POPULATION: 1.7 million (more than 25% the population of Austria)
-Vienna is the 10th largest city in the EU
-In 2009, it was tied with Vancouver as the city with the highest quality of life.
QUICK HISTORY
Under the Habsburgs back in the 13th century, Vienna became a major European capital. It was, for a time, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. It was the capital of Bohemia and Hungary when they were under Austrian rule. It was subject to attack by the Ottoman Empire, so it became a fortified city in the 16th century. When the Ottomans were finally defeated in 1683, during the Second Turkish Siege (where they were defeated by Polish King Jan Sobieski), Vienna was finally able to let its guard down and flourish.
The 18th Century was characterized by extensive building, in the baroque fashion. Many palais were constructed during this time.
BAROQUE
The artistic style that prevailed in Europe from the 16th-18th centuries. Its popularity was supported by the Catholic Church, who wanted arts to communicate religious themes (as a response to the Reformation). The Renaissance before it hade gotten away from religious themes a little in favour of realism, so baroque style saw a return to it. The aristocracy also enjoyed baroque architecture because it was impressive to visitors, and expressed triumph and control. It is simple, but at the same time, characterized by large courtyards and entrances, grand staircases and reception rooms, operatic gestures, and, above all, opulence.
Where the Turks had been unsuccessful in capturing Vienna, Napoleon’s army was able to capture it twice during the French Revolution (in 1805 and 1809). The first conquest happened without a battle; three French marshals crossed the Tabor Bridge over the Danube, told the Austrian commander who was guarding the bridge that the war was over, and they let the French army enter without a fight. Napoleon was quite good to the Viennese, and let them keep their national guard and all of their arsenal.
Congress of Vienna
After Napoleon was defeated, the Congress of Vienna took place. This was a meeting of ambassasdors from around Europe to draw the European political map after the French Revolution had ended after 25 years of war, and the Holy Roman Empire abolished. It was held in Vienna from November 1814 to June 1815. At this congress, the boundaries of France, the Netherlands, and various Italian territories were drawn.
The Congress of Vienna was a model for the League of Nations and the UN. There were representatives from all of the nations that took part in the Napoleonic wars (around 200 representatives of cities, religious organizations, special interest groups too), but the most influential players were: Russia, Britain, Prussia and Austria and France. One unusual characteristic was that the meetings were not formal, held in boardroom affairs. They were informal, face-to-face meetings between leaders.
The main results from the Congress included: Russia was given the Duchy of Warsaw (Poland), and Finland; the nearly 300 states of the Holy Roman Empire were consolidated into Germany; the Netherlands were united (but broke apart shortly afterwards when Belgium revolted); the neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed; Austria received control of Croatia, Hungary, Bohemia and Slovakia; the slave trade was condemned.
The 1867 union of Austria-Hungary saw Vienna become the capital of the Empire. The 19th century was a heyday for Vienna: it was the centre of classical music, high culture and modernism.
WWI saw no physical damage inflicted upon Vienna, but it was the end of Austria-Hungary, which was proclaimed in front of the Parliament in Vienna.
Inflation after the war, economic difficulties, radicalization of the government, latent anti-semitism that had been increasing over many years, and the frustration all of this caused in the population led to Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler being warmly welcomed in Vienna. He gave a famous speech from the balcony of the Hofburg. The Viennese citizens took part in the November, 1938 Reichskristallnact (this was a simultaneous attack across several cities, triggered by the assassination of a German diplomat by a Polish Jew in Paris; it led to up to 30,000 Jews being arrested, placed into concentration camps, their homes and synagogues destroyed, belongings confiscated). Vienna was less supportive of Nazism than the rest of Austria, in fact Hitler himself hated Vienna and wanted to see his childhood hometown of Linz replace it as capital, but this did not result in any resistance. When WWII ended, Vienna was divvied up between the Allied powers (similar to the division of Berlin, but not as severe), and it did not regain its political independence until 1955.
Today, Vienna is full of beautiful buildings, grand parks, magnificent architecture. The Habsburg history can be traced, but there is a lot of Art Nouveau around as well. Vienna is the seat of many international organizations: it is the 4th UN City (after New York, Geneva and The Hague)
VIENNESE BALLS
Vienna is the last capital of the 19th century ball. There are still over 200 balls per year, with orchestras, in beautiful venues around Venue, the most impressive being the Hofburg Palace. For many Viennese, they will attend several balls in their lifetime (as long as they are at least middle class), and for the richer folk, the ball season may last several months.
