Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Vienna shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Vienna offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Vienna at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Vienna? Wrong! If the Vienna is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Vienna then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

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6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Vienna wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Vienna then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Vienna site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Vienna, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Vienna, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%"|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|State Coat of Arms|-| colspan="2" align="center" | of the city/state of Vienna|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|General Information|-| Country:| Austria:| AT-9|-| [License plate:| W|-| Community Identification Number:]s:| 1010 - 1239, 1400, 1450|-| Area code:|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Map: Vienna in Austria|-| colspan="2" align="center" | |-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Name in other languages|-| German language| Wien|-| Hungarian language| Bécs|-! colspan="2" |See Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Politics|-| List of mayors of Vienna and governor ([SPÖ)]|- valign="top"| Distribution of seats in the Austrian Landtagen
(100 seats):| SPÖ 55
ÖVP 18
Austrian Green Party 14
FPÖ 13] 2005|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Population|-| valign="top" | [Population
Metropolitan Area:]
Metropolitan Area:| 4,011/km²
492/km²|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Geography|-| Area:]|-| - percent land:| 395.51 km² (95,33%)|-| - percent water:| 19.39 km² (4,67%)|-| - Metropolitan Area:| 4,611.76 km²|-| valign="top" | Geographic coordinate system:| |-| valign="top" | Dimensions:| North-South: 22.4 km
East-West: 29.2 km|-| valign="top" | Highest Point:| 543 m
(Hermannskogel)])|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Administrative Structure|-| valign="top" | Districts:| 1 Statutarstadt
23 Districts of Austriae|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Map: Districts of Vienna|-| colspan="2" align="center" | |}Vienna ( , see also Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V) 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 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area), and is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its culture of Austria, economic and Politics of Austria centre. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it third for quality of life.

History

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celt settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman Empire frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.

During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home of the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. The Ottoman Empire conquers of Europe in the 16th century and 17th century centuries were stopped twice just outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).

In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1815 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th Century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project.

In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of Socialism in Austria, and became known as "Red Vienna." The city was stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluss) and the end of the World War II, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.

In 1945, the Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.

In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the United Nations (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Historical population Due to industrialization and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as capital of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918). However, after World War I, many Czech people and Hungarian people returned to their ancestral countries, resulting in a decline in the Viennese population. At the height of the immigration, about one third of the people living in Vienna were of Slavs or Hungarian descent.By 2001, only 16% of people living in Vienna had nationalities other than Austrian, nearly half of which were from the former Yugoslavia; the next most numerous nationalities in Vienna were Turkey (39,000 or 2.5%), Poland (13,600 or 0.9%) and Germany (12,700 or 0.8%).

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="float:left; margin:0 1em 0 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"|- align=center| Year| Total
Population|- align=right|1754|175,460|- align=right|1800|271,800|- align=right|1850|551,300|- align=right|1900|1,769,137|- align=right|1910|2,083,630|- align=right|1923|1,918,720|- align=right|1939|1,770,938|- align=right|1951|1,616,125|- align=right|1961|1,627,566|- align=right|1971|1,619,885|- align=right|1981|1,531,346|- align=right|1991|1,539,848|- align=right|2001|1,550,123|- align=right|2007|1,664,146|}

serves as the seat of the List of mayors of Vienna and city council of the city of Vienna

Subdivision Vienna is composed of 23 districts (Bezirke). 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. Elections at the district level give the representatives of the districts some political power in fields such as planning and traffic.

The 23 districts are numbered for convenience in a roughly clockwise fashion starting in the city centre: 1. Innere Stadt, 2. Leopoldstadt, 3. Landstraße, 4. Wieden, 5. Margareten, 6. Mariahilf, 7. Neubau, 8. Josefstadt, 9. Alsergrund, 10. Favoriten, 11. Simmering (Vienna), 12. Meidling, 13.Hietzing, 14. Penzing (Vienna), 15. Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, 16. Ottakring, 17. Hernals, 18. Währing, 19. Döbling, 20. Brigittenau, 21. Floridsdorf, 22. Donaustadt, 23. Liesing.

The heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt, was once surrounded by walls and open fields in order to deny cover to potential attackers. The walls were razed in 1857, making it possible for the city to expand and eventually merge with the surrounding villages. In their place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstraße was built, along which imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks now lie. These buildings include the Rathaus, Vienna (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University of Vienna, the Parliament of Austria, the twin museums of Naturhistorisches Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Vienna State Opera. It is also the location of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace. The mainly gothic architecture Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna is located at the centre of the city, on Stephansplatz. Beyond the Ringstraße, there was another wall called the Linienwall, which was torn down in the latter half of the 19th century to make room for expanding suburbs. It is now a beltway called Gürtel, Vienna.

Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is situated away from the main flow of the Danube, but is bounded by the Donaukanal ("Danube canal"). Vienna's second and twentieth districts are located between the Donaukanal and the Danube River. Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the Vienna International Centre.

Vienna's postal codes can be determined by the district where a given address is located; 1XXA - 1 denotes Vienna, XX the district number (if it is a single digit then with a leading zero), A is the number of the post office (irrelevant in this case, usually zero). Example: 1070 for Neubau. Exceptions include 1300 for the Vienna International Airport located in Lower Austria near Schwechat, 1400 for the United Nations Complex, 1450 for the Austria Center, and 1500 for the Austrian UN forces.

