DESTINATION AUSTRIA

Environment

Austria is a pipe-shaped, landlocked country lying in the bosom of Europe. It extends 560km from east to west, 280km north to south, and is surrounded by Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. The Alps occupy the southern and western portions of the country, and peak at the Grossglockner's 3797-metre summit. The upland forests of the Bohemian Massif run north to the Czech border, while the Danube Valley and the fertile lowlands of the east provide the bulk of Austria's arable land. There are numerous lakes in Carinthia and the Salzkammergut region; Lower Austria, Burgenland and Styria are the most important plonk-growing regions.

Nearly half of Austria is forested, mainly with oak and beech at low altitudes; at higher elevations conifers predominate. Trees yield to Alpine meadows at just over 2000m and orchids, edelweiss and poppies become quite common. In Alpine regions, fauna includes ibex (a mountain goat with huge curved horns), chamois (horned antelope) and marmots (cute little furry creatures unrelated to Marmite).

Austria's tourist calendar has two main seasons: the summer season runs from May to October and the winter ski season runs from December to April. Most of Austria has a moderate central European climate though the eastern part of the country is blessed with a Continental Pannonian climate, which sounds impressive but really only means that average temperatures in July are above 19 degrees Celsius and annual rainfall is less than 80 cm. Be prepared for a range of temperatures dependent on altitude, but unless you're on top of the Grossglockner you can probably count on temps between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius in summer, one and four degrees Celsius in winter, and eight and 15 degrees Celsius in spring and autumn. Be aware that the sun is intense at high altitudes and ski-goggle tan lines look very silly on those who do not take precautions.

History

In its early years, the land that became Austria was invaded by a succession of tribes and armies using the Danube Valley as a conduit - the Celts, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, Avars, Slavs and Manchester United supporters all came and went. Charlemagne established a territory in the Danube Valley known as the Ostmark in 803, and the area became Christianised and predominantly Germanic.

By 1278 the Habsburgs had gained control and this mighty dynasty managed to rule Austria right up until WW I. Although the Habsburgs were not averse to using a bit of muscle, they preferred less barbaric ways of extending their territory and so Austria gradually expanded thanks to judicious real estate purchases and some politically-motivated marriages. One such marriage produced two sons: the eldest became Charles I of Spain and then mutated three years later into Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire; the younger son, Ferdinand, became the first Habsburg to live in Vienna and was anointed ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia. In 1556, Charles abdicated as emperor and Ferdinand I was crowned in his place. Charles' remaining territory was inherited by his son, Phillip II, splitting the Habsburg dynasty into two distinct lines - the Spanish and the Austrian.

In 1571, when the emperor granted religious freedom, the vast majority of Austrians turned to Protestantism. In 1576, the new emperor, Rudolf II, embraced the Counter-Reformation and much of the country reverted, with a little coercion, to Catholicism. The attempt to impose Catholicism on Protestant areas of Europe led to the Thirty Years' War, which started in 1618 and devastated much of Central Europe. Peace was finally achieved in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. For much of the rest of the century, Austria was preoccupied with halting the advance of the Turks into Europe. Vienna nearly capitulated to a Turkish siege in 1683 but was rescued by a Christian force of German and Polish soldiers. Combined forces subsequently swept the Turks to the south-eastern edge of Europe. The removal of the Turkish threat saw a frenzy of Baroque building in many cities, and under the musical emperor Leopold I, Vienna became a magnet for musicians and composers.

In 1740, Maria Theresa ascended the throne and ruled for 40 years. This period is generally acknowledged as the era in which Austria developed as a modern state. During her reign, control was centralised, a civil service was established, the army and economy were reformed and a public education system was introduced. But progress was halted when Napoleon defeated Austria at Austerlitz in 1805. European conflict dragged on until the settlement at the Congress of Vienna in 1814-15. Austria was left with control of the German Confederation but suffered upheaval during the 1848 revolutions and eventual defeat in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. This led to the formation of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867 under emperor Franz Josef and exclusion from the new German empire unified by Bismarck. A period of prosperity followed but Austria's expansionist tendencies in the Balkans and its annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (nice move) in 1908 led to the assassination of the emperor's nephew in Sarajevo in June 1914. A month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, the Russians came to the Serbians' aid and the slaughter of WW I began in earnest.