VIENNESE COFFEE SHOPS
The Austrians claim to be the inventors of filtered coffee. Apparently, when the Turks invaded in 1683, they left behind sacks of coffee beens. The King gave the sacks to one of the officers who helped to defeat the Turks, named Jerzy Kulczycki. Jerzy had his choice of booty, but left behind gold and weapons in favour of the beans that others thought was just camel feed; he had visited Turkey, and knew exactly what it was. After a little experimentation, and the addition of sugar and milk, he was able to make it a little more palatable to the Austrians, and opened the first Viennese coffee house. The concept then spread to the other countries of the Austro-Hungarian empire; by 1900, there were 600 coffee shops in Vienna alone. (Paris, however, was the first city to open a coffeehouse in Europe).
The Viennese coffee house became an institution in the 19th century, with writers and artists turning up there to discuss and create their work. The Viennese coffee house is the equivalent to the Parisian cafe.
The popularity of coffee houses waned with the rise of television and chain coffee shops (some old coffee shops are now Starbucks), but there are still some classic examples in Vienna.
A few to try:
Cafe Frauenhuber: Vienna’s oldest cafe and one of Mozart’s favourites
Kleines Cafe: One of the smallest in town, and used in the movie Before Sunrise
Cafe Sperl: Hitler’s preferred cafe
SITES AROUND TOWN:
BURGTHEATER
OPERA HOUSES
HOFBURG PALACE: The Habsburg’s city centre base. Inside are many museums:
HOFBURG MUSEUM: the location of the treasury, holding the imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty.
SISSI MUSEUM: tells the story of the strange life of Emperor Franz Josef’s wife, Elisabeth (“Sissi”)
KAISERGRUFT: the Imperial vault, holding the remains of several Habsburgs, including Sissi (where many of her followers still leave flowers)
SCHONBRUNN PALACE: an imperial, 1440 summer palace. It has gardens similar to Versailles, a maze, and is also home to the world’s oldest zoo, the TIERGARTEN SCHONBRUNN
-100 Art Museums around town
OBERES BELVEDERE: A Baroque palace-cum-art gallery, home to Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, and other Impressionists and early 20th century works. (There was a scandal in 2005, which saw 5 Klimts returned to Maria Altmann, the descendent of the man who owned the paintings before they were stolen by the Nazis; one of the 5 paintings was later sold for US$135 million, making it the world’s most expensive painting).
MUSEUM QUARTER: Former Imperial Stalls that were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s (including the LEOPOLD MUSEUM)
MUSEUM MODERNER KUNST: Art Gallery
KunstHausWien: Designed by Vienna’s version of Antoni gaudi, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, this former factory was transformed into an art gallery. It has a collection of his works, and other modern artists.
Hundertwasser House: Another of Viennese Gaudi’s designs; very colourful, in different squares of colours, its floors are uneven (an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feet), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing inside the rooms, with limbs extending from the windows. The artist, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, took no payment for the house, which he designed in the 1980s to counter all of the baroque and classical architecture. saying it was worth it to prevent something ugly from being built there.
ALBERTINA: A few Michelangelos, and other modern exhibitions, are here.
ZENTRALFRIEDHOF (Central Cemetery): Home to Beethoven’s grave, as well as Schubert and Brahms. Mozart has a monument here, but is buried elsewhere.
