The largest and the capital city of Vienna in Austria is one of the most populated cities in Austria, having nine provinces and around 2 million inhabitants. Primarily the city of Vienna stands 6th largest in proper population in the European Union.
Vienna is Austria’s capital city and the cradle of classical music, the home of the rich Habsburg heritage, and one of the world’s most livable cities. Many buildings still reflect the elegance of the 18th and 19th centuries, when Vienna was at the forefront of the arts and sciences.
The city centre is skyscraper-free, pedestrian-friendly, dotted with quiet parks, and traversed by electric trams. Within just a few steps, you can nibble a decadent slice of Sacher torte over coffee with new friends, watch trained stallions prance, and ogle the crown jewels of the Habsburg empire.
After the turmoil of two world wars and the loss of Austria’s empire, Vienna has settled into a laid-back, pleasant place where culture is still king. Today, the city enjoys the cultural and physical remnants of its imperial past as both an inspiration and a playground for living well.
It’s a city of top-notch museums, big and small. Compared with most modern European urban centres, life is slow. People nurse coffee and pastries over the daily paper at cafés. Classical music is everywhere, and the waltz is still the rage.
The Vienna State Opera—with musicians in the pit provided by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra—is one of the world’s top opera houses. Free concert films play on a giant screen in front of the city hall when the orchestra is off for the summer.
It must be nice to be an empire in retirement—no longer troubled by being assertive, able to kick back and enjoy the good life, Austrian style: long vacations, beautiful pastries, and pristine nature.
