Lower Austria/Vienna

Lower Austria (German: Niederösterreich, Czech: Dolní Rakousy) is one of the nine states or Bundesländer in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria (since 1986) is Sankt Pölten — the most recent capital town in Austria. It was Vienna before, even though Vienna is not part of proper Lower Austria. The state borders on Slovakia, Czech Republic, and on the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Styria and Burgenland. The state surrounds Vienna. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of almost 1.5 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).

Lower Austria is divided into four regions: Waldviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel, and Weinviertel. The Wachau valley, situated between Melk and Krems in the Mostviertel region, is famous for its landscape, culture, and wine. Administratively, the state is divided into 21 districts (Bezirke), and four Statutarstädte. In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria. Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), known as the "cradle of Austria's history," is the biggest of the nine federal states that make up the country. The province is bordered on the north by the Czech Republic, on the east by Slovakia, on the south by the province of Styria, and on the west by Upper Austria.

This historic area was once heavily fortified, as some 550 fortresses and castles (often in ruins) testify. The medieval Kuenringer and Babenburger dynasties had their hereditary estates here. Vineyards cover the province, which is home to historic monasteries, churches, and abbeys. In summer it booms with music festivals and classical and contemporary theater.

Lower Austria consists of five distinct districts. The best known is the Wienerwald, or Vienna Woods. Although the woods have been thinned out on the eastern side, they still surround Vienna.

The district of Alpine Lower Austria lies about an hour's drive south of Vienna, with mountains up to 1,800m (5,905 ft.) high.

The foothills of the Alps begin about 48km (30 miles) west of Vienna and extend to the borders of Styria and Upper Austria. This area has some 50 open-air swimming pools and nine chairlifts to the higher peaks, such as Ötscher and Hochkar (both around 2,100m/6,890 ft.).

One of the most celebrated districts is the Waldviertel-Weinviertel. A Viertel is a traditional division of Lower Austria, and the Wald (woods) and Wein (wine) areas contain thousands of miles of marked hiking paths and many mellow old wine cellars.

Another district, Wachau-Nibelungengau, has both historical and cultural significance. It's a land of castles and palaces, abbeys and monasteries, as well as vineyards. This area on the banks of the Danube begins about 64km (40 miles) west of Vienna.

Lower Austria, from the rolling hillsides of the Wienerwald to the terraces of the Wachau, produces some 60% of Austria's grape harvest. Many visitors like to take a "wine route" through the province, stopping at cozy taverns to sample the vintages from Krems, Klosterneuburg, Dürnstein, Langenlois, Retz, Gumpoldskirchen, Poysdorf, and other towns.

Lower Austria is also home to more than a dozen spa resorts, such as Baden, the most popular. These resorts are family-friendly, and most hotels accommodate children up to 6 years old free; between ages 7 and 12, they stay for half price. Many towns and villages have attractions designed just for kids.

It's relatively inexpensive to travel in Lower Austria, where prices are about 30% lower than those in Vienna. Finding a hotel in these small towns isn't a problem; they're signposted at the approaches to the resorts and villages. You might not always find a room with a private bathroom in some of the area's old inns, but unless otherwise noted, all recommended accommodations have private bathrooms. Parking is also more accessible in the outlying towns, an appealing feature if you're driving. Unless otherwise noted, you park free.

Vienna (German: Wien) is the capital and largest city of Austria, and the Historic City Centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Vienna has hosted the Habsburg court over centuries, first as the imperial see of the Holy Roman Empire, then the capital of the Austrian Empire and later of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This has had a tremendous impact on the culture that exists there today. Like Munich, its residents are formal, but with small doses of courtliness, polite forms of address and formal dress attire, the residents of Vienna tend to be equally modern and old-fashioned. Waiters address their customers with honorifics; a man who bumps into someone on the street is more than likely to implore his or her pardon with a small bow; tourists are treated as if they were a long-lost member of the royal family returning home. This luxurious treatment is one of the reasons that many people enjoy visiting Vienna.

The traditional Vienna is but one of the many façades of this city. Vienna is also a dynamic, young city, famous for its (electronic) music scene with independent labels, cult-status underground record stores, a vibrant club scene, and a government that seems overly obsessed with complicated paperwork. However, people are willing to go out of their way or bend the rules a little if they feel they can do someone a favor.