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL: Found in Judenplatz, the first of its kind in Austria
PETSAULE: The Plague Column, on Graben (the Plague killed 1/3 of Vienna’s population)
Thursday, April 15, 2010
AUSTRIA
Capital: Vienna
Population: approx: 8,400,000 (approx. 2 million in Vienna, or 20% of the population - no other city exceeds 1 million)
Currency: Euro
Languages: officially German (also Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian locally)
Borders: Austria is landlocked: Germany and Czech Republic to the North; Slovakia and Hungary to the East; Slovenia and Italy to the South; Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the West
Landscape: The Alps constitute 62% of the nation’s total area (of the total area of Austria, only a quarter can be considered low-lying)
Rivers: Danube (in Vienna); Salzach (Salzburg)
Part of EU?: Yes (since 1995)
-Austria is one of six European countries that have declared permanent neutrality (written into its constitution)
-It is one of the 10 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP
-Vienna is consistently rated first or second most livable city (after Vancouver)
QUICK HISTORY
The age of the great Austrian Empire really kicked off with two important marriages: 1477, Mary (daughter of the last Duke of Burgundy) and Max (son of Frederick III Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor); and 1496, their son Philip married Johanna the Mad (daughter of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella). Another marriage a few years later (Max’s grandson to the daughter of the King of Bohemia and Hungary) gets them the crown of Hungary too (after the Hungarians are defeated by the Turks at the Battle of Mohacs).
This pretty much gives the titles to Burgundy, Spain, Austria and Germany, i.e. most of the major kingdoms of Europe at the time, to the Habsburgs, making them the most powerful dynasty since the Romans, and all through peaceful means.
The Habsburg marriages of 1477 and 1496 give rise to a much quoted line of Latin poetry: Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube (Let others make war; you, fortunate Austria, marry).
These intermarriages inevitably resulted in disaster and inbreds, but it worked for many years.
The Habsurgs were great patrons of the arts (much like the Medicis). They were the origin of all of the Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, rulers of the Austrian and Spanish Empires, and responsible for bringing the thrones of Burgundy, Spain, Bohemia and Hungary (and others) together. They separated into the Spanish branch and the Austrian branch, and by the 18th century, both died out due to lack of male heirs (their reign began by creating families, and ended with lack of families, probably due to their inter-marriages!). The Spanish branch ended with Charles II in 1700 and was replaced by the house of Bourbon (Philip V). This prompted the War of the Spanish Succession. The Austrian branch ended in 1780 after Maria Theresa died and the new house called itself the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
They wanted to consolidate their power through marriage, but this resulted in disaster. They married their cousins, their uncles or nieces, and this inbreeding led not only to the famous Habsburg jaw, and to severely disabled leaders such as Charles II, but to their eventual extinction. The last Habsburg on the throne was Charles I, who was deposed in 1919, and because Austria had lost WWI, the Habsburgs were banished from Austria until they renounced all claims to the throne (which Otto von Habsburg subsequently did). But regardless of their dubious sexual preferences, they were great patrons of the art, responsible for Austria’s great history of classical music, and possibly for Kaiser rolls.
But back to the history of Austria ...
In 1556, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire was located in Vienna, and the Holy Roman Emperors ruled places as far away as Belgium. Before the French Revolution, it didn’t matter as much what type of nationality you were, but rather who ruled you (the Turks ruled the Balkans, for example). The French Revolution changed all that, saying that people should be ruled within their own “national” boundaries. Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, declared himself Emperor of Austria
After the Congress of Vienna in 1814, which ended the French Revolution, all of the leaders of Europe got together to figure out who controlled what. Austria ended up responsible for Germany and Italy, as well as Hungary, Bohemia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia.
Revolution broke out in 1848,, and Austria lost much of its territory (after the German Prussians revolted). In 1867, Hungary demanded a dual-government, so the kingdom officially changed its name to Austria-Hungary. Their joint parliament would meet one year in Vienna, the next in Budapest. This union worked well; they made good trading partners, and their territories, such as Croatia, managed to get enough concession to keep them happy.
The only ones that weren’t happy were the Serbians. They won their independence from Turkey in 1878, and wanted to establish a large Slav state, with the King of Serbia at its head. To do this, they particularly wanted Bosnia (which still belonged to the Turks, but its population was Serb/Croat/Bosnian). The Russians were happy with this idea, being fellow-Slavs, but Austria-Hungary was not, and in 1908, Austria took over Bosnia for itself.
In 1914, when Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne) was celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife in Sarajevo, a Serb terrorist group, lead by Gavrilo Princip, shot the Archduke dead.
Thus began WWI.
The teams were: Austria-Hungary/Germany/Turkey vs. Serbia/Russia/France/Italy/Britain/US.
Once the Americans entered the war, it ended a year later.
The different nationalities (Yugoslavia/Hungary/Czechoslovakia/Poland) declared independence, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed.