At the conclusion of the war, the shrunken Republic of Austria was created and was forced to recognise the independent states of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia which, along with Romania and Bulgaria, had previously been under control of the Habsburgs. The new republic suffered economic strife, which led to an upsurge in Nazi-style politics. Austria's embrace of fascism meant that German troops met little opposition when they invaded in 1938 and incorporated Austria into the Third Reich. A national referendum in Austria that year supported the annexation. For its troubles, Austria was bombed heavily in WW II and by 1945 it had been restored to its 1937 frontiers by the victorious Allies. It was divided into four zones by occupying American, British, French and Russian troops who remained entrenched for a decade before withdrawing and allowing Austria to proclaim its neutrality.

In the post-war years Austria worked hard to overcome economic difficulties and established a free trade treaty with the European Union (EU, then known as the EEC) in 1972. Apart from the election of former German army officer and UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim to the Austrian Presidency in 1986, Austrian politics became a rational zone of consensus rather than conflict. Increases in Eastern European immigration following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc resulted in the rise of the right-wing anti-immigration Freedom Party in the late 1980s. Concern among moderates has been exacerbated by the recent influx of refugees from the former Yugoslavia. The Austrian people heartily endorsed their country's entry into the EU in a referendum in 1994 and formally joined the Union on 1 January 1995.

Economic Profile

GDP: US$175 billion
GDP per head: US$22,100
Annual growth: 2.5%
Inflation: 2.1%
Major industries: Machinery, textiles, iron & steel and timber
Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, Japan & Switzerland

Culture

Austria's hills are alive with the sound of music. Composers throughout Europe were drawn to the country in the 18th and 19th centuries by the generous patronage of the Habsburgs. During this period Vienna became to classical music what Seattle is to grunge. In fact many of the Habsburgs were themselves gifted musicians and would, history allowing, have made a funky quartet consisting of Leopold I (composer), Charles VI (violin), Maria Theresa (double bass) and Joseph II (harpsichord and cello). Back in the real world, at various times Beethoven, Brahms, Gluck, Hayden, Mahler, Mozart, Schubert, Schönberg and the Strausses all had their heads in the clouds and their bums on piano stools in Vienna. Today, institutions such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the angelic Vienna Boys' Choir, the Staatsoper (State Opera), the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus are unrivalled.

No shortage of pickings for the culture vulture (23K)

Austria has its fair share of fantastic buildings just to prove that some arty types were actually outside wearing tin hats and big boots instead of slippers and wigs. The Gothic style was popular between the 14th and 16th centuries, as evidenced by the number of imposing buildings with flying buttresses, pointed arches, ribbed ceiling vaults and pigeon toes. St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna is considered to be Austria's Gothic masterpiece. The next major stylistic influence was Baroque. Learning from the Italian model, Fischer von Erlach developed a national style called Austrian Baroque, typified in the National Library and the Church of St Charles in Vienna. Empress Maria Theresa had a fling with Rococo, a style so fussy that it makes Baroque look like Bauhaus - the interior of the Schöbrunn Palace is a fine example of such prissiness. The most interesting modern buildings are those designed by maverick architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser: several of his structures are the closest an apartment builder has ever got to recreating the exuberance of Gaudi.

Detail of the Augustinian Abbey at St Florian, near Linz (13K)

There's plenty of beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art in Austria's churches. Biedermeier, which is more well-known as a furniture style, also had its day in the gallery - and Biedermeier artist Moritz Michael Daffinger even found his way onto the AS20 note. The most famous Austrian painters were probably Gustav Klimt (Art Nouveau ) and Oskar Kokoschka (Viennese expressionism), but the most outrageous publicity was reserved for Viennese Actionism. This offshoot of abstract expressionism emerged in the late 1950s and sought access to the subconscious through the frenzy of direct art - read pouring paint over canvas and slashing it with knives; using blood and excrement as `paint' and human bodies as `brushes'; psychological endurance tests, self-mutilation and other nice Sunday school activities.

Exquisite terracotta arches, Schallaberg Castle, Melk (22K)

The biggest splash in the world of art, however, was made by an Austrian psychiatrist called Sigmund Freud. The originator of psychoanalysis gave us The Interpretation of Dreams, The Ego and the Id, penis envy, surrealism, a whole new language of symbolism, and large cushy leather couches. Other scary Austrians include the great film director Fritz Lang and muscly motormouth Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Traditional Austrian food is stodgy, hearty fare of the meat-and-dumpling variety. Wiener Schnitzel is Vienna's best known culinary concoction and it has spread to every two-bit eating house from New York City to Alice Springs. It's a fried cutlet, usually veal, covered in a coating of egg and breadcrumbs and, when cooked properly, has actually been known to be edible. Austrians are fond of eating bits of beasts that other nations ignore. Beuschel may be translated on menus as `calf's lights' but it's really thin slices of calf's lungs and heart. It's quite tasty. Really. Austria's excellent pastries and cakes are effective at transferring bulk from your money belt to your waistline. The most famous Austrian dessert is the strudel, a baked dough filled with a variety of fruits and a sprinkling of raisins and cinnamon. You'll need to wash down this calorie hit with a cold glass of Austrian beer or a swig of fine Austrian wine.