Politics Until 1918, Viennese politics were shaped by the Christian Social Party (Austria), in particular long-term mayor Karl Lueger. Vienna is today considered the centre of Social Democracy in Austria. During the period of the First Austrian Republic (1918-1934), the Vienna Social Democrats undertook many overdue social reforms, improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of workers in the city. At that time, Vienna's municipal policy was admired by Socialism throughout Europe, who therefore referred to the city as "Red Vienna" (Rotes Wien). Since the end of the World War I, the city has been governed by the Social Democratic Party with absolute majorities in the city parliament. Only between 1934 and 1945, when the Social Democratic Party was illegal, mayors were appointed by the Austrofascism and later by the Nazism authorities. Current mayor of Vienna is Michael Häupl. The Social Democrats currently hold 55% of the seats with a 49% share of the vote. An example of the city’s many social democratic Policy 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 Rathaus 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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, and its acting Archbishop is Cardinal (Catholicism) Christoph Schönborn. The religions of the Viennese resident population is divided according to the 2001 census as follows :{]|49.2%|-|No religion|25.7%|-|Muslim|6.0%|-|[Protestant (mostly Lutheran)]|0.5%|-|Other or none indicated|6.3%|}

Culture {{Infobox World Heritage Site| WHS = Historic Centre of Vienna| Image = | State Party = | Type = Cultural| Criteria = ii, iv, vi| ID = 1033| Region = List of World Heritage Sites in Europe| Year = 2001| Session = 25th| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1033-->||-||-| Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station by Otto Wagner|-||} Music, theatre and opera Translated from :de:Wien#Theater .26 Oper Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including theatre, opera, European classical music and fine arts. The Burgtheater is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world alongside its branch, the Akademietheater. The Volkstheater Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations. There is also a multitude of smaller theatres, in many cases devoted to less mainstream forms of performing arts, such as modern, experimental plays or cabaret.

Vienna is also home to a number of opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta. Classical concerts are performed at well known venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Many concert venues offer concerts aimed at tourists, featuring popular highlights of Viennese music (particularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II).

In recent years, the Theater an der Wien has become widely known for hosting premieres of Musical theater, although it has recently devoted itself to the opera again. The most successful musical by far was "Elisabeth (musical)", which was later translated into several other languages and performed all over the world. The Haus der Musik ("house of music") opened in 2000.

Many Roman Catholic churches in central Vienna also feature performances of religious or other music, including masses sung with classical music and organ.

Museums To be translated from :de:Wien#Museen The Hofburg is the location of the Schatzkammer (treasury), holding the imperial jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Sisi Museum (a museum devoted to Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria) allows visitors to view the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg are the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum, which houses many paintings by old masters and ancient and classical artifacts.

A number of museums are located in the Museumsquartier (museum quarter), the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s. It houses the Museum of Modern Art (Ludwig Foundation), the Leopold Museum (focussing on works of the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian Expressionism), additional halls with feature exhibitions and the Tanzquartier. The Liechtenstein Palace contains one of the world's largest private art collections. There are a multitude of other museums in Vienna, including the Military History Museum, the Technisches Museum Wien, the Vienna Clock Museum and the Burial Museum. The museums dedicated to Vienna's districts provide a retrospective of the respective districts.

Architecture Translated from :de:Wien#Architektur A variety of architecture styles can be found in Vienna, such as the Romanesque architecture Ruprechtskirche and the Baroque architecture Karlskirche. Styles range from classicism buildings to modern architecture. Art Nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna. The Vienna Secession, Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

The Hundertwasserhaus by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designed to counter the clinical look of modern architecture, is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions. Another example of unique architecture is the Wotruba Church by sculptor Fritz Wotruba.

In the 1990s, a number of quarters were adapted and extensive building projects were implemented in the areas around Donaustadt (north of the Danube) and Wienerberg (in southern Vienna). The 202 metre-high Millennium Tower, Vienna located at Handelskai is the highest building in Vienna. Vienna's 10 tallest skyscrapers Millennium Tower - Emporis In recent years, Vienna has seen numerous architecture projects completed which combine modern architectural elements with old buildings, such as the remodelling and revitalisation of the old Gasometer, Vienna in 2001.

Most buildings in Vienna are relatively low; there are currently (early 2006) around 100 buildings higher than 40 m. The number of high-rise buildings is kept low by building legislation aimed at preserving green areas and districts designated as World Heritage Site. Strong rules apply to the planning, authorisation and construction of high-rise buildings. Consequently, much of the inner city is a high-rise free zone.

Education Vienna is also Austria's main centre of education and home to many universities, professional colleges and gymnasium (school).

Universities

International schools

Transportation Twelve List of Danube bridges in the city, which is divided by the Danube and its branch, the Neue Donau ("new Danube").

Public transportation tram stock, designed by Porsche and built by Siemens AG boasts an entry height of 180 millimetre (7 inch), the lowest in the world. Of these vehicles, by 2003 some 150 were in use by the municipal Wiener Linien, along with around 400 older high-floor models (substitution proceeding)

Vienna has a large public transportation network.

Vienna has an extensive tram and bus network - the tram network being third largest in the world. In the most populated areas of Vienna, public transport runs so frequently (even during off-peak hours) that any familiarity with departure timetables is virtually unnecessary. The convenience and flexibility of the public transport is in turn reflected by its popularity; 53% of Viennese workers travel to their workplace by public transport.Der Standard, Tuesday 27th March 2007 During night hours, public transport is continued by the Nightline buses operating on all the main routes, generally every half hour.

Fare prices within the city are independent of the length of the journey and covers all modes of public transport. Tickets are also available for various time periods, such as 24 hour, monthly or yearly tickets.

The Viennese public transport services are incorporated into a larger concentric system of transport zones, the VOR (Verkehrsverbund Ostregion = eastern region traffic association). VOR includes railway and bus lines operating 50 kilometers into the surrounding areas, and ticket prices are calculated according to the number of zones.

Tickets must be purchased (and often stamped) prior to boarding or entering a station. Tickets are not checked when entering a station or boarding, there are however regular ticket inspections on all routes.

There are also two miniature railways: the Liliputbahn in the Wiener Prater and the Donauparkbahn in the Donaupark.

Railways , the starting point of the Austrian Western Railway.

Historically, all transport was oriented towards the main cities in the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg. Vienna has several train stations that form the beginning of several train lines:



There are also several through train stations:

There are also a large number of smaller stations that are important for local passenger traffic. Since the mid 1990s, the Westbahnhof and Südbahnhof have handled all long-distance travel. Many trains also stop at Hütteldorf or Meidling, especially when inbound.

In order to bundle all long-distance traffic it has become necessary to build a tunnel, colloquially known as the Wildschweintunnel ("boar tunnel"), underneath Lainzer Tiergarten linking the Western Railway to the Southern Railway. The new bundled train line will connect to a new through train station called Wien Zentralbahnhof that will be constructed instead of the Südbahnhof.

Road traffic , Brigittenauer Brücke (bridge) and Millennium Tower, Vienna in Vienna (view from Donauturm) To be translated from :de:Wien#Straßenverkehr Similar to the train lines, Bundesstraßen leave the city in a star-shaped pattern. Some are named after their historical final destination (Prager Straße to Prague, Linzer Straße to Linz, Triester Straße to Trieste and Brünner Straße to Brno). Bundesstraßen can be compared to U.S. Highway System in the United States, being two-lane in rural areas and multi-lane in urban areas.

Three national autobahns leave Vienna in the westerly (Westautobahn), southerly (A2), and easterly directions (A4). Similar to the rail lines, they are commonly referred to after their exit direction (Westautobahn, Südautobahn, and Ostautobahn). In addition, several spur and branch autobahns circle around the southern and eastern areas of the city. The protected Wienerwald forest area in the western and northern areas has been left mostly untouched.

Air traffic Vienna International Airport is located to the southeast of Vienna. The airport handled over 237,400 arrivals and departures in 2006 and was frequented by 16.86 million passengers.{{cite press release | title = Sound traffic development in 2006 | publisher = [Vienna International Airport | date = 2007-01-18 | language=English | url = http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/via/website.jart?rel=en&content-id=1168245748284&reserve-mode=active | accessdate = 2007-02-07 --> Following lengthy negotiations with surrounding communities, the airport will be expanded to increase its capacity by adding a third runway. The airport is currently undergoing a major expansion(construction of several new buildings) to prepare for an expected increase in passengers.

Water transportation To be translated from :de:Wien#Schifffahrt Vienna is connected to Rotterdam and German industry areas via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, and to Eastern European countries along the Danube to the Black Sea. The planned Danube-Oder-Canal remains unfinished.

The "Twin City Liner" boat service connects Vienna and Bratislava.

Nearly all of Vienna's drinking water is brought to the city via two large water pipelines, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The pipelines stretch 120 kilometre (75 miles) and 200 km (124 miles) from the Alps to the city's Hietzing district. The Alpine sources are pristine and the water does not require treatment.

Leisure activities Viennese parks and gardens Vienna possesses many park facilities, including the Wiener Stadtpark, the Burggarten, the Volksgarten (part of the Hofburg), the Schloßpark at Schloss Belvedere (home to the Vienna Botanic Gardens), the Donaupark, the Schönbrunner Schlosspark, the Wiener Prater, the Augarten, the Rathauspark, the Lainzer Tiergarten, the Dehnepark, the Resselpark, the Votivpark, the Kurpark Oberlaa, the Auer-Welsbach-Park and the Türkenschanzpark. Green areas include Laaer-Berg (including the Bohemian Prater) and the foothills of the Wienerwald, which reaches into the outer areas of the city. Small parks, known by the Viennese as Beserlparks, are everywhere in the inner city areas.Many of Vienna's famous parks include monuments, such as the Stadtpark with its statue of Johann Strauss II, and the gardens of the baroque Belvedere (palace), where the Austrian State Treaty was signed. Vienna's principal park is the Prater which is home to the Riesenrad, a ferris wheel. The imperial Schönbrunn Palace's grounds contain an 18th century park which includes Tiergarten Schönbrunn, founded in 1752.The Donauinsel, part of Vienna's flood defences, is a 21.1 km long artificial island between the Danube and Neue Donau dedicated to leisure activities.

Sport Vienna hosts many different sporting events including the Vienna City Marathon, which attracts more than 10,000 participants every year and normally takes place in May. In 2005 the Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Austria and the final was played in Vienna. Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion was the venue of four UEFA Champions League and European Champion Clubs' Cup finals (1964, 1987, 1990, 1995) and will host the final of Euro 2008.

Austria's capital is home to numerous teams. The best known are the local football (soccer) clubs SK Rapid Wien (31 Austrian Bundesliga titles), FK Austria Wien (23 Austrian Bundesliga titles and 26-time cup winners) and the oldest team, First Vienna FC. Other important sport clubs include the Chrysler Vikings Vienna (American Football), who won the Eurobowl title in 2004, the Vienna Hot Volleys, one of Europe's premier Volleyball organisations, and the Vienna Capitals (Ice Hockey).

