AUSTRIA :
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Austria has about 8
million inhabitants. Most of the Austrians live in the
flatter eastern part of the country. Vienna, the capital, has 1.6
million inhabitants. The other large cities with more than a hundred
thousand people living in it are Innsbruck, Linz, Graz and Salzburg. The
population consists mainly of 98% German-speaking Austrians. There are
also some thens of thousands of Croatians, Hungarians, Slovenians and
especially refugees of the former Yugoslavia. Officially, 80 % of the
population is catholic.
Of course, there's music: In Austria,
it seems that music mirrors the almost melodious beauty of the land. For
centuries, music has been both an integral part of everyday life and the
crowning glory of special occasions. There is no other country that has
made such enormous musical contributions to the world or had such an
enduring influence on the international musical scene as has Austria
over the course of its long and distinctive history.
Austria offers the riches of Europe in the proverbial nutshell:
spectacular vistas, Alpine splendor, pulsating nightlife,
sophisticated shopping, classical culture and culinary adventure. And
don't forget: Austria is the cradle of Alpine skiing--and skiing is a
way of life in the country of any skier's dreams.
Austria has been a favored travel destination for more than a thousand
years. We would like to introduce you to Austria, its Imperial cities
and Alpine splendor, and possibly whet your appetite to get to know more
about it all.
Furthermore, Austria is a country with a
rich cultural heritage. Vienna was once the center of the
important and large Habsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire. Vienna is the
capital of the baroque architecture, and the capital of music with names
such as Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Haydn and Wagner. Don't forget the
Viennese Walz.
