The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Austria:
Background Information for
Austria
By Denise Leto
Sad but true, Austria (Österreich) sparks only vague recognition in the average traveler. Most conjure up hazy images of Alpine villages or Mozart operas; some can only think of Arnold Schwarzenegger; and a few just ask the dreaded "How can they stand all that Vegemite?" Austrians are always appalled to learn of their relative obscurity in the world's collective consciousness. They take their cosmopolitanism quite seriously and yearn to be considered a cultural superpower. There's no denying their credentials: Classical music flourishes year-round in festivals all over the country, drama and dance in Vienna remain some of the world's best, and opera continues to thrive not only in the capital, but also in Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, and Linz.
Austria's worldly outlook is not surprising when you consider that it was once the center of the mammoth Austro-Hungarian Empire, which stretched as far east as Transylvania in the 18th century. The Dual Monarchy with Hungary gave Austria a taste of imperialism, with a sizable chunk of the empire's resources going into monumental Renaissance and baroque architectural projects in Vienna. The Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed in 1918, and prodigal son Adolf Hitler returned home in 1938 to proclaim Austria a member of a different kind of imperial league. Hitler gave his Anschluß (annexation) speech to a jubilant Vienna and an already widely National Socialist country.
Austria's political influence was irrevocably squelched when its leaders signed the Treaty of Permanent Neutrality in 1955 to end the Allied occupation. Though undoubtedly a better deal than the one given to East Germany, it nonetheless made joining the EC (European Community) impossible. Vienna, which had been a center of world culture into the 1920s, slid to the status of cultural backwater, in limbo between East and West. With the dismantling of the Iron Curtain, however, Austria joined the embryonic EU (European Union) and reestablished important ties with old eastern friends. The promise of cultural renewal and economic prosperity brought a flood of new art galleries, restaurants, and immigrants; today, slow fulfillment of that promise has brought a rumble of dissatisfaction regarding the EU.
Austria is still best known for its traditional attractions, but lest you fear that all your days here be spent in museums and at concerts, know that the country's natural splendor rivals its artistic sophistication. Bike trails trace the route of the Donau (Danube) River, Alpine slopes provide plenty of powder for die-hard skiers, and oodles of Dörfer (villages) offer stunning scenery and down-home hospitality.
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