Austria is an amazing country that amazes with its unique mountain landscapes. It is here that tourists from all over the world come to enjoy skiing. Austria has a high standard of living, comfortable resorts and gastronomic delicacies. In this country, you can relax your body and soul. Next, we suggest reading more interesting and surprising facts about Austria.
1. The name Austria comes from the ancient German word “Ostarrichi” and translates as “eastern country”. For the first time this name was mentioned back in 996 BC
2. The oldest city in Austria is Litz, which was founded in 15 BC
3. It is the Austrian flag that is the oldest state flag in the world, which originated in 1191.
4. The capital of Austria – Vienna, according to numerous studies, is considered the best place to live.
5. The music for the Austrian national anthem was taken from Mozart’s Masonic Cantata.
6. Since 2011, the Austrian anthem has changed a bit, and if earlier there was a line “You are the birthplace of great sons”, now the words “and daughters” have been added to this line, which confirms the equality of men and women.
7. Austria is the only EU member state that is not at the same time a member of NATO.
8. Austrians categorically do not support the policy of the European Union, and only two out of five Austrians support it.
9. In 1954, Austria joined the UN international organization.
10. More than 90% of Austrians speak German, which is the official language in Austria. But
Hungarian, Croatian and Slovenian also have official language status in the regions of Burgenland and Carinthia.
11. The most common names in Austria are Julia, Lukas, Sarah, Daniel, Lisa and Michael.
12. Most of the population of Austria (75%) profess Catholicism and are adherents of the Roman Catholic Church.
13. The population of Austria is quite small and amounts to 8.5 million people, of which a whole quarter lives in Vienna, and the area of this amazing mountainous country covers 83.9 thousand km2.
14. It will take less than half a day to drive the whole of Austria from east to west by car.
15. 62% of Austria’s area is occupied by the majestic and bewitching Alps, of which the Grossglockner mountain, reaching 3798 m, is considered the highest point in the country.
16. Austria is a real ski resort, therefore it is not surprising that it ranks 3rd in the world in terms of the number of lifts, of which there are 3527 here.
17. Austrian mountaineer Harry Egger set a world skiing speed record of 248 km/h.
18. Hochgurl, an Austrian village, is considered to be the settlement that is located at the highest altitude in Europe – 2150 meters.
19. The most famous natural attraction in Austria is considered to be the enchanting beauty of Lake Neusiedl, which is the largest natural lake in the country and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
20. A favorite place for divers in Austria is Lake Gruner, surrounded by mountains on all sides, the depth of which is only 2 meters. But when the thaw comes, its depth reaches 12 meters, flooding the nearby park, and then divers dive into the Gruner to swim near the benches, trees and lawns.
21. It is in Austria that you can visit the highest waterfall in Europe – Krimml, whose height reaches 380 meters.
22. Due to the similarity of names, tourists often confuse this European country with the whole mainland – Australia, so the locals came up with a funny slogan for Austria: “There are no kangaroos here”, which is often used on road signs and souvenirs.
23. In Austria, there is the largest European cemetery, founded in 1874 in Vienna, which looks like a real green park where you can relax, make a date and get some fresh air. More than 3 million people were buried in this Central Cemetery, the most famous of which are Schubert, Beethoven, Strauss, Brahms.
24. Such famous composers of classical music as Schubert, Bruckner, Mozart, Liszt, Strauss, Mahler and many others were born in Austria, so music festivals and competitions are constantly held here to perpetuate their names, which attract music lovers from all over the world.
25. The world famous Jewish psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud was also born in Austria.
26. The homeland of the most famous “terminator”, Hollywood actor and governor of sultry California Arnold Schwarzenegger is Austria.
27. Austria is the birthplace of another world celebrity, Adolf Hitler, who was born in the small town of Braunau am Inn, which is also famous for the fact that it is here that the events of the first volume of Leo Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace take place.
; p>28. A man named Adam Rainer was born and died in Austria, who was both a dwarf and a giant, because at 21 his height was only 118 cm, but when he died at the age of 51, his height was already 234 cm.; /p>
29. Austria is one of the most musical countries in the world, where composers from all over Europe began to gather in the 18th-19th centuries for the patronage of the Habsburgs, and there is still no theater or concert hall in the whole world that could compare in beauty and grandeur. with the Vienna Philharmonic or the State Opera.
30. Austria is the birthplace of Mozart, so he is everywhere in this country. Sweets are named after him, in museums and at exhibitions at least one room is dedicated to the outstanding composer, and men dressed in his uniform stand near theaters and concert halls, inviting to the performance.