Events

The cycle of music festivals is unceasing. In January, New Year concerts consist of lavish balls in Vienna. February brings Fasching (Carnival) which celebrates the return of spring with masked processions and dances. Corpus Christi (the second Thursday after Whitsun) is heralded with more carnivals, some held on lakes in the Salzkammergut. The Vienna International Festival (from mid-May to mid-June) has a wide-ranging programme of arts and is considered the highlight of the year. Midsummer night's celebrations on 21 June light up the sky with magnificent bonfires. The Salzburg International Festival takes place in late-July and August and includes plenty of music by the city's favourite son, Mozart. National Day on 26 October involves lots of patriotic flag-waving. St Nicholas Day, on 5 December, marks the beginning of the Christmas season with parades.

Facts for the Traveller

Visas: EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand citizens do not require visas for stays of up to three months. Nationals of African and Arabic countries generally require a visa - also valid for up to three months.
Health risks: Altitude sickness, hypothermia and sunburn
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (see conversion table)
Tourism: 19 million visitors a year

Kitsch magnet (24K)

Currency: Austrian Schilling
Relative costs:

• Budget meal: US$6-10
• Moderate restaurant meal: US$10-20
• Top-end restaurant meal: US$25 and upwards
• Budget room: US$15-30
• Moderate hotel: US$60+ (double)
• Top-end hotel: US$80 and upwards

In tourist areas, budget travellers can get by on about US$25 per day if camping, staying in hostels, travelling on a rail pass, sticking to student cafés, cheap lunch specials or self-catering, and only having the occasional drink. Staying in a cheap pension and dispensing with self-catering will require about US$50 a day - add US$10 for a room with private bathroom. To stay in a mid-range hotel, have a cheap lunch, a decent dinner, some money to spend on evening entertainment and not be too concerned about how expensive a cup of coffee is, a daily allowance of at least US$80 would be needed. Off the beaten track, the main saving will be from lower accommodation prices.

Exchanging cash and travellers' cheques is rarely a problem in Austria. Changing cash attracts a negligible commission but the exchange rate is usually 1% to 4% lower than for cheques. American Express is the best place to change, especially if you have its cheques. Post offices have low commissions but not great exchange rates. A surprising number of Austrian shops and restaurants refuse to accept any credit cards but Bankomats (ATMs) are extremely common in Austria, even in small villages: you can withdraw cash from credit and debit accounts 24 hours a day.

Hotel and restaurant bills include a service charge, but hotel porters and cleaning staff usually expect something for their services. It is also customary to tip in restaurants and cafés. Round up smaller bills and add an extra 5% to 10% to larger ones: simply say the total amount you want them to take when handing over the money (it's not usual to leave the tip on the table). Taxi drivers will expect around 10% extra. Tour guides, cloakroom attendants and hairdressers are also usually tipped. Bargaining is not common except in flea markets, but you can try for a discount if paying for major purchases in cash and it never hurts to haggle for a better hotel rate in the low season if you're staying for more than a few days.

Attractions

Vienna

The city's golden years as the cultural centre of Europe were in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of the majestic architecture you see today is due to the efforts of Emperor Franz Joseph I, who had deep enough pockets to match his ambitious plans for a city that would reflect the power of the Habsburgs. Franz tore down a few redundant fortifications and exercise grounds surrounding the Innere Stadt and laid out the Ringstrasse between 1858 and 1865. In the decade that followed most of the impressive edifices which line this circuit began to be constructed.

Most of Vienna's major sights are within the Ring, in the central district known as the Innere Stadt. Top of the hitlist is St Stephen's Cathedral with its Romanesque Tower of Heathens, its 136-metre Gothic Südturm (south tower) and its exceptionally snazzy tiled roof. The catacombs in the cathedral include a bone house containing the remains of Vienna's countless victims of plague.

St Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna (9K)

The Hofburg (Imperial Palace) nearby was the home of the Habsburgs and is a monumental repository of Austria's cultural heritage. It includes the 14th-century Augustinian Church, the opulent Imperial Apartments, the Royal Chapel (where the Vienna Boy's Choir sings at Sunday mass), the Imperial Treasury (including religious relics such as one of the nails from the Crucifixion and one of the thorns from Christ's crown), the National Library, the Baroque Prunksaal hall and the fascinating Collection of Old Musical Instruments.

If you still haven't quenched your cultural thirst, the Museum of Fine Arts shows off the artwork funnelled back to Vienna by the Habsburgs. The museum is a delightful no-expense-spared work of art itself, and includes unrivalled collections of paintings by Rubens and Peter Brueghel the Elder. Don't even think about checking out everything in a single visit and try not to get neck strain staring at the superbly decorated ceilings. The Sigmund Freud Museum in the apartments where Siggi worked and lived contains his furniture, possessions, documents and photographs. Quite what the great man wanted with that terracotta male genitalia (exhibit 24) is a bit of a worry though.

Fine Arts Museum, Vienna (9K)

Outside the city centre is the splendid Baroque Belvedere Palace built for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The upper palace is now home to the Austrian Gallery, which has among its exhibits Gustav Klimt's famous painting The Kiss. The city's other famous Baroque palace is the Schönbrunn Palace, once home to Maria Theresa, and later to Napoleon. It has an interior kitted out with Rococo excesses and contains the Mirror Room where Mozart played his first royal concert and the Napoleon Room, which strangely contains a stuffed crested lark.

Accommodation can be a nightmare for low budget travellers - especially at Easter, Christmas and between June and September - so make reservations as far ahead as possible. Staying within the Innere Stadt is convenient for sightseeing but there are no hostels in this elegant area so it ain't cheap. Hotels and pensions between the Ring and the Gürtel are better value. The area north-west of the city centre, near the university, has numerous inexpensive restaurants. The best area for a night on the town is around Ruprechtsplatz, Seitenstettengasse, Rabensteig and Salzgries in the central zone near the Danube Canal. This area has been dubbed the `Bermuda Triangle' because drinkers disappear into its numerous pubs and clubs and become lost to the outside world.

Salzburg

The medieval Old Town and Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg (15K)

The high point of a visit to Salzburg (literally and metaphorically) is a tour of the 11th-century Hohensalzburg Castle, which stands on a rock outcrop about 120m above the city. It's almost a separate village in its own right, with all the usual self-sufficient accoutrements of a tiny settlement like torture chambers, state rooms, a tower and two museums. On the east side of the old town, the stunning Museum of Natural History has the standard flora and fauna displays, good hands-on physics exhibits and some stomach-churning deformed human embryos. To round off the grisly experience, there are tours of the catacombs in the graveyard of the 9th-century St Peter's Abbey.

Mirabell Castle had a starring role in The Sound of Music (20K)

If you're on a musical pilgrimage, you can visit Mozart's birthplace, his home, the grave of his father and widow, and the house of a person who once knew someone who knew someone whose great-great grandfather once played second bassoon in a Mozart opera. The Summer International Festival held in Salzburg in July-August naturally gives his tunes a good workout. If you're looking for kitsch, try The Sound of Music tour: ten bucks to the best rendition of Julie Andrews singing `The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music'. Four km south of Salzburg's old town is the Baroque Hellbrunn Palace, built in the 17th-century by bishop Marcus Sitticus. The grounds contain ingenious trick fountains and water-powered figures thanks to the bishop's strange fascination with soaking unsuspecting visitors. Expect the tour guides to continue the bishop's perverse tradition.

St Anton

Grossglockner Road

For a fantastic 50km mountain tour, load up the car and head for the Grossglockner Road, Austria's No1 panorama drama. The road was built between 1930 and 1935, but the course it follows has been an important trading route between Germany and Italy since the Middle Ages. Most of the juicy bits are in the Hohe Tauern National Park where there are dramatic views of numerous unpronounceable peaks, including the mighty Grossglockner which looms across the vast tongue of the Pasterze Glacier and looks every centimetre of its 3797m. The Grossglockner Road requires a toll and is open to traffic between May and November. Start the journey in Zell am See and end in Heiligenblut.

Off the Beaten Track

Rust

Kicking back in the Rathausplatz, Rust (19K)

Gurk

Mauthausen

Activities

All Austrians seem able to ski effortlessly which is a real pain if you're a beginner trying to look cool on the slopes. Vorarlberg and Tirol are the most popular areas, but there is also skiing in Salzburg province, Upper Austria and Carinthia. Kitzbühel and Lech are the jet-set resorts. Those with less money, a distaste for crowds and fine leg definition may find cross-country skiing more rewarding. This takes place just about anywhere where there's sufficient snow and a shortage of buildings.