The Viennese have a singular fascination with death, hence the popularity of the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) as a strolling location and of Schrammelmusik - highly sentimental music with lyrics pertaining to death. Old-fashioned Sterbevereine (funeral insurance societies) provide members with the opportunity to save up for a nice funeral throughout the course of their lives. This service does not exist solely to save their children the hassle and expense - it is considered absolutely mandatory to provide for an adequate burial. Vienna even has the Bestattungsmuseum, a museum devoted to coffins and mortuary science. The country’s morbid obsession may be correlated with their higher suicide rate when compared with the rest of Europe.

Vienna is also famous for its coffee culture. "Let's have a coffee" is a very common phrase to hear, because despite incursions by Starbucks and Italian-style espresso bars, the Kaffeehaus is still the traditional place to drink a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, meet friends or fall in love.

The City has a very convenient layout for the traveller:

The 'old town', or city center, is the first district. It is encircled by the 'Ring' road, which is also the location of many famous old buildings. Districts 2-9 are gathered within the Gürtel ('belt') Road; there, you can find the Prater (amusement) park, the hip quarters of the second district (close to Schwedenplatz), the shopping streets of Mariahilferstraße, Hundertwasser House, the Hundertwasser Kunsthaus, and so on.

Outside the 'belt', there's the Donauturm Tower, and Schönbrunn Castle, the most visited tourist attraction and deservedly so.

