TIPS AND INFORMATION ABOUT VIENNA
General
Vienna is the capital of Austria and also one of the nine States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city; with a population of about 1.6 million (2.2 million within the metro area), Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political centre.
Situated on both sides of the River Danube, and only 60 kilometers off Austria's Eastern
border, Vienna lies in the South East corner of Central Europe and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
The city itself is composed of 23 districts (Bezirke), which, although they all have their own names, are numbered for the sake of convenience. Legally, they are not districts in the sense
of administrative bodies with explicit powers (such as the districts in the other Austrian states), but mere subdivisions of the city administration. However, there are elections on the district level, which gives the representatives of the districts some political clout (e.g. in matters of planning, traffic etc.).
The heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt (Inner City), was once surrounded by walls and open fields (in order to deny cover to potential attackers). The walls were razed in1857, making it possible for the actual city to expand and eventually merge with the surrounding villages.
In their place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstraße was built. Along the Ringstraße were imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks. These buildings include the Rathaus (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University, the Parliament, and the State Opera,
which was burned in 1945 and reopened in 1955. It is also the location of theHofburg, the former imperial palace.
The mainly Gothic Saint Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) is located in the centre of the 1st district. Beyond the Ringstraße was another wall called the Linienwall, which was torn down in the second part of the 19th century to make room for expanding suburbs. It is now a street called Gürtel (belt).
Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is not situated at the Danube, but at the Donaukanal (Danube Canal). Vienna's second and twentieth districts are located in between the canal and the Danube River.
Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the International Center.
Vienna is famous for its many parks. Many of these parks include monuments, such as the Stadtpark and Belvedere Park with its baroque-style castle where the State Treaty was signed. The principal park of Vienna is the Prater, which is situated on an island formed by the Danube River and the canal. Schönbrunn, the beautiful Imperial Summer Palace, includes an 18th century park and the world's oldest zoo (1752).
Politics:
Vienna is today considered the centre of social democracy in Austria. In memory of the First Republic (1918-1934), the name “Red Vienna” is also used. Since the end of World War I, the city has mostly been governed by a social democratic party with absolute majority. Current mayor of Vienna is Michael Häupl.
Before the World Wars, Viennese politics were shaped by the Christian Sozial Party, in particular long-term mayor Karl Lueger. An example of the city’s many social democratic policies is its low-cost residential estates called “Gemeindebauten”.
Ever since Vienna obtained federal state (Bundesland) status of its own in 1921, the mayor has also had the role of the state governor (Landeshauptmann). The city hall accommodates the offices of the mayor and the state government (Landesregierung). The city is administered by a multitude of departments (Magistratsabteilungen).
Religions:
Vienna is the seat of the Viennese Roman Catholic archdiocese, and its acting Archbishop is Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. The religions of the Viennese resident population is divided according to the 2001 census as follows:
- Roman Catholic 49.2 %
- No Religion 25.6 %
- Muslim 7.8 %
- Orthodox 6.0 %
- Protestant (mostly Lutheran) 4.7 %
- Jewish 0.4 %
- Other or none indicated 6.3 %