around 2,30,000 people Graz is the second largest city in Austria.

• Innsbruck: Innsbruck located in the Alps has a population of 1,50,000 people and is a popular destination for winter sports like snowboarding. Innsbruck was the host of Olympic Winter Games in two occasions.

• Linz: Linz is one of the largest cities in Austria and has an industry-based economy. At present the city is home to around 2,00,000 people. Linz is also famous for the annual Bruckner Festival.

• Bregenz: With an approximate population of 27,097 people Bregenz is a popular tourist destination . Every year around 2,34,000 people visits Bregenz. The economy of Bregenz is mainly dependent on textile and other small industries.

Culture and Heritage:

Austria has a rich culture for music painting and literature. The country has been the home for world famous composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr, Johann Strauss Sr, Jonhannes Brahms and Falco, novelists like Franz Grillparzer, Ferdinand Raimund, Johann Nestroy, Arthur Schnitzler, Felix salten, Robert Musil, Joseph Roth and painters like Gustav Klint, Oscar Kokoschka, Egon Cshiele, Friedensreich Hunderwasser. Use of several languages have made the literature of Australia rich. The country has also got a rich film culture. Austria produced many world-class films in the silent movie era. Part from these architecture, education, folk dancing, diversified cuisine, different cultural festivals sports, exhibitions etc are the important aspects of the Austrian culture. Various castles, palaces and gardens, cultural landscapes, museums, art galleries make a rich heritage for Austria. Major heritages of Austria are Festung Hohensalburg castle, Burg Falkenstein castle, Reigersburg castle, palace and gardens of Schonbrunn and Semmering Railway.

Tourism

Tourism dominates the economy of Austria. The wonderful geographical location of Austria in the Alps attract tourist from all over the world to the Central European country. Cities like Salsburg, Graz, Vienna, Bregenz are the major tourist destinations in Austria. Salzburg is known as the “Rome of North” for numerous churches. Other major tourist attractions of the country are the Hohe Tauern National Park, the Museum of the Future (Ars Electronica), Linz, Eisriesenwelt caves,the Benedictine Abbey in Admount, The Swarovski Kristallwelten Visitor Centre, the Archaeological Museum, Carnuntinum, Gurk Cathedral,and the Grossglockner Alpine Road. The Gurk Cathedral was founded in the 11the century and is known as the most outstanding specimen of Romanesque architecture of Austria. The Benedictine Abbey is a popular cultural and artistic center and a famous baroque museum. Apart from these, wonderful landscapes in the Alps, winter sports, several museums, art galleries, the heritage sites like the castles, palace and gardens, the Semmering Railway, the Viennese cuisine, cultural festivals, electronic fairs, etc are major factors that attract large number of tourists to Austria every year. World-class hospitality services are provided by the numerous hotels and restaurants in Austria.

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