Belvedere - Austrian Gallery was commissioned from architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt by military leader Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), known as one of the best military strategists of his time. It was intended as a summer residence, and was located outside the city walls. Art historians know the Belvedere as on of the finest Baroque structures in the world. Its two palace segments, the Upper and Lower Belvedere, later became the permanent home of the Austrian Gallery • The New Palace (Neue Hofburg). The New Palace is the newest and largest section of the Imperial Palace. It contains the Ethnological Museum and three branches of the Museum of Fine Arts. • Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury). Located in the Neue Hofburg, the Schatzkammer (also known as the Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasures) is the best part of the Hofburg, and an absolute must on any tour of Vienna. • Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), €10. Picture Gallery daily except Monday 10 am-6 pm, Thursday 10 am- 9 pm, U2: Babenbergerstrasse, U3: Volkstheater, tram D, J, 1, 2, bus 57A: Burgring Maria-Theresien-Platz (entrance), phone 525 24 0. One of the world's great art museums, in a palace that's a work of art itself. Like the Louvre, serious art fans may wish to devote more than a day to its treasures. • The Imperial Furniture Collection - Vienna Furniture Museum Andreasgasse 7, 1070 Wien, phone: +43-1-524 33 57-0. Opening Hours: Tue – Sun 10 am – 6 pm. The museum is wheelchair-accessible. The museum with the largest furniture collection worldwide is considered as an insider's tip and is located just off bustling Mariahilfer Strasse. So you can go shopping and to the museum. • MAK - Austrian Museum of Applied Arts / Contemporary Art Stubenring 5, 1st District, phone: +43-1-711 36-0, open: Tuesday 10 am-to midnight (MAK - NITE(c)), Wednesday-Sunday 10 am-6 pm. closed on Monday. Free admission on Saturday. MAK Design Shop. Permanent Collection. Study Collection. Exhibitions of contemporary art, design, architecture. How to go there? Subway U3, Tram 1, 2, bus 1A, 74A to Stubentor, and U4 to Landstrasser Hauptstrasse, City Airport Train from the airport to Bahnhof Wien Mitte. Also part of the MAK is the Depot of Contemporary Art (Gefechtsturm Arenbergpark) 3rd district Dannebergplatz/Barmherzigengasse. • KunstHausWien (Vienna House of the Arts) Untere Weißgerberstrasse 13, open daily from 10 am to 7 pm (Every Monday the regular admission fee in all exhibitions is reduced 50%), Tel: +43-1-712 04 91. To get there, take the street tram O from Landstrasse and get down at Radetzkyplatz. • Hundertwasserhaus This interesting apartment/office complex is located 5-10 minutes east of the Wien Mitte U-Bahn stop. You can also take tram N, stop Hetzgasse. • Museumsquartier (The Museum District) (MQ) is the new cultural district of Vienna since 2001. Though a lot of museums and cultural institutions are situated there, it is not only a place for art. It is also an urban living space and people go there to spend some time, sitting in one of the cafés or perhaps playing boccia. The Leopold Museum and the MUMOK are situated there. • Pathologisch-anatomisches Bundesmuseum Wien (Pathological and Anatomical State Museum) Wednesday 3pm-6pm, Thursday 8am-11am. On top of restricted hours, the Narrenturm can be hard to find; the web site has a handy map. Housed in a squat tower which once was an insane asylum (the "Narrenturm" ("Fool's Tower"), this museum contains some of the dustier corners of the annals of medicine. You'll find preserved hydrocephalic infants, wax castings of tertiary syphilis, antique medical devices and even a laryngeal tuberculous ulcer. The gift shop sells postcards depicting the best of these. • Technical Museum This newly renovated museum near the Schoenbrunn Palace exhibits machines, transportations, electronic equipment and the like from their first design up to their current form. It also depicts the development of Vienna as a city, on all its techinical aspects (recycling, power, sewage). The museum is huge (22,000 m2) and requires at least two hours to go through. Take trams 10, 52, 58, stop Penzinger Strasse. • Natural History Museum This museum was errected as a mirror to its twin museum, The Museum of Fine Arts. It exhibits various minerals, fossils, stuffed animals and skeleton reconstructions (among others, Dinasaurs' skeletons). It also includes an anthropological section, where you can see the beautiful Venus of Willendorf (which is 25,000 years old!). • Haus der Musik (The Music House) This relatively new museum is a special museum, in that it attributes great value to interactive learning experience. It covers the history of the Vienne Philharmonic Orchestra, the history of Vienna as a centre of music making (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Mahler, Schubert and others are documented). Take U1, U2, U4, trams 1,2, 62,65, J and D, stop Karlsplatz/Opernring. • Albertina Once a palace, it is now the most popular exhibition speace in Vienna, mainly for traditional modern art. The building itself is an experience as well. It is also home to a valuable drawing collection including many works of the German Renaissance painter, Duehrer. • Museum am Schottenstift (Museum at the Scottish Monestary); only in German) A nice small picture gallery mainly of Baroque Austrian painting. Take U2, trams 1,2,37-38,40-44,D, stop Schottentor. • Liechtenstein Museum A private collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein, it is exhibited in his once Viennese Residence. The richly decorated picture gallery mainly exhibits Baroque paintings, with a nice portion of Rubens. You can get there either with tram line D, stop Seegasse or about 10 minutes by foot from U2 subway stop Schottentor. • Gemaeldegalerie (Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts) A gallery owned by the Academy of Fine Arts, to which Hitler applied before he decided to change to politics. It offers some painting of Rubens and Bosch. Most interesting are the Renaissance and medievil exponents. • Freud Museum This small museum is situated in Freud's historic flat, where you can still see his original treatment sofa. The museum also documents his theoretical writings. Near the Schottentor subway stop (U2) - 10 minutes walk, or take tram D, stop Schlickgasse. • Vienna Museum A museum documenting Vienna's history. It is split into several branches with its main branch at Karlsplatz. • Otto Wagner used to be the most prominent Viennese architect at the turn of the 20th Century. Two museums are dedicated to his work. At the Wagner Villa you can see his private lodging in a very eccentric design. The villa is also beautifally located in the woods. In the rooms some paintings of Fuchs are exhibited, a painter who baught the house from the Wagner family. • Museum of Military History A huge museum near the southern railway station featuring weapons and military maps from different periods. You can also see the carriage in which the last Austrian prince was shot in Sarajevo, the incident which triggered the First