There are thousands of km of well-signposted hiking trails to explore in the Alps. The Kaisergebirge mountains in northern Tirol are a favourite with mountaineers, though make sure you never climb on your own or without proper equipment and consult locals about weather conditions and avalanche warnings. Paragliding and hang-gliding are both popular, and you can hire gear and get tuition at most ski resorts. Ballooning is also taking off (so to speak), despite the high costs. The lakes in Salzkammergut and Carinthia offer water-skiing, sailing and windsurfing. River cruises on the Danube are a must, especially for Strauss lovers.

Getting There & Away

Vienna is Austria's main air transport hub, but there are international airports at Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt. If you're visiting Austria from outside Europe, it may be cheaper to fly to a European `gateway' city and travel overland from there. Munich, for example, is only two hours by train from Salzburg. Technically there's no departure tax when flying out of Austria, instead you cop a `passenger service charge' of around US$15.

Austria has excellent rail connections to all major European destinations. Buses are generally slower, cheaper and less comfortable than trains. Getting to Austria by road is simple, and there are fast, well-maintained Autobahnen (motorways) to all surrounding countries. Major border crossing points are open 24 hours a day. Those served by minor roads are open between 7 am and 9 pm (give or take an hour). Fast hydrofoils skim along the Danube between Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest during spring and summer but they're not exactly cheap. Steamers ply the Danube between Vienna and the German border town of Passau from May to late September.

Getting Around

Transport systems in Austria are highly developed and very efficient. Tyrolean Airways is the main domestic carrier and operates several flights a day between Austria's larger cities. Austrian trains are comfortable, clean and reasonably frequent. The Bundesbus (federal bus) network supplements the rail service, and is used for local trips or to get to out-of-the-way places rather than for long-distance travel. Some ski resorts in Tirol and Vorarlberg can only be reached by Bundesbus or private transport.

Rental car companies have branches in main cities. Roads are generally good, but sufficient respect should be given to difficult mountain routes. Austrians drive on the right, so you should seriously consider doing likewise. Trams are a common feature in Austrian cities; so take care if you've never driven amongst these mechanical creatures before. Bicycles can be hired from over 160 railway stations and returned to any other station with a rental office. Separate bike tracks are common and the Danube cycling trail, which runs from the Black Forest in Germany to Vienna and beyond, is something of a Holy Grail for cyclists.

Boat services along the Danube are slow and expensive and geared to scenic excursions rather than functional transport. Mountain transport falls into five main categories: funicular (Standseilbahn), cable car (Luftseilbahn), gondola (Gondelbahn), cable chair (Sesselbahn) and ski lift (Schlepplift). The cheapest way to get down a mountain is to place a dustbin liner under you and let fate and gravity prevail.

Recommended Reading

• Austrian fiction reached a monumental peak with Robert Musil's three-volume, unfinished The Man Without Qualities which depicts Austria in the early years of the 20th century as the Habsburgs' power waned. Thomas Bernhard's seamless text is surprisingly readable and verging on cult status. Cutting Timber is an incisive and scintillatingly dismissive portrait of Austrian society. Peter Handke's bleak and beautiful writings include The Goalkeeper's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick and The Left-Handed Woman and should be compulsory reading for anyone not thinking of committing suicide.
• Austria has proved fertile turf for foreign penpushers: Graham Greene set The Third Man in a rather spooky Vienna; Christina Stead's The Salzburg Tales is a Chauceresque novel about gatherers at the Salzburg Festival in the 1930s who tell each other stories; John Irving's Setting Free the Bears is a finely spun tale about releasing the animals from Vienna's zoo.
• Mozart & the Wolf Gang by Anthony Burgess is a learned but enjoyable celestial fantasy in which the great composers discourse on music and Mozart. Mozart and the Enlightenment by Nicholas Till is a scholarly work placing Mozart in historical context, with detailed analysis of his operatic works. Mozart and Vienna by HC Robbins Landon focuses on Wolfgang's Vienna years.
• A History of the Habsburg Empire 1526-1918 is a large authoritative tome by Robert A Kann that you would not want to lug around in a backpack.

• Austria
• Western Europe on a Shoestring
• Central Europe on a Shoestring
• Vienna city guide
• Western Europe phrasebook
• Central Europe phrasebook

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