Fast-forward to WWII, when Adolf Hitler, from Braunau, Austria, had a vision to re-unite all of the German-speaking people of Europe (the way it was back during the Holy Roman Empire).
STRUDEL
Origins from Turkish burek, probably entered Austria through its ties with Croatia and Bosnia. Austrian cuisine took in a lot of qualities from the territories it posessed during the Austro-Hungarian empire. The oldest strudel recipe dates back to 1656, from the Habsburg empire.
WIENER SCHNITZEL
Commonly served with a slice of lemon and potato salad/potatos. The traditional Wiener schnitzel is made of veal, but now also made of pork. There are debates as to whether it originated in Italy, or in Austria. “Wiener” means Viennese in German. Legend has it that a Kaiser in the 9th century liked his meat covered with gold; this practice was a little too expensive, so an alternative was created: yellow-gold bread crumbs. Breading meat soon spread to other countries (through the influence of the Austrian empire). In the 1800s, an Austrian discovered a meal called “Costoletta alla Milanese” in Milan, which was a thick veal cutlet covered in bread crumbs, and he brought it back to Austria.
KAISER ROLLS
Originated in Vienna, thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Josef. Franz Josef, incidentally, was the last Emperor of Austro-Hungary before its dissolution in 1918, and the second last from the house of Habsburg-Lorraine (Charles I was last). His heir was his nephew, Franz Ferdinand. Franz Josef is the third-longest reigning leader in Europe (after Louis XIV of France and Johannes II, Prince of Liechtenstein).
PEZ
First marketed as a compressed peppermint candy in 1927 in Vienna. (“PEZ” is derived from the German word for Peppermint: Pfefferminz). The first PEZ dispensers were shaped like cigarette lighters, and were marketed as an alternative to smoking. In 1955, the first heads were put onto the dispensers, and to date, over 1500 varieties have been created. The Pez HQ is still found in Austria. The highest amount ever paid for a Pez dispenser was $7000, for a Mickey Mouse head. They also have Pez conventions.
-SCHNAPPS
COFFEE
The Austrians claim to be the inventors of filtered coffee. Apparently, when the Turks invaded in 1683, they left behind sacks of coffee beens. The King gave the sacks to one of the officers who helped to defeat the Turks, named Jerzy Kulczycki. Jerzy had his choice of booty, but left behind gold and weapons in favour of the beans that others thought was just camel feed; he had visited Turkey, and knew exactly what it was. After a little experimentation, and the addition of sugar and milk, he was able to make it a little more palatable to the Austrians, and opened the first Viennese coffee house. The concept then spread to the other countries of the Austro-Hungarian empire; by 1900, there were 600 coffee shops in Vienna alone. (Paris, however, was the first city to open a coffeehouse in Europe).
The Viennese coffee house became an institution in the 19th century, with writers and artists turning up there to discuss and create their work. The Viennese coffee house is the equivalent to the Parisian cafe.
The popularity of coffee houses waned with the rise of television and chain coffee shops (some old coffee shops are now Starbucks), but there are still some classic examples in Vienna.
A few to try:
Cafe Frauenhuber: Vienna’s oldest cafe and one of Mozart’s favourites
Kleines Cafe: One of the smallest in town, and used in the movie Before Sunrise
Cafe Sperl: Hitler’s preferred cafe
REDBULL
Began in 1987, inspired by Lucozade and other “functional” drinks in Asia. The inventor, an Austrian entrepreneur named Dietrich Mateschitz,, visited Thailand and found that one of their energy drinks cured his jet-lag. He worked for three years to create Redbull, changing the taste a bit and making it more palatable to Westerners (its taste is said to be akin to liquid gummy bears), and it hit the market in Austria (Salzburg), and in 1992, hit its first foreign market in Hungary. In the 1990s, the company was the most highly valued in Austria, and Mateschitz its richest individual. Today, the owners of Redbull are the 260th richest persons in the world (Forbes). In Germany, a small amount of cocaine was found in Rebdull, so six German states have banned the drink until further notice. The Thai drink that Redbull was inspired by – called Krating Daeng, was popular among cab drivers and blue collar workers, but Red Bull markets itself strongly to young, active people, by sponsoring football teams, RedBull Flugtag (a homemade flying competition ... Mateschitz was a flying enthusiast) , racecars, extreme sports, graffiti-style advertising, promotions for young club-goers, Reggie Bush is a sponsor.
SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL
Founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski using his expertise at glass-cutting. First factory was built in Wattens, Austria (near Innsbruck). Swarovski was born in Bohemia, and his father was a glass-cutter who owned a small factory (glass-cutting is very popular in the Czech Republic). In 1892, Daniel patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the process, and with a few partners, founded his company in Austria. The Swarovski theme park, Crystal Worlds, is located in Wattens and was built in 1985 to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary. Today, the crystals are used for jewellery, Christmas trees (Rockefeller Centre), Bluetooth pieces, chandeliers, figurines (the figurine line was started accidentally in 1973 when a designer built a little mess out of spare chandelier parts).
CLASSICAL MUSIC
In the 18th and 19th centuries, classical musicians were drawn to Vienna due to the patronage of the Habsburgs (much like the Medicis during the Renaissance). This was known as the Classical Period, and Vienna was its capital. Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, were all there during that time. The Vienna Philarmonic’s New Years concert is still one of Europe’s most important concerts.
In modern times, Falco is Austria’s most famous musician (“Rock me Amadeus”).
The accordion was also invented in Austria.
VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR
Founded in 1498 by Emperor Maximilian I (a Habsburg, of course) for concerts of the court and private masses. They were privately tutored, which of course had a positive influence on the rest of their lives. Mozart has worked with this choir. Today, there are over 100 members, between the ages of 10 and 14. They are broken up into 4 groups, each of which tours for about 9 to 11 weeks per year and are named after Bruckner, Mozart, Haydn and Schubert.
Other Famous Austrians:
GUSTAV KLIMT
SIGMUND FREUD
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGAR
Population: approx: 8,400,000 (approx. 2 million in Vienna, or 20% of the population - no other city exceeds 1 million)
Currency: Euro
Languages: officially German (also Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian locally)
Borders: Austria is landlocked: Germany and Czech Republic to the North; Slovakia and Hungary to the East; Slovenia and Italy to the South; Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the West
Landscape: The Alps constitute 62% of the nation’s total area (of the total area of Austria, only a quarter can be considered low-lying)
Rivers: Danube (in Vienna); Salzach (Salzburg)
Part of EU?: Yes (since 1995)
-Austria is one of six European countries that have declared permanent neutrality (written into its constitution)
-It is one of the 10 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP
-Vienna is consistently rated first or second most livable city (after Vancouver)
QUICK HISTORY
The age of the great Austrian Empire really kicked off with two important marriages: 1477, Mary (daughter of the last Duke of Burgundy) and Max (son of Frederick III Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor); and 1496, their son Philip married Johanna the Mad (daughter of Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella). Another marriage a few years later (Max’s grandson to the daughter of the King of Bohemia and Hungary) gets them the crown of Hungary too (after the Hungarians are defeated by the Turks at the Battle of Mohacs).
This pretty much gives the titles to Burgundy, Spain, Austria and Germany, i.e. most of the major kingdoms of Europe at the time, to the Habsburgs, making them the most powerful dynasty since the Romans, and all through peaceful means.
The Habsburg marriages of 1477 and 1496 give rise to a much quoted line of Latin poetry: Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube (Let others make war; you, fortunate Austria, marry).
These intermarriages inevitably resulted in disaster and inbreds, but it worked for many years.
The Habsurgs were great patrons of the arts (much like the Medicis). They were the origin of all of the Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, rulers of the Austrian and Spanish Empires, and responsible for bringing the thrones of Burgundy, Spain, Bohemia and Hungary (and others) together. They separated into the Spanish branch and the Austrian branch, and by the 18th century, both died out due to lack of male heirs (their reign began by creating families, and ended with lack of families, probably due to their inter-marriages!). The Spanish branch ended with Charles II in 1700 and was replaced by the house of Bourbon (Philip V). This prompted the War of the Spanish Succession. The Austrian branch ended in 1780 after Maria Theresa died and the new house called itself the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
They wanted to consolidate their power through marriage, but this resulted in disaster. They married their cousins, their uncles or nieces, and this inbreeding led not only to the famous Habsburg jaw, and to severely disabled leaders such as Charles II, but to their eventual extinction. The last Habsburg on the throne was Charles I, who was deposed in 1919, and because Austria had lost WWI, the Habsburgs were banished from Austria until they renounced all claims to the throne (which Otto von Habsburg subsequently did). But regardless of their dubious sexual preferences, they were great patrons of the art, responsible for Austria’s great history of classical music, and possibly for Kaiser rolls.