31. It was at the Vienna State Opera that Placido Domingo received the longest applause, which lasted more than an hour, and in gratitude for which this opera singer bowed about a hundred times.
32. Music lovers can visit the Vienna Opera for next to nothing with a standing ticket for just 5 euros.
33. Residents of Austria are very fond of their museums and often go to them, once a year in this amazing country comes the Night of Museums, when you can buy a ticket for 12 euros and visit all the museums that open their doors to tourists and residents of the city.
34. In each region of Austria, you can purchase a seasonal card valid from May to October, which costs 40 euros and allows you to ride the cable car and visit any museums and pools once per season.
35. In the capital of Austria, there is one public toilet, where gentle and lyrical classical music constantly plays.
36. To tickle the nerves, tourists visit the Vienna Paleontological Museum, which is located in a former psychiatric hospital, where you can see the most terrible exhibits in the world.
37. Austria is home to the very first zoo in the world – Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which was founded in the country’s capital back in 1752.
38. In Austria, you can ride the oldest Ferris wheel in the world, which is located in the Prater amusement park and which was built back in the 19th century.
39. Austria is home to the world’s first official Haslauer hotel, which was opened in 803 and still operates successfully.
40. The most famous landmark in Austria, which every tourist should visit, is Schönburnn Palace, consisting of 1440 luxurious rooms, which was previously the residence of the Habsburgs.
41. In the Hofburg Palace, which is located in Vienna, there is an imperial treasury, where the largest emerald in the whole world is stored, the value of which reaches 2860 carats.
42. In the Austrian town of Innsbruck, the very Swarovski crystals are produced, which can be bought in many shops at an affordable price.
43. In Innsbruck, you can visit the Swarovski Crystal Museum, which looks like a huge fairyland, consisting of a shop, 13 exhibition halls and a restaurant where you can have a gourmet meal.
44. In Austria, the world’s first railway was created, going through the mountains. The construction of the Semmerin railway lines began in the middle of the 19th century and continued for a long time, but they still function to this day.
45. In 1964, the first Olympic Games were held in Austria, which were equipped with an electronic system for counting and fixing time.
46. In the winter of 2012, the first Youth Olympic Games were held in Austria, in which the national team took third place.
47. In Austria, bright greeting cards were invented and first used.
48. The world’s first sewing machine was invented in 1818 by Austrian Josef Madersperger.
49. The founder of one of the most famous and prestigious automobile companies Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche, was also born in Austria.
50. It is Austria that is considered the “Country of Bigfoot”, because in 1991 a frozen mummy of a 35-year-old man with a height of 160 cm, who lived more than 5000 years ago, was found there.
51. In Austria, children must attend kindergarten for at least two years. In most regions of the country, these kindergartens are completely free and paid from the treasury.
52. There are no orphanages in Austria, and children from dysfunctional families live in Children’s Villages as families – in one such family, “parents” can have from three to eight children.
53. Austrian educational institutions have a five-point system, but here the highest mark is 1.
54. School education in Austria consists of four years of basic school education followed by 6 years of secondary school or upper secondary school.
55. Austria is the only EU country whose citizens get the right to vote at 19, while in all other EU countries this right comes at 18.
56. In Austria, higher education is highly valued, and relations between students and teachers in universities are very friendly.
57. Austrian universities do not have separate dormitories, but there is one organization that is responsible for all the dormitories at once.
58. Austria is a country where citizens value their academic degrees very much, so they even have it in their passports and driver’s licenses.
59. The Austrian nation, according to Europeans, is famous for its hospitality, goodwill and tranquility, so it is completely unrealistic to make an Austrian angry.
60. The inhabitants of Austria try to smile at every passer-by, even if they have very difficult times in their lives.
61. The population of Austria is distinguished by its workaholism, the inhabitants of this state work 9 hours a day, and after the end of the working day they often stay at work. This is probably why Austria has the lowest unemployment rate.
62. Until the age of 30, Austrians are only concerned about professional growth, so they marry late and the family is usually content with the birth of only one child.
63. At all Austrian enterprises, managers always listen to the needs of employees, and employees themselves often participate in solving global issues of companies.
64. Although half of the female population in Austria works part-time, but, nevertheless, every third woman in the country holds a managerial position in companies.
65. In terms of flirting, the Austrians occupy a leading position in Europe, and Austrian men are considered to be the best sexual partners among the entire male population of the earth.
66. Austria has the lowest obesity rate in Europe – only 8.6%, although at the same time, half of the country’s men are overweight.
67. One of the very first countries in the world to switch more than 50% to energy-saving equipment is Austria, which currently receives 65% of its electricity from various renewable sources.