World War and the downfall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Near the Southern Railway (Suedbahnhof), trams 18, D, O. • Jewish Museum A museum documenting Vienna's rich Jewish life with Zweig, Freud, Herzl, Mahler and Schoenberg among the most renowned of them. • Film Museum Also used as a cinemateque for showing special films. An extraordinary related museum is a private museum dedicated to the cult film "The Third Man" shot in Vienna. • Mozart House The Viennese residence of its most famous composer. A branch of the Vienna Museum (see above). Other Attractions • Karlskirche, baroque church at the Karlsplatz, 1st District. Largest Baroque cathedral north of the Alps, designed by the famous architect Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. • Augustinian Friars' Church (Augustinerkirche), Josefsplatz 1. Facing the sculpture in the center of the square, the entrance is small and easy to miss – it's on the left hand wall of the square. • Austrian National Library - Österreichische Nationalbibliothek Josefsplatz 1, 01/53410-348. Card catalogs may be an anachronism in today’s digitized world, but the Austrian National Library had the first one in existence, invented by the Habsburg court librarian. Unlike the printed library catalogs of the past, bound into book form, the card catalog could be rapidly updated and the library kept up-to-date. • Hofburg Palace. This immense palace complex grew into a large, unwieldy series of buildings over the years, and was the imperial residence of the Habsburg emperors until 1918. To get there, take the underground: the nearest underground station is U3 Herrengasse; tram: Lines 1, 2, D, J, alight at Burgring; bus: Lines 2A or 3A, alight at Hofburg. Walking towards the Hofburg in spring, the alley is resplendent with pale purple lilacs which draw one’s eye towards the immense equestrian statues centered there. Exiting the D tram at the Burgring stop, with the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Maria Theresa statue to the left, enter Heldenplatz (Heroe’s Square) under the large white gate. Alternatively, go one stop further on the tram and get off at Parliament. The giant white Grecian style parliament building faces the Volksgarten, a pleasant park one can walk through that also leads to the palace. • Chapel of the Imperial Palace (Burgkapelle). The original chapel of the Palace, built in Gothic style 1447-1449, was made over in Baroque style. On Sundays and Catholic holidays (of which the Austrians celebrate many), the Court Musicians perform here. This group is made up of members from the Vienna Boys Choir, as well as performers from the orchestra and choir of the Vienna State Opera. • Hotel Sacher. Situated next to the Opera House, this hotel is best known as the place where Sachertorte (cake) was invented. This delicious dessert is composed of several thin layers of dry, slightly bitter chocolate cake with apricot jam in between, and is best served with a rich, milky cup of Viennese coffee (perhaps a Melange or Sacher Kaffee, the most popular variants). The elegant drawing room is a popular place to gather after a performance at the Opera. The food is quite pricy, but definitely worth the money. • Parliament. €6 entrance fee. Tours in German and English languages. Open only when not in use by Parliament. • Haus des Meeres Aquarium Zoo is a marvellous zoo, with a rainforest glasshouse, tiny apes, aquariums, even with sharks, and terrariums with reptiles and venomous snakes, situated into one of the leftover second world war air raid shelter, a so called "Flakturm". The building carried formerly one of the first radar equipments and is designed to stand a direct bombhit, an earthquake and wind speeds up to an overpressure of ten bar. Take U3, stop Neubaugasse. • Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Pavilion. This city tram stop, designed by Otto Wagner, is located near the Secession Building and Naschmarkt. It is a good example of functional turn of the century architecture – ornate, yet useful. Wagner was one of the most influoential architects in Vienna and his style was widely copied. • Flea market at the Naschmarkt, Linke Wienzeile (U4 stop Kettenbrückengasse). Flea market each Saturday 6am-4pm, all over the year. Need used lederhosen? How about a doner kebab at the Naschmarkt, or an Austrian war bond from the first World War? This is the place to go. It is primarily a flea market, though some stalls sell new items such as handwoven wicker baskets or food. • Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) - probably the most-beloved symbol of Viennese arts, and one of the first buildings to be rebuilt in the postwar era, as a show of pride, the Opera has had a fascinating history. It was built 1861-1869 under the direction of architects were Eduard van der Nüll and August von Siccardsburg for then-emperor Franz Josef I. The first performance, 25 May 1869, was Austrian native Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. • Paternoster elevator at the University of Vienna. If you happen to go to the university mensa (cafeteria) on the top floor, make a point to find this particular elevator! It's almost as hair-raising as an amusement park ride, and a true rarity (most other paternoster elevators have long since been replaced). Take U2, trams 1,2,37-38,40-44,D, stop Schottentor. • Prater (Park) including the Giant Ferris Wheel, phone 729 54 30, U1, tram O, 5, 21: Praterstern, S1-S3, S7, S15: Wien Nord , May - September: 9 a.m. - midnight. An English engineering firm (Walter Basset) built the Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) 1896-97. Others of the same era, built for world exhibitions and other parks in Chicago, London, Paris etc. have long since been torn down. The Riesenrad has become a well-known symbol of Vienna, featured in many movies and picture postcards. It has 15 gondolas, some of which are incredibly ornate and large enough to host an extended family inside, offering a spectacular panorama of the city. It is still a popular place to spend a weekend afternoon with family. U1 stop Praterstern. • Schloss Schönbrunn Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996, it is not far from the city centre and easy to get to by public transport: Underground: U4 (green line), alight at Schönbrunn; tram: 10, 58, alight at Schönbrunn; bus: 10A, alight at Schönbrunn. The former summer palace of the Habsburg family, Schönbrunn is the ultimate palace experience in Vienna. Its gardens and zoo (the oldest in the world, built for Maria Theresa’s husband in 1752) alone are worth a lengthy visit, not to mention the palace, which has seen its fair share of excitement over the years, including a meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khruschchev at the height of the Cold War. The Palace Park offers a lot of attractions, such as the Privy Garden, a Maze and Labyrinth and the Gloriette with Panorama Terrace. There are two possible tours available without a guide (though guides are available), one including 22 rooms (the Imperial Tour) and one including 40 (the Grand Tour). The palace is wheelchair-accessible and is open all year round:

- 1 April to 30 June: 8.30 am – 5 pm - 1 July to 31 August: 8.30 am – 6 pm - 1 September to 31 October: 8.30 am – 5 pm - 1 November to 31 March: 8.30 am – 4.30 pm

Take U4, trams 10, 58, stop Schoenbrunn.

• Secession Building, Friedrichstraße 12 (U-Bahn U1, U2, U4 (Karlsplatz)), Tel. 587 53 07-0, Tu-Fr 10-18, Sat, Sun 10-16. Architect Josef Maria Olbrich built this Jugendstil (German-style Art Nouveau) building 1897-98 as a display space for artists working in the new Secession artistic movement. • Spanish Riding School - Spanische Hofreitschule was first mentioned in a document dated 1572, and is the only equestrian institute in the world which follows a Renaissance model of classical schooling. Eleves, or students, begin their training immediately after completion of Austrian primary education (age 15 or 16), and are expected to be both sporty and clever. • St Stephen's Cathedral - Stephansdom, Stephansplatz (U1, U3: Stephansplatz), phone 515 52-3526, High Mass: Sun and public holidays 10:15 a.m., in July and August 9:30 a.m., Guided tours of the Cathedral in English: Mon-Sat 3:45 p.m. Catacombs (only with guided tours): Mon-Sat 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 16:30 p.m., Sun, public holidays 1:30 p.m. - 16:30 p.m. North Tower (great bell): Nov-March 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., April-June, Sept, Oct 9 a.m.-6 p.m., July and August 9 a.m. - 18:30 p.m. South Tower: daily 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Yet another patchwork of architectural styles, but predominantly Gothic, St Stephen's begins its history in the twelfth century. None of that original construction remains – the oldest extant sections are the thirteenth century Giant Gate (Riesentor) and Towers of the Heathens (Heidentürme), both of which are Romanesque. • The Ring. The Ringstrasse, or Ring Street, circles the very heart of Vienna. Built on the location of the original city walls, its size is a good indication of how much the city has expanded since medieval times, but more importantly it is the most posh area of downtown. • Vienna Boys Choir – Wiener Sängerknaben was founded at the pleasure of the Habsburgs. 20 July 1498 Emperor Maximilian I decided to hire six singing boys, the first permanent boys choir attached to the court. He also made arrangements for their education – fringe benefits that are difficult to get from a modern employer. The choir served the monarchy until its demise at the beginning of the first World War. • Gasometer (Directly at subway station U3 Gