Vienna
Vienna[9][10] (German: Wien [viːn] ⓘ; Austro-Bavarian: Wean [veɐ̯n]) is the capital, largest city, and one of nine federal states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's most populous city and its primate city, with about two million inhabitants[3][11] (2.9 million within the metropolitan area,[12] nearly one-third of the country's population), and its cultural, economic, and political center. It is the fifth-largest city proper by population in the European Union and the largest of all cities on the Danube river by population.
This article is about the capital of Austria. For other uses, see Vienna (disambiguation).
Vienna
Austria
Vienna
414.78 km2 (160.15 sq mi)
395.25 km2 (152.61 sq mi)
19.39 km2 (7.49 sq mi)
151 (Lobau) – 542 (Hermannskogel) m (495–1,778 ft)
2,002,821[3]
4,326.1/km2 (11,205/sq mi)
2,223,236 ("Kernzone")[2]
2,890,577
- 46% Austrian
- 54% Other
German: Wiener (m), Wienerin (f)
Viennese
€101.960 billion (2021)
€53,000 (2021) (2nd)
- 1xx0 (xx = district number)
- 1300 (airport)
- 1400 (United Nations)
- other 1yyy (postal boxes)[6]
AT-9
wien
Historic Centre of Vienna
Cultural
ii, iv, vi
2001 (25th session)
2017–present[8]
The city lies on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald)—the northeasternmost foothills of the Alps, that separate Vienna from the more western parts of Austria—at the transition to the Pannonian Basin. It sits on the Danube, and is also traversed by the highly regulated Wienfluss (Vienna River). Vienna is completely surrounded by Lower Austria, and lies around 50 km (31 mi) west of Slovakia and its capital Bratislava, 60 km (37 mi) northwest of Hungary, and 60 km (37 mi) south of Moravia (Czech Republic).
The once Celtic settlement of Vedunia was converted by the Romans into the castrum and canaba Vindobona (province of Pannonia) in the 1st century, and was elevated to a municipium with Roman city rights in 212. This was followed by a time in the sphere of influece of the Lombards and later the Pannonian Avars, when Slavs formed the majority of the region's population.[a] From the 8th century on, the region was settled by the Baiuvarii. In 976, the Babenbergs established the Margraviate of Austria. In 1221, Vienna was granted city rights by Leopold VI. The reign of the Habsburgs started in 1278. In 1558, Vienna became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, which it remained until 1806.[b] It was the capital of the Austrian Empire from 1804 to 1867, and of the Cisleithanian part of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918, and subsequently became the capital of Austria.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had two million inhabitants.[13] Today, it is the second-largest German-speaking city after Berlin.[14][15] Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations, OPEC and the OSCE. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In July 2017 it was moved to the list of World Heritage in Danger.[16]
Vienna has been called the "City of Music"[17] due to its musical legacy, as many famous classical musicians such as Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Haydn, Mahler, Mozart, Schoenberg, Schubert, Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II lived and worked there.[18] It played a pivotal role as a leading European music center, from the age of Viennese Classicism through the early part of the 20th century. Vienna was home to the world's first psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud.[19] The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks.[20]
Rankings
In a 2005 study of 127 world cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the city first (tied with Vancouver and San Francisco) for the world's most livable cities. Between 2011 and 2015, Vienna was ranked second, behind Melbourne.[111] Monocle's 2015 "Quality of Life Survey" ranked Vienna second on a list of the top 25 cities in the world "to make a base within".[112] Monocle's 2012 "Quality of Life Survey" ranked Vienna fourth on a list of the top 25 cities in the world "to make a base within" (up from sixth in 2011 and eighth in 2010).[113] The UN-Habitat classified Vienna as the most prosperous city in the world in 2012–2013.[114] The city was ranked 1st globally for its culture of innovation in 2007 and 2008, and sixth globally (out of 256 cities) in the 2014 Innovation Cities Index, which analyzed 162 indicators in covering three areas: culture, infrastructure, and markets.[115][116][117] Between 2005 and 2010, Vienna was the world's number-one destination for international congresses and conventions.[118] It attracts over 6.8 million tourists a year.[119]
Vienna was ranked top in the 2019 Quality of Living Ranking by the international Mercer Consulting Group for the tenth consecutive year.[120] In the 2015 liveability report by the Economist Intelligence Unit as well as in the Quality of Life Survey 2015 of London-based Monocle magazine Vienna was equally ranked second most livable city worldwide.[121][122]
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme UN-Habitat has ranked Vienna the most prosperous city in the world in its flagship report State of the World Cities 2012/2013.[123]
According to the 2014 City RepTrack ranking by the Reputation Institute, Vienna has the best reputation in comparison with 100 major global cities.[124]
The Mori Memorial Institute for Urban Strategies ranked Vienna 14th of their Global Power City Index 2023.[125]
LGBT
Vienna is considered the center of LGBT life in Austria.[144] The city has an action plan against homophobic discrimination and, since 1998, has an anti-discrimination unit within the city's administration.[145] The city has several cafés, bars and clubs frequented by LGBT people. Among the most prominent is Café Savoy, which is a traditional coffee house built in 1896. In 2015, the city introduced traffic lights with same-sex couples before hosting the Eurovision Song Contest that year, which attracted media attention internationally.[146] Every year in June, Vienna Pride is organized. In 2019, when the pride parade was also hosting Europride, it attracted 500.000 visitors.[147]
The Stadtpark is a park on the southeastern outer border of the Ringstraße. The park covers an area of about 28 acres and is split in half by the Wien river. It contains monuments to various Viennese artists, most notably the gilded bronze monument of Johann Strauß II.[148]
The Prater is a large public park in Leopoldstadt. Within the park is the Wurstelprater (which is commonly referred to as just “the Prater”), a public amusement park which contains the Wiener Riesenrad, a 64.75 metre tall Ferris Wheel, as well as various rides, roller coasters, carousels and a Madame Tussauds.[148] The rest of the park is covered in by the forest. The Hauptallee, a wide, car-free alley lined with horse chestnut trees, runs through the park.[149] Eliud Kipchoge broke the marathon distance record on this road in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019.[150] The Prater also is home to the Liliputbahn, a railway line primarily used by tourists, and a planetarium.[151][152] It was the location of the 1873 Vienna World's Fair.[153] In 1931, the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, formerly known as the Praterstadion, was opened in the Prater.[154][155]
The Donaupark is a 63 hectare sized park in Kaisermühlen, Donaustadt, between the Neue Donau and the Alte Donau, next to the Vienna International Centre. The park features the Donauturm, the tallest structure in Austria at 252 metres.[156]
The Lobau, a floodplain in the southeast of the city, is a part of the wider Danube-Auen National Park. It is used for recreation and has many nudist areas. It is home to multiple species of animals:[157]
The grounds of the imperial Schönbrunn Palace contain an 18th-century park which includes the Schönbrunn Zoo, which was founded in 1752, making it the world's oldest zoo still in operation.[158] The zoo is one of the few to house giant pandas.[159] The park also features the Palmenhaus Schönbrunn, a large greenhouse with around 4,500 plant species.
The Donauinsel, part of Vienna's flood defenses, is a 21.1 km (13.1 mi) long artificial island between the Danube and New Danube dedicated to leisure activities. It was constructed from 1972 to 1988 as a measure for flood protection.[160] Every year the island hosts the Donauinselfest, the largest open-air music festival in the world with approximately 3 million attendees over three days.[161] The festival is organised by the SPÖ Wien and is free to enter.[162]
Vienna is the largest city on the Danube, which runs from the south-east to the north. In Vienna, the river is split into 4 parts: