Beginner's Guide to Austria

Innsbruck

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Innsbruck is located in the Inn valley, which has always been a favored location because of its importance in transportation. It was even a crucial military route for the Roman Empire in the North, and they built a fortified stop in Innsbruck. The actual name “Innsbruck” (which means “Bridge over the River Inn”) was not mentioned until 1187 however.

Even in the 15th century, Innsbruck was the center of culture, finance and administration for the emperor. At that time, the Goldene Dachl was erected, and in the 1600s the Triumph Gate was built – foretelling even then that the city’s future would be filled with architecture that would call around the world for admirers. Other famous sites in Innsbruck include the Golden Roof, Schloss Ambras, Glockenmuseum Grassmayr, Imperial Palace, and St. Anna’s Column.

However, its historic structures are still probably not what make Innsbruck as famous as it is in circles of average people around the world. That honor belongs to its seemingly perfect location in the Alps, which makes it an international center for skiing and snowboarding. Innsbruck has even hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice.

Linz

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Once again, a city in Austria was greatly affected by the expansion of the Roman Empire to the North. The little city of Linz, originally named Lentia, was the home of a small castle and a fortified military settlement. Linz began to become even more important in 799 when the Bavarians moved Southward. Finally, in the 15th century, Linz grew to be so significant as a source of income for the government (because of trade fees) that it became like a capital, though it was still overshadowed as a residence by the important Vienna.

One of Linz’s biggest contributions to its country in the 17th century was the building of its wool fabrication plant which not only gave work to 50,000 people but also made Linz Austria’s primary textile producer and trade center. Even through the Industrialization, Linz continued to grow and prosper. And in 1966, it molded into what is now a university city, while it is still well-known for industry. It is home to about 200,000 people and is one of Austria’s largest cities.

Bregenz

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Nearly surrounded by Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and other Austrian cities, Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg and was a military trade base in Roman times – though it was then called Brigantinum. Even in years after that, Bregenz grew larger and more important because of the traffic that it gave way to each year, especially when railroad and steamship connections were built there.

Bregenz is now home to about 27, 000 people and always filled with many tourists (usually over 230,000!) because of its location by the Bodensee and the Alps. The city makes most of its money, however, through small businesses. Because of the rich history of the city, it is filled with landmarks and original architecture from many years ago: the oldest buildings you may find in Bregenz are from the 13th century! The primary landmark of Bregenz is the Martin’s Tower, while there are also other impressive buildings.

Austria - Overview and History

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Austria has a long political, religious, and economic history that dates back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire and is still continuing to be shaped. The territory that is now Austria has been ruled over time by a long line of different conquerors; however, in 1919, it officially became the “Republic of Austria” and then regained its freedom in 1955 from the Soviet Union. Finally, it became part of the European Union in 1995. This move has not only made a difference politically; it has also affected Austria’s economic status. Now that it is not entirely reliant on Germany for its financial growth, Austria’s economy has grown stronger.

The political structure of Austria now looks something like this – There is a President who is head of state and a Chancellor who is chairman of the government. Parliament is divided into two chambers, the upper - Bundesrat, and the lower – Nationalrat. One of Austria’s key features is that it is a neutral country which affects the way it does foreign policy. However, in addition to its neutral status, Austria does try to maintain a strong support system and bridge-way for communication for eastern and western countries.

Most of the 8.1 million citizens of Austria are German-speaking. However, because of the many other countries surrounding Austria, there is also much variety in the people of the country, their descents, etc. Even the plethora of religions in the state, which vary from the Eastern Orthodox Church to Buddhists, reflects this diversity. It is evident from the diversity among the people who can be found in Austria in addition to the way that the country attempts to assist other countries in their communication and trade that Austria is not concerned merely with itself but also with the peace and prosperity of other European nations.

The History of Austria

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The history of Austria really begins amidst the reign of the Holy Roman Empire. The area that is now Austria used to be known as Noricum, a Celtic kingdom occupied by Rome. It went through a series of conquerors until it finally ended up back in the hands of the Roman Empire and stayed there until the end of the Empire.

The Empire of Austria was officially founded in 1805, but it changed into Austria-Hungary in 1867. By 1918, it had split into several independent states following World War 1. At this time it was officially referred to as the Republic of German Austria; however, it was changed in 1919 to “Republic of Austria.”

In 1938, Austria became part of Germany under Nazi rule and remained in that state until the end of World War II. The Allies stayed in Austria after the war until 1955, at which time the country signed the Austrian State Treaty, became an independent republic which would remain neutral, and joined the UN. In 1995, Austria joined the European Union, of which it is still a part.

Austria's Politics

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According to its Federal Constitution of 1920, Austria is a federal, parliamentarian and democratic republic. The head of state, the Federal President, is elected by the people. The Federal Chancellor (who acts as the chairman of the government) is appointed by the president. However, any government person can be removed from his or her position in office by one of two methods: the president can decree it so, or the lower chamber of parliament (the Nationalrat) can vote it so.

Austria’s parliament consists of the Nationalrat (the lower chamber) and the Bundesrat (the higher chamber). The Nationalrat is the dominant chamber and is composed of 183 seats that are filled by a vote of every Austrian citizen who wishes to participate in the free election. In order to reform or amend the constitution, the Nationalrat must receive a two-thirds vote for the proposal. The Bundesrat does, however, have limited veto ability – its primary source of power.

Austria's Foreign Relations

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In 1955, Austria declared its neutrality, that it would not join any military alliance or allow any foreign military bases to establish themselves in Austria. However, the country’s interpretation of the definition of neutrality has been shaping itself since that time. Within the last fifteen years, Austria has granted overflight rights for UN-sanctioned war efforts and has considered participating in the European Union’s security structure. It also joined the Partnership for Peace and was a part of Bosnian peace missions. However, amidst their involvement, leaders agree that Austria’s neutrality is the basis of its foreign policy.

Austria feels that it plays a unique part in the East-West as a peace-keeper and mediator between countries. It has been active in helping to increase contact with Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union states as well as maintaining interaction between leaders, students, tourists and other people of the East and the West. In addition to all of this, Austria attempts to provide assistance and support for positive growth and progress happening in surrounding countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe.

Austrian Economy

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Austrians have a high standard of living, and this is mostly due to their well-developed economy. Previous to the 1980s, all major industries in Austria were owned by the government; however, recent years have allowed the development of private holdings which has helped to strengthen the economy even further. Labor movements are also very strong in Austria.

Historically, Germany had been Austria’s primary trading partner; however, this caused any slow economic growth in Germany and any rapid changes in German rates to affect Austria. However, since Austria’s entrance into the European Union, its economic dependence on Germany has been lessoned, and its ability to benefit from foreign investors has helped it to grow.

The Demographics of Austria

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Austria, located in the midst of many other Central and European countries, has a diverse citizenship that reflects this placement. As of 2005, the population in Austria was estimated at over 8.1 million people with the capital – Vienna – housing about 1.6 million of them. However, all other cities have less than a million with most populations claiming less than 100,000.

Most of these inhabitants speak Austrian German (which has a few differences from the language spoken in Germany) as their first language (about 91% of the population). The rest are from a non-Austrian descent (Hungarians and Croatians are a couple of examples.) but still usually speak German – the country’s official language.

Religions in Austria

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The Kingdom of Austria, along with Bavaria, was the home of the Counter-Reformation that took place in the 1500s and 1600s while the Protestant Reformation was going on in Germany. The Austrian monarchy at the time saw itself as a warrior fighting to maintain Roman Catholicism and so oppressed any other religion. However, in 1781, the Patent of Tolerance was issued, allowing limited freedom for Christians; and in 1867 religious freedom became a constitutional right. By that time, Austria was home to many religions including Roman Catholicism (which was still the dominant religion), Bulgarian Orthodox Christians, Mormons, Muslims, and more.

By 1918, Catholicism was being treated as something like a state religion; and by the end of the 1900s, 73% of Austrians were registered as Roman Catholic and about 5% Protestant. For many years now, these numbers have been on decline. About 12% of Austrians now claim no religious community, while the remaining population are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or of other beliefs. Interestingly, a recent survey demonstrated that Austria is one of the countries with the strongest belief in God; in fact 84% of Austrians claim this belief.