68. In Austria, they care a lot about the environment, so they always separate the garbage and throw it into different containers, and order and cleanliness always reigns on the streets of the country due to the fact that there is a trash can on every street every 50-100 meters.
69. Austria pays only 0.9% of GDP for its defense, which is the lowest figure in Europe and amounts to $1.5 billion.
70. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, because its GDP per person is as much as 46.3 thousand dollars.
71. Austria is one of the largest railway countries in Europe, in which the length of railway lines is as much as 5800 km.
72. In many large cities of Austria there are amazing sobering devices that work on the principle of coffee machines – just throw a coin into their slot, and intoxication immediately disappears, thanks to a shock jet of ammonia right in the face.
73. Coffee in Austria is simply adored, so this country has many coffee shops (Kaffeehäuser), where each visitor can drink coffee, choosing from among 100 or even 500 types, which will definitely be served with a glass of water and a small cake.
74. January-February in Austria is the season of balls, when balls and carnivals are held, to which everyone is invited.
75. Famous for its beauty and sophistication of movements, the Viennese Waltz was created in Austria, and music from the Austrian folk dance was taken as its basis.
76. In addition to traditional holidays in Austria, they also celebrate the end of winter, in honor of which they burn a witch at the stake, and then walk, have fun, drink schnapps and mulled wine.
77. The main national holiday in Austria is the Day of the adoption of the Neutrality Law, celebrated on October 28 every year since 1955.
78. The Austrians are very reverent about the church holiday, so on Christmas in Austria no one works for three whole days, at this time even shops and pharmacies are closed.
79. There are no homeless animals in Austria, and if there is a stray animal somewhere, it is immediately delivered to the animal shelter, from where anyone can take it home.
80. Austrians have to pay a rather high tax on keeping dogs, but they are allowed to go to any restaurant, theater, shop or exhibition with animals, most importantly, he must be on a leash, muzzled and with a purchased ticket.
81. Most Austrians have a driver’s license, and almost every Austrian family owns at least one car.
82. Despite the fact that almost all the inhabitants of the country drive a car, they can also often be found riding bicycles and scooters.
83. All parking lots in Austria are paid and paid for with coupons. If the ticket is missing or the parking time expires, then the driver is issued a fine in the amount of 10 to 60 euros, which then goes to social needs.
84. Bicycle rental is common in Austria, and taking a bicycle in one city, you can return it in another city.
85. Austrians do not suffer from Internet addiction – 70% of the inhabitants of this state consider social networks a waste of time and prefer “live” communication.
86. According to a public opinion poll in Austria, it was revealed that the first place among the Austrians is health, and then, in decreasing importance, work, family, sports, religion, and finally politics takes the last place.
87. In Austria, there are “Women’s Houses” where any woman can turn for help if she has problems in the family.
88. In Austria, people with disabilities are very taken care of, for example, there are special notches on the roads that allow blind people to find the right path.
89. Austrian pensioners most often live in nursing homes where they are cared for, fed and entertained. These houses are paid for by the pensioners themselves, their relatives, or even by the state if the pensioner has no money.
90. Every Austrian has health insurance that can cover any medical expenses, except for a visit to the dentist or beautician.
91. When visiting Austria, tourists should definitely try apple pie, strudel, schnitzel, mulled wine and meat on the bone, which are considered the culinary attractions of the country.
92. Austrian beer is considered one of the most delicious in the world, so tourists visiting the country always try to try Weizenbier and Stiegelbreu wheat beers.
93. In order to buy beer or wine in Austria, the buyer must be 16 years old, and stronger alcohol is available only to those who turned 18.
94. The famous company Red Bull was founded in Austria, because here young people love to drink refreshing and invigorating energy drinks in the evenings.
95. Although in many Austrian restaurants, hotels and cafes service is already included in the bill, it is still customary to leave a tip of 5-10% on top of the bill.
96. Shops in Austria are open from 7-9 am to 18-20 pm depending on the opening time, and only some railway station shops are open until 21-22 pm.
97. In Austrian stores, no one is in a hurry. And even if a huge queue has accumulated there, the buyer can talk with the seller for as long as he wants, asking about the properties and quality of the goods.
98. In Austria, fish products and chicken are very expensive, but pork can be purchased many times cheaper.
99. On the shelves of the store every day you can see the latest issue of the newspaper due to the existence of as many as 20 daily newspapers, with a one-time circulation of more than 3 million.
100. Despite its small area, Austria is one of the most visited countries by tourists, where everyone will find a holiday to their liking.