But back to the history of Austria ...
In 1556, the capital of the Holy Roman Empire was located in Vienna, and the Holy Roman Emperors ruled places as far away as Belgium. Before the French Revolution, it didn’t matter as much what type of nationality you were, but rather who ruled you (the Turks ruled the Balkans, for example). The French Revolution changed all that, saying that people should be ruled within their own “national” boundaries. Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, declared himself Emperor of Austria
After the Congress of Vienna in 1814, which ended the French Revolution, all of the leaders of Europe got together to figure out who controlled what. Austria ended up responsible for Germany and Italy, as well as Hungary, Bohemia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia.
Revolution broke out in 1848,, and Austria lost much of its territory (after the German Prussians revolted). In 1867, Hungary demanded a dual-government, so the kingdom officially changed its name to Austria-Hungary. Their joint parliament would meet one year in Vienna, the next in Budapest. This union worked well; they made good trading partners, and their territories, such as Croatia, managed to get enough concession to keep them happy.
The only ones that weren’t happy were the Serbians. They won their independence from Turkey in 1878, and wanted to establish a large Slav state, with the King of Serbia at its head. To do this, they particularly wanted Bosnia (which still belonged to the Turks, but its population was Serb/Croat/Bosnian). The Russians were happy with this idea, being fellow-Slavs, but Austria-Hungary was not, and in 1908, Austria took over Bosnia for itself.
In 1914, when Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the throne) was celebrating his wedding anniversary with his wife in Sarajevo, a Serb terrorist group, lead by Gavrilo Princip, shot the Archduke dead.
Thus began WWI.
The teams were: Austria-Hungary/Germany/Turkey vs. Serbia/Russia/France/Italy/Britain/US.
Once the Americans entered the war, it ended a year later.
The different nationalities (Yugoslavia/Hungary/Czechoslovakia/Poland) declared independence, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed.
Fast-forward to WWII, when Adolf Hitler, from Braunau, Austria, had a vision to re-unite all of the German-speaking people of Europe (the way it was back during the Holy Roman Empire).
STRUDEL
Origins from Turkish burek, probably entered Austria through its ties with Croatia and Bosnia. Austrian cuisine took in a lot of qualities from the territories it posessed during the Austro-Hungarian empire. The oldest strudel recipe dates back to 1656, from the Habsburg empire.
WIENER SCHNITZEL
Commonly served with a slice of lemon and potato salad/potatos. The traditional Wiener schnitzel is made of veal, but now also made of pork. There are debates as to whether it originated in Italy, or in Austria. “Wiener” means Viennese in German. Legend has it that a Kaiser in the 9th century liked his meat covered with gold; this practice was a little too expensive, so an alternative was created: yellow-gold bread crumbs. Breading meat soon spread to other countries (through the influence of the Austrian empire). In the 1800s, an Austrian discovered a meal called “Costoletta alla Milanese” in Milan, which was a thick veal cutlet covered in bread crumbs, and he brought it back to Austria.
KAISER ROLLS
Originated in Vienna, thought to have been named to honor Emperor Franz Josef. Franz Josef, incidentally, was the last Emperor of Austro-Hungary before its dissolution in 1918, and the second last from the house of Habsburg-Lorraine (Charles I was last). His heir was his nephew, Franz Ferdinand. Franz Josef is the third-longest reigning leader in Europe (after Louis XIV of France and Johannes II, Prince of Liechtenstein).
PEZ
First marketed as a compressed peppermint candy in 1927 in Vienna. (“PEZ” is derived from the German word for Peppermint: Pfefferminz). The first PEZ dispensers were shaped like cigarette lighters, and were marketed as an alternative to smoking. In 1955, the first heads were put onto the dispensers, and to date, over 1500 varieties have been created. The Pez HQ is still found in Austria. The highest amount ever paid for a Pez dispenser was $7000, for a Mickey Mouse head. They also have Pez conventions.
-SCHNAPPS
COFFEE
The Austrians claim to be the inventors of filtered coffee. Apparently, when the Turks invaded in 1683, they left behind sacks of coffee beens. The King gave the sacks to one of the officers who helped to defeat the Turks, named Jerzy Kulczycki. Jerzy had his choice of booty, but left behind gold and weapons in favour of the beans that others thought was just camel feed; he had visited Turkey, and knew exactly what it was. After a little experimentation, and the addition of sugar and milk, he was able to make it a little more palatable to the Austrians, and opened the first Viennese coffee house. The concept then spread to the other countries of the Austro-Hungarian empire; by 1900, there were 600 coffee shops in Vienna alone. (Paris, however, was the first city to open a coffeehouse in Europe).
The Viennese coffee house became an institution in the 19th century, with writers and artists turning up there to discuss and create their work. The Viennese coffee house is the equivalent to the Parisian cafe.
The popularity of coffee houses waned with the rise of television and chain coffee shops (some old coffee shops are now Starbucks), but there are still some classic examples in Vienna.
A few to try:
Cafe Frauenhuber: Vienna’s oldest cafe and one of Mozart’s favourites
Kleines Cafe: One of the smallest in town, and used in the movie Before Sunrise
Cafe Sperl: Hitler’s preferred cafe
REDBULL
Began in 1987, inspired by Lucozade and other “functional” drinks in Asia. The inventor, an Austrian entrepreneur named Dietrich Mateschitz,, visited Thailand and found that one of their energy drinks cured his jet-lag. He worked for three years to create Redbull, changing the taste a bit and making it more palatable to Westerners (its taste is said to be akin to liquid gummy bears), and it hit the market in Austria (Salzburg), and in 1992, hit its first foreign market in Hungary. In the 1990s, the company was the most highly valued in Austria, and Mateschitz its richest individual. Today, the owners of Redbull are the 260th richest persons in the world (Forbes). In Germany, a small amount of cocaine was found in Rebdull, so six German states have banned the drink until further notice. The Thai drink that Redbull was inspired by – called Krating Daeng, was popular among cab drivers and blue collar workers, but Red Bull markets itself strongly to young, active people, by sponsoring football teams, RedBull Flugtag (a homemade flying competition ... Mateschitz was a flying enthusiast) , racecars, extreme sports, graffiti-style advertising, promotions for young club-goers, Reggie Bush is a sponsor.
SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL
Founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski using his expertise at glass-cutting. First factory was built in Wattens, Austria (near Innsbruck). Swarovski was born in Bohemia, and his father was a glass-cutter who owned a small factory (glass-cutting is very popular in the Czech Republic). In 1892, Daniel patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the process, and with a few partners, founded his company in Austria. The Swarovski theme park, Crystal Worlds, is located in Wattens and was built in 1985 to commemorate the company’s 100th anniversary. Today, the crystals are used for jewellery, Christmas trees (Rockefeller Centre), Bluetooth pieces, chandeliers, figurines (the figurine line was started accidentally in 1973 when a designer built a little mess out of spare chandelier parts).
CLASSICAL MUSIC
In the 18th and 19th centuries, classical musicians were drawn to Vienna due to the patronage of the Habsburgs (much like the Medicis during the Renaissance). This was known as the Classical Period, and Vienna was its capital. Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, were all there during that time. The Vienna Philarmonic’s New Years concert is still one of Europe’s most important concerts.
In modern times, Falco is Austria’s most famous musician (“Rock me Amadeus”).
The accordion was also invented in Austria.
VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR
Founded in 1498 by Emperor Maximilian I (a Habsburg, of course) for concerts of the court and private masses. They were privately tutored, which of course had a positive influence on the rest of their lives. Mozart has worked with this choir. Today, there are over 100 members, between the ages of 10 and 14. They are broken up into 4 groups, each of which tours for about 9 to 11 weeks per year and are named after Bruckner, Mozart, Haydn and Schubert.
Other Famous Austrians:
GUSTAV KLIMT
SIGMUND FREUD
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGAR
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