Culinary specialities Food Vienna is well known for Wiener schnitzel, a cutlet of veal that is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and fried in clarified butter. It is available in almost every restaurant that serves Viennese cuisine. Other examples of Viennese cuisine include "Tafelspitz" (very lean boiled beef), which is traditionally served with "Geröstete Erdäpfel" (boiled potatoes mashed with a fork and subsequently fried) and horseradish sauce, "Apfelkren" (a mixture of horseradish, cream and apple) and "Schnittlauchsauce" (a chives sauce made with mayonnaise and old bread).

Vienna has a long tradition of cakes and desserts. These include Apfelstrudel (hot apple strudel), Palatschinken (sweet pancakes), and Knödel (dumplings) often filled with fruit such as apricots (Marillenknödel). Sachertorte, a dry chocolate cake with apricot jam from the Hotel Sacher, is world famous.

In winter, small street stands sell traditional Maroni (hot chestnuts) and potato fritters. Sausages are also popular and available from street vendors throughout the night. The sausage known as Wiener (German for "Viennese") in the USA and Germany is however called a Frankfurter. Other popular sausages are Burenwurst (a coarse beef and pork sausage, generally boiled) and Käsekrainer (spicy pork with small chunks of cheese).

The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and much more from around the world. The city centre has many speciality food stores, such as the "Julius Meinl am Graben".

Drink Vienna, along with Paris and Prague, is one of the few remaining world capital cities with its own vineyards. The wine is served in small Viennese pubs known as Heuriger, which are especially numerous in the wine growing areas of Döbling (Grinzing, Neustift am Walde, Nußdorf, Vienna, Salmannsdorf, Sievering) and Floridsdorf (Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf). The wine is often drunk as a spritzer ("G'spritzter") with sparkling water. The Grüner Veltliner, a dry white wine, is the most widely cultivated wine in Austria.

Beer is next in importance to wine. Vienna has a single large brewery, Ottakringer, and more than ten microbrewery. A "Beisl" is a typical small Austrian pub, of which Vienna has many.

===Viennese cafés===Viennese cafés have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend. Traditionally, the coffee comes with a glass of water. Viennese cafés claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from bounty captured after the second Battle of Vienna in 1683. Viennese cafés claim that when the invading Turks left Vienna, they abandoned hundreds of sacks of coffee beans. The Emperor gave Franz George Kolschitzky (Polish - Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki) some of this coffee as a reward for providing information that allowed the Austrians to defeat the Turks. Kolschitzky then opened Vienna's first coffee shop. Julius Meinl set up a modern roasting plant in the same premises where the coffee sacks were found, in 1891.

Tourist attractions Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Vienna State Opera, the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.

There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year. The most popular ones are Albertina, Vienna, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier, KunstHausWien, BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum, and the Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year.

There are many popular sites associated with composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven's various residences and grave at Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) which is the largest cemetery in Vienna and the burial site of many famous people. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has a memorial grave at the Hapsburg gardens and at St. Marx cemetery (where his grave was lost). Vienna's many churches also draw large crowds, the most famous of which are St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, the Deutschordenskirche (Vienna), the Jesuitenkirche, Vienna, the Karlskirche, the Peterskirche, Vienna, Maria am Gestade, the Minoritenkirche, Vienna, the Ruprechtskirche, the Schottenkirche, Vienna and the Votivkirche Wien.

Modern attractions include the Hundertwasserhaus, the Vienna International Centre and the view from the Donauturm.Image:vena 19.jpg]Image:Albertina Wien001.jpg|Albertina, ViennaImage:Secession Vienna June 2006 006.jpg|The Vienna Secession buildingImage:Schloss Schoenbrunn Gloriette DSC02028.JPG|The Gloriette at Schönbrunn PalaceImage:Schloß Schönbrunn.jpg|Schönbrunn PalaceImage:Naturhistorisches Museum Wien - Panorama.jpg]Image:Wiener Riesenrad dsc02961.jpg|The Riesenrad in the Wiener PraterImage:Austria_Parlament_Athena.jpg]

International organizations in Vienna complex in Vienna, with the Austria Center Vienna in front, taken from Donauturm in the nearby Donaupark before the extensive building workVienna is the seat of a number of United Nations offices and various international institutions and companies, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Additionally, Vienna is the seat of the UNCITRAL secretariat (UNCITRAL). In conjunction, the University of Vienna annually hosts the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot, an international commercial arbitration competition for students of law from around the world.

Various special diplomatic meetings have been held in Vienna in the latter half of the 20th Century, resulting in various documents bearing the name Vienna Convention or Vienna Document. Among the more important documents negotiated in Vienna are the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).

Charitable organizations in Vienna Alongside the international and intergovernmental organisations, there are dozens of charitable organisations based in Vienna; these organisations provide relief goods and assistance to tens of thousands of disadvantaged children and needy people in Developing country.

One such organisation is the network of SOS Children's Villages, founded by Hermann Gmeiner in 1949. Today, SOS Children's Villages are active in 132 countries and territories worldwide. Others include HASCO and the Childrens Bridge of Hope.

