© Richard Randall

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Vienna

Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian: Beč, Czech: VÌdeň, Hungarian: BÈcs, Romanian: Viena, Romani: Bech or Vidnya, Russian: Вена, Slovak: Viedeň, Slovenian: Dunaj) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city; with a population of about 1.6 million (2.2 million within the metro area), Vienna is by far the largest city in Austria as well as its cultural, economic and political centre.

Situated on both sides of the River Danube, and only 60 kilometers off Austria's Eastern border, Vienna lies in the South East corner of Central Europe and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Vienna is the seat of a number of United Nations offices and various international institutions and companies, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

History

Founded around 500 BC Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement.

In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city ("Vindobona") guarding the Roman Empire against German tribes to the north. During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home of the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 became residence city of the Habsburg Dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the secret capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. The Ottoman-Turkish invasions of Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries were stopped twice just outside Vienna. See the Siege of Vienna (1529) and the Battle of Vienna (1683).

In 1804 Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire - the later Austro-Hungarian Empire, both played a major role in European and World politics. (See Congress of Vienna, 1815)

In 1918 after World War I Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. After 1945 Vienna and neutral Austria was a hotbed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs (Cold War). Since the end of the Cold War the city of Vienna is actively rebuilding ties with its Eastern neighbours.

Historical population

Due to the industrialization and immigration from other parts of the Empire, the population of Vienna increased sharply during its time as capital of Austria-Hungary (1867-1918). However, after World War I, many Czechs and Hungarians returned to their ancestral countries, which resulted in a decline in the population. Following the immigration at that time, about one third of the population of Vienna were of Slavic or Hungarian decent.

Inhabitants according to official census figures:

1800: 231,900

1830: 338,700

1850: 446,400

1880: 724,800

1900: 1,769,137

1910: 2,083,630

1923: 1,918,720

1934: 1,935,881

1939: 1,770,938

1951: 1,616,125

1961: 1,627,566

1971: 1,619,885

1981: 1,531,346

1991: 1,539,848

2001: 1,550,123

2005: 1,631,082

Districts

The city itself is composed of 23 districts (Bezirke), which, although they all have their own names, are numbered for the sake of convenience. Legally, they are not districts in the sense of administrative bodies with explicit powers (such as the districts in the other Austrian states), but mere subdivisions of the city administration. However, there are elections on the district level, which gives the representatives of the districts some political clout (e.g. in matters of planning, traffic etc.).

1.Innere Stadt (city centre) 2.Leopoldstadt 3. Landstraþe 4. Wieden 5. Margareten 6. Mariahilf 7. Neubau 8. Josefstadt 9. Alsergrund 10. Favoriten 11. Simmering 12. Meidling 13.Hietzing 14. Penzing 15. Rudolfsheim-F¸nfhaus 16. Ottakring 17. Hernals 18. W”hring 19. D–bling 20. Brigittenau 21. Floridsdorf 22. Donaustadt 23. Liesing

The heart and historical city of Vienna, the Innere Stadt (Inner City), was once surrounded by walls and open fields (in order to deny cover to potential attackers). The walls were razed in 1857, making it possible for the actual city to expand and eventually merge with the surrounding villages. In their place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstrasse was built. Along the Ringstrasse were imposing public and private buildings, monuments, and parks. These buildings include the Rathaus (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University, the Parliament, and the State Opera, which was burned in 1945 and reopened in 1955. It is also the location of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace. The mainly Gothic Saint Stephen's Cathedral is located in the centre of the 1st district. Beyond the Ringstrasse was another wall called the Linienwall, which was torn down in the second part of the 19th century to make room for expanding suburbs. It is now a street called G¸rtel (belt). Industries are located mostly in the southern and eastern districts. The Innere Stadt is not situated at the Danube, but at the Donaukanal (Danube Canal). Vienna's second district is located in between the canal and the Danube River. Across the Danube are the newest districts, which include the location of the International Center.