Category: Austria

Austria is situated in Central Europe and the country is landlocked by Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The capital of the country is Vienna and it is the largest city of Austria. The history of Austria is dated back to the period of Habsburg dynasty and the country became one among the greatest powers in Europe. The Habsburg dynasty collapsed in the year 1918 and in 1919, first Austrian Republic was established. Nazi Germany occupied Austria in 1938 till the end of Second World War. After WW II, Austria was re-established as a democratic constitution in the year 1955.

Austria is a democratic federal parliamentary republic in which the head of the state is the Federal President. Federal Chancellor is the chairman of Federal Government. The Austrian Parliament comprises of two chambers, Nationalrat and Bundesrat. Austria is one among the richest countries of the world. Austria depends on a social market economy. The people of Austria enjoys high standard of living. Majority of the GDP is generating from the service sector. Tourism also plays an important role in the economy of Austria. Austria is popular for both summer and winter tourism. Austrian economy highly depends on the economy of the Germany as German is the major trading partner of Austria.

The population of Austria is 8,8 million and the capital Vienna has more than 1.8 million people. Austrians are homogenous population and about 88.6% are natives who speak German. The official language of the country is German. Other languages spoken in the country are Hungarian, Turkish, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian and Bosnian. About 74% of the population is Roman Catholic and 5% are Protestants. Other minorities are Islam, Jews, Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists. Around 12% people say that they do not have any kind of religion.

Salzburg is one of the famous attractions of Austria where you can find several churches. The city can be enjoyed by strolling through old streets and enjoy the music festivals held in the city. Other attractions of Salzburg are Mirabell Palace, Hohensalzburg, Carolino Augusteum Museum and High Altar at Franziskanerkirche. Hohe Tauern National Park is famous for its wilderness and the park has various species of fauna and flora. Ars Electronica is a museum of future worth visiting in Austria. Eisriesenwelt caves are the largest among the ice caves of the world. The tourists will be provided with a carbide lamp to see inside the caves. The caves are famous for its ice formations which include big towers and columns, glaciers and waterfalls.

Benedictine Abbey is an artistic and cultural center with internationally famous baroque museum. The abbey consists of Baroque library which is the biggest ecclesiastical library of the world. The library is worth visiting with its architectural masterpiece, magnificent paintings, ancient printed books and rare manuscripts. The Swarovski Kristallwelten Visitor Centre consists of halls such as Crystal Dome, Crystal Planet, Crystal Calligraphy, Ice Lane, Crystal Meditation and Crystal Theater which are breathtaking. Gurk Cathedral is a famous tourist spots with Romanesque architecture and the cathedral has a magnificent altar that consists of 82 heads of angels and 72 statues.