Twin cities , in rural HietzingVienna is twinned with the following cities:{| border="0"|-|valign="top"| Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes: |valign="top"| |}

In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with Japanese city/districts:

See also

References External links
{{Template group|title = Vienna in the European Union|list =-->

{| class="infobox" style="font-size: 90%"|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|State Coat of Arms|-| colspan="2" align="center" | of the city/state of Vienna|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|General Information|-| Country:| Austria:| AT-9|-| [License plate:| W|-| Community Identification Number:]s:| 1010 - 1239, 1400, 1450|-| Area code:|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Map: Vienna in Austria|-| colspan="2" align="center" | |-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Name in other languages|-| German language| Wien|-| Hungarian language| Bécs|-! colspan="2" |See Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Politics|-| List of mayors of Vienna and governor ([SPÖ)]|- valign="top"| Distribution of seats in the Austrian Landtagen
(100 seats):| SPÖ 55
ÖVP 18
Austrian Green Party 14
FPÖ 13] 2005|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Population|-| valign="top" | [Population
Metropolitan Area:]
Metropolitan Area:| 4,011/km²
492/km²|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Geography|-| Area:]|-| - percent land:| 395.51 km² (95,33%)|-| - percent water:| 19.39 km² (4,67%)|-| - Metropolitan Area:| 4,611.76 km²|-| valign="top" | Geographic coordinate system:| |-| valign="top" | Dimensions:| North-South: 22.4 km
East-West: 29.2 km|-| valign="top" | Highest Point:| 543 m
(Hermannskogel)])|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Administrative Structure|-| valign="top" | Districts:| 1 Statutarstadt
23 Districts of Austriae|-! colspan="2" style="background:#EFEFEF"|Map: Districts of Vienna|-| colspan="2" align="center" | |}Vienna ( , see also Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#V) 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 1.7 million (2.3 million within the metropolitan area), and is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its culture of Austria, economic and Politics of Austria centre. Vienna lies in the very east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an Economist Intelligence Unit study of 127 world cities ranked it third for quality of life.

History

Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celt settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman Empire frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.

During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home of the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. The Ottoman Empire conquers of Europe in the 16th century and 17th century centuries were stopped twice just outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).

In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1815 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th Century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project.

In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of Socialism in Austria, and became known as "Red Vienna." The city was stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluss) and the end of the World War II, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.

In 1945, the Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.

In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the United Nations (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Historical population Due to industrialization and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as capital of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918). However, after World War I, many Czech people and Hungarian people returned to their ancestral countries, resulting in a decline in the Viennese population. At the height of the immigration, about one third of the people living in Vienna were of Slavs or Hungarian descent.By 2001, only 16% of people living in Vienna had nationalities other than Austrian, nearly half of which were from the former Yugoslavia; the next most numerous nationalities in Vienna were Turkey (39,000 or 2.5%), Poland (13,600 or 0.9%) and Germany (12,700 or 0.8%).

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="float:left; margin:0 1em 0 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"|- align=center| Year| Total
Population|- align=right|1754|175,460|- align=right|1800|271,800|- align=right|1850|551,300|- align=right|1900|1,769,137|- align=right|1910|2,083,630|- align=right|1923|1,918,720|- align=right|1939|1,770,938|- align=right|1951|1,616,125|- align=right|1961|1,627,566|- align=right|1971|1,619,885|- align=right|1981|1,531,346|- align=right|1991|1,539,848|- align=right|2001|1,550,123|- align=right|2007|1,664,146|}

serves as the seat of the List of mayors of Vienna and city council of the city of Vienna

Subdivision Vienna is composed of 23 districts (Bezirke). 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. Elections at the district level give the representatives of the districts some political power in fields such as planning and traffic.

The 23 districts are numbered for convenience in a roughly clockwise fashion starting in the city centre: 1. Innere Stadt, 2. Leopoldstadt, 3. Landstraße, 4. Wieden, 5. Margareten, 6. Mariahilf, 7. Neubau, 8. Josefstadt, 9. Alsergrund, 10. Favoriten, 11. Simmering (Vienna), 12. Meidling, 13.Hietzing, 14. Penzing (Vienna), 15. Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, 16. Ottakring, 17. Hernals, 18. Währing, 19. Döbling, 20. Brigittenau, 21. Floridsdorf, 22. Donaustadt, 23. Liesing.

The heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt, was once surrounded by walls and open fields in order to deny cover to potential attackers. The walls were razed in 1857, making it possible for the city to expand and eventually merge with the surrounding villages. In their place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstraße was built, along which imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks now lie. These buildings include the Rathaus, Vienna (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University of Vienna, the Parliament of Austria, the twin museums of Naturhistorisches Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Vienna State Opera. It is also the location of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace. The mainly gothic architecture Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna is located at the centre of the city, on Stephansplatz. Beyond the Ringstraße, there was another wall called the Linienwall, which was torn down in the latter half of the 19th century to make room for expanding suburbs. It is now a beltway called Gürtel, Vienna.

Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is situated away from the main flow of the Danube, but is bounded by the Donaukanal ("Danube canal"). Vienna's second and twentieth districts are located between the Donaukanal and the Danube River. Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the Vienna International Centre.

Vienna's postal codes can be determined by the district where a given address is located; 1XXA - 1 denotes Vienna, XX the district number (if it is a single digit then with a leading zero), A is the number of the post office (irrelevant in this case, usually zero). Example: 1070 for Neubau. Exceptions include 1300 for the Vienna International Airport located in Lower Austria near Schwechat, 1400 for the United Nations Complex, 1450 for the Austria Center, and 1500 for the Austrian UN forces.

Politics Until 1918, Viennese politics were shaped by the Christian Social Party (Austria), in particular long-term mayor Karl Lueger. Vienna is today considered the centre of Social Democracy in Austria. During the period of the First Austrian Republic (1918-1934), the Vienna Social Democrats undertook many overdue social reforms, improving the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of workers in the city. At that time, Vienna's municipal policy was admired by Socialism throughout Europe, who therefore referred to the city as "Red Vienna" (Rotes Wien). Since the end of the World War I, the city has been governed by the Social Democratic Party with absolute majorities in the city parliament. Only between 1934 and 1945, when the Social Democratic Party was illegal, mayors were appointed by the Austrofascism and later by the Nazism authorities. Current mayor of Vienna is Michael Häupl. The Social Democrats currently hold 55% of the seats with a 49% share of the vote. An example of the city’s many social democratic Policy 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 Rathaus 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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna, and its acting Archbishop is Cardinal (Catholicism) Christoph Schönborn. The religions of the Viennese resident population is divided according to the 2001 census as follows :{]|49.2%|-|No religion|25.7%|-|Muslim|6.0%|-|[Protestant (mostly Lutheran)]|0.5%|-|Other or none indicated|6.3%|}

Culture {{Infobox World Heritage Site| WHS = Historic Centre of Vienna| Image = | State Party = | Type = Cultural| Criteria = ii, iv, vi| ID = 1033| Region = List of World Heritage Sites in Europe| Year = 2001| Session = 25th| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1033-->||-||-| Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station by Otto Wagner|-||} Music, theatre and opera Translated from :de:Wien#Theater .26 Oper Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna, including theatre, opera, European classical music and fine arts. The Burgtheater is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world alongside its branch, the Akademietheater. The Volkstheater Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations. There is also a multitude of smaller theatres, in many cases devoted to less mainstream forms of performing arts, such as modern, experimental plays or cabaret.

Vienna is also home to a number of opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta. Classical concerts are performed at well known venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Many concert venues offer concerts aimed at tourists, featuring popular highlights of Viennese music (particularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss II).

In recent years, the Theater an der Wien has become widely known for hosting premieres of Musical theater, although it has recently devoted itself to the opera again. The most successful musical by far was "Elisabeth (musical)", which was later translated into several other languages and performed all over the world. The Haus der Musik ("house of music") opened in 2000.

Many Roman Catholic churches in central Vienna also feature performances of religious or other music, including masses sung with classical music and organ.

Museums To be translated from :de:Wien#Museen The Hofburg is the location of the Schatzkammer (treasury), holding the imperial jewels of the Hapsburg dynasty. The Sisi Museum (a museum devoted to Empress Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie of Austria) allows visitors to view the Imperial apartments as well as the silver cabinet. Directly opposite the Hofburg are the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum, which houses many paintings by old masters and ancient and classical artifacts.

A number of museums are located in the Museumsquartier (museum quarter), the former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s. It houses the Museum of Modern Art (Ludwig Foundation), the Leopold Museum (focussing on works of the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian Expressionism), additional halls with feature exhibitions and the Tanzquartier. The Liechtenstein Palace contains one of the world's largest private art collections. There are a multitude of other museums in Vienna, including the Military History Museum, the Technisches Museum Wien, the Vienna Clock Museum and the Burial Museum. The museums dedicated to Vienna's districts provide a retrospective of the respective districts.

Architecture Translated from :de:Wien#Architektur A variety of architecture styles can be found in Vienna, such as the Romanesque architecture Ruprechtskirche and the Baroque architecture Karlskirche. Styles range from classicism buildings to modern architecture. Art Nouveau left many architectural traces in Vienna. The Vienna Secession, Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

The Hundertwasserhaus by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, designed to counter the clinical look of modern architecture, is one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions. Another example of unique architecture is the Wotruba Church by sculptor Fritz Wotruba.

In the 1990s, a number of quarters were adapted and extensive building projects were implemented in the areas around Donaustadt (north of the Danube) and Wienerberg (in southern Vienna). The 202 metre-high Millennium Tower, Vienna located at Handelskai is the highest building in Vienna. Vienna's 10 tallest skyscrapers Millennium Tower - Emporis In recent years, Vienna has seen numerous architecture projects completed which combine modern architectural elements with old buildings, such as the remodelling and revitalisation of the old Gasometer, Vienna in 2001.

Most buildings in Vienna are relatively low; there are currently (early 2006) around 100 buildings higher than 40 m. The number of high-rise buildings is kept low by building legislation aimed at preserving green areas and districts designated as World Heritage Site. Strong rules apply to the planning, authorisation and construction of high-rise buildings. Consequently, much of the inner city is a high-rise free zone.

Education Vienna is also Austria's main centre of education and home to many universities, professional colleges and gymnasium (school).

Universities

International schools

Transportation Twelve List of Danube bridges in the city, which is divided by the Danube and its branch, the Neue Donau ("new Danube").

Public transportation tram stock, designed by Porsche and built by Siemens AG boasts an entry height of 180 millimetre (7 inch), the lowest in the world. Of these vehicles, by 2003 some 150 were in use by the municipal Wiener Linien, along with around 400 older high-floor models (substitution proceeding)

Vienna has a large public transportation network.

Vienna has an extensive tram and bus network - the tram network being third largest in the world. In the most populated areas of Vienna, public transport runs so frequently (even during off-peak hours) that any familiarity with departure timetables is virtually unnecessary. The convenience and flexibility of the public transport is in turn reflected by its popularity; 53% of Viennese workers travel to their workplace by public transport.Der Standard, Tuesday 27th March 2007 During night hours, public transport is continued by the Nightline buses operating on all the main routes, generally every half hour.

Fare prices within the city are independent of the length of the journey and covers all modes of public transport. Tickets are also available for various time periods, such as 24 hour, monthly or yearly tickets.

The Viennese public transport services are incorporated into a larger concentric system of transport zones, the VOR (Verkehrsverbund Ostregion = eastern region traffic association). VOR includes railway and bus lines operating 50 kilometers into the surrounding areas, and ticket prices are calculated according to the number of zones.

Tickets must be purchased (and often stamped) prior to boarding or entering a station. Tickets are not checked when entering a station or boarding, there are however regular ticket inspections on all routes.

There are also two miniature railways: the Liliputbahn in the Wiener Prater and the Donauparkbahn in the Donaupark.

Railways , the starting point of the Austrian Western Railway.

Historically, all transport was oriented towards the main cities in the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg. Vienna has several train stations that form the beginning of several train lines:



There are also several through train stations:

There are also a large number of smaller stations that are important for local passenger traffic. Since the mid 1990s, the Westbahnhof and Südbahnhof have handled all long-distance travel. Many trains also stop at Hütteldorf or Meidling, especially when inbound.

In order to bundle all long-distance traffic it has become necessary to build a tunnel, colloquially known as the Wildschweintunnel ("boar tunnel"), underneath Lainzer Tiergarten linking the Western Railway to the Southern Railway. The new bundled train line will connect to a new through train station called Wien Zentralbahnhof that will be constructed instead of the Südbahnhof.

Road traffic , Brigittenauer Brücke (bridge) and Millennium Tower, Vienna in Vienna (view from Donauturm) To be translated from :de:Wien#Straßenverkehr Similar to the train lines, Bundesstraßen leave the city in a star-shaped pattern. Some are named after their historical final destination (Prager Straße to Prague, Linzer Straße to Linz, Triester Straße to Trieste and Brünner Straße to Brno). Bundesstraßen can be compared to U.S. Highway System in the United States, being two-lane in rural areas and multi-lane in urban areas.

Three national autobahns leave Vienna in the westerly (Westautobahn), southerly (A2), and easterly directions (A4). Similar to the rail lines, they are commonly referred to after their exit direction (Westautobahn, Südautobahn, and Ostautobahn). In addition, several spur and branch autobahns circle around the southern and eastern areas of the city. The protected Wienerwald forest area in the western and northern areas has been left mostly untouched.

Air traffic Vienna International Airport is located to the southeast of Vienna. The airport handled over 237,400 arrivals and departures in 2006 and was frequented by 16.86 million passengers.{{cite press release | title = Sound traffic development in 2006 | publisher = [Vienna International Airport | date = 2007-01-18 | language=English | url = http://www.viennaairport.com/jart/prj3/via/website.jart?rel=en&content-id=1168245748284&reserve-mode=active | accessdate = 2007-02-07 --> Following lengthy negotiations with surrounding communities, the airport will be expanded to increase its capacity by adding a third runway. The airport is currently undergoing a major expansion(construction of several new buildings) to prepare for an expected increase in passengers.

Water transportation To be translated from :de:Wien#Schifffahrt Vienna is connected to Rotterdam and German industry areas via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, and to Eastern European countries along the Danube to the Black Sea. The planned Danube-Oder-Canal remains unfinished.

The "Twin City Liner" boat service connects Vienna and Bratislava.

Nearly all of Vienna's drinking water is brought to the city via two large water pipelines, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The pipelines stretch 120 kilometre (75 miles) and 200 km (124 miles) from the Alps to the city's Hietzing district. The Alpine sources are pristine and the water does not require treatment.

Leisure activities Viennese parks and gardens Vienna possesses many park facilities, including the Wiener Stadtpark, the Burggarten, the Volksgarten (part of the Hofburg), the Schloßpark at Schloss Belvedere (home to the Vienna Botanic Gardens), the Donaupark, the Schönbrunner Schlosspark, the Wiener Prater, the Augarten, the Rathauspark, the Lainzer Tiergarten, the Dehnepark, the Resselpark, the Votivpark, the Kurpark Oberlaa, the Auer-Welsbach-Park and the Türkenschanzpark. Green areas include Laaer-Berg (including the Bohemian Prater) and the foothills of the Wienerwald, which reaches into the outer areas of the city. Small parks, known by the Viennese as Beserlparks, are everywhere in the inner city areas.Many of Vienna's famous parks include monuments, such as the Stadtpark with its statue of Johann Strauss II, and the gardens of the baroque Belvedere (palace), where the Austrian State Treaty was signed. Vienna's principal park is the Prater which is home to the Riesenrad, a ferris wheel. The imperial Schönbrunn Palace's grounds contain an 18th century park which includes Tiergarten Schönbrunn, founded in 1752.The Donauinsel, part of Vienna's flood defences, is a 21.1 km long artificial island between the Danube and Neue Donau dedicated to leisure activities.

Sport Vienna hosts many different sporting events including the Vienna City Marathon, which attracts more than 10,000 participants every year and normally takes place in May. In 2005 the Ice Hockey World Championships took place in Austria and the final was played in Vienna. Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadion was the venue of four UEFA Champions League and European Champion Clubs' Cup finals (1964, 1987, 1990, 1995) and will host the final of Euro 2008.

Austria's capital is home to numerous teams. The best known are the local football (soccer) clubs SK Rapid Wien (31 Austrian Bundesliga titles), FK Austria Wien (23 Austrian Bundesliga titles and 26-time cup winners) and the oldest team, First Vienna FC. Other important sport clubs include the Chrysler Vikings Vienna (American Football), who won the Eurobowl title in 2004, the Vienna Hot Volleys, one of Europe's premier Volleyball organisations, and the Vienna Capitals (Ice Hockey).

Culinary specialities Food Vienna is well known for Wiener schnitzel, a cutlet of veal that is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, and fried in clarified butter. It is available in almost every restaurant that serves Viennese cuisine. Other examples of Viennese cuisine include "Tafelspitz" (very lean boiled beef), which is traditionally served with "Geröstete Erdäpfel" (boiled potatoes mashed with a fork and subsequently fried) and horseradish sauce, "Apfelkren" (a mixture of horseradish, cream and apple) and "Schnittlauchsauce" (a chives sauce made with mayonnaise and old bread).

Vienna has a long tradition of cakes and desserts. These include Apfelstrudel (hot apple strudel), Palatschinken (sweet pancakes), and Knödel (dumplings) often filled with fruit such as apricots (Marillenknödel). Sachertorte, a dry chocolate cake with apricot jam from the Hotel Sacher, is world famous.

In winter, small street stands sell traditional Maroni (hot chestnuts) and potato fritters. Sausages are also popular and available from street vendors throughout the night. The sausage known as Wiener (German for "Viennese") in the USA and Germany is however called a Frankfurter. Other popular sausages are Burenwurst (a coarse beef and pork sausage, generally boiled) and Käsekrainer (spicy pork with small chunks of cheese).

The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, meat and much more from around the world. The city centre has many speciality food stores, such as the "Julius Meinl am Graben".

Drink Vienna, along with Paris and Prague, is one of the few remaining world capital cities with its own vineyards. The wine is served in small Viennese pubs known as Heuriger, which are especially numerous in the wine growing areas of Döbling (Grinzing, Neustift am Walde, Nußdorf, Vienna, Salmannsdorf, Sievering) and Floridsdorf (Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf). The wine is often drunk as a spritzer ("G'spritzter") with sparkling water. The Grüner Veltliner, a dry white wine, is the most widely cultivated wine in Austria.

Beer is next in importance to wine. Vienna has a single large brewery, Ottakringer, and more than ten microbrewery. A "Beisl" is a typical small Austrian pub, of which Vienna has many.

===Viennese cafés===Viennese cafés have an extremely long and distinguished history that dates back centuries, and the caffeine addictions of some famous historical patrons of the oldest are something of a local legend. Traditionally, the coffee comes with a glass of water. Viennese cafés claim to have invented the process of filtering coffee from bounty captured after the second Battle of Vienna in 1683. Viennese cafés claim that when the invading Turks left Vienna, they abandoned hundreds of sacks of coffee beans. The Emperor gave Franz George Kolschitzky (Polish - Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki) some of this coffee as a reward for providing information that allowed the Austrians to defeat the Turks. Kolschitzky then opened Vienna's first coffee shop. Julius Meinl set up a modern roasting plant in the same premises where the coffee sacks were found, in 1891.

Tourist attractions Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn Palace (also home to the world's oldest zoo, Tiergarten Schönbrunn) and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Cultural highlights include the Burgtheater, the Vienna State Opera, the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School and the Vienna Boys' Choir, as well as excursions to Vienna's Heuriger districts.

There are also more than 100 art museums, which together attract over eight million visitors per year. The most popular ones are Albertina, Vienna, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Leopold Museum in the Museumsquartier, KunstHausWien, BA-CA Kunstforum, the twin Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum, and the Technisches Museum Wien, each of which receives over a quarter of a million visitors per year.

There are many popular sites associated with composers who lived in Vienna including Beethoven's various residences and grave at Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) which is the largest cemetery in Vienna and the burial site of many famous people. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has a memorial grave at the Hapsburg gardens and at St. Marx cemetery (where his grave was lost). Vienna's many churches also draw large crowds, the most famous of which are St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, the Deutschordenskirche (Vienna), the Jesuitenkirche, Vienna, the Karlskirche, the Peterskirche, Vienna, Maria am Gestade, the Minoritenkirche, Vienna, the Ruprechtskirche, the Schottenkirche, Vienna and the Votivkirche Wien.

Modern attractions include the Hundertwasserhaus, the Vienna International Centre and the view from the Donauturm.Image:vena 19.jpg]Image:Albertina Wien001.jpg|Albertina, ViennaImage:Secession Vienna June 2006 006.jpg|The Vienna Secession buildingImage:Schloss Schoenbrunn Gloriette DSC02028.JPG|The Gloriette at Schönbrunn PalaceImage:Schloß Schönbrunn.jpg|Schönbrunn PalaceImage:Naturhistorisches Museum Wien - Panorama.jpg]Image:Wiener Riesenrad dsc02961.jpg|The Riesenrad in the Wiener PraterImage:Austria_Parlament_Athena.jpg]

International organizations in Vienna complex in Vienna, with the Austria Center Vienna in front, taken from Donauturm in the nearby Donaupark before the extensive building workVienna is the seat of a number of United Nations offices and various international institutions and companies, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Additionally, Vienna is the seat of the UNCITRAL secretariat (UNCITRAL). In conjunction, the University of Vienna annually hosts the prestigious Willem C. Vis Moot, an international commercial arbitration competition for students of law from around the world.

Various special diplomatic meetings have been held in Vienna in the latter half of the 20th Century, resulting in various documents bearing the name Vienna Convention or Vienna Document. Among the more important documents negotiated in Vienna are the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as the 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).

Charitable organizations in Vienna Alongside the international and intergovernmental organisations, there are dozens of charitable organisations based in Vienna; these organisations provide relief goods and assistance to tens of thousands of disadvantaged children and needy people in Developing country.

One such organisation is the network of SOS Children's Villages, founded by Hermann Gmeiner in 1949. Today, SOS Children's Villages are active in 132 countries and territories worldwide. Others include HASCO and the Childrens Bridge of Hope.

Twin cities , in rural HietzingVienna is twinned with the following cities:{| border="0"|-|valign="top"| Other forms of cooperation and city friendship similar to the twin city programmes: |valign="top"| |}

In addition, individual Viennese districts are twinned with Japanese city/districts:

See also

References External links
{{Template group|title = Vienna in the European Union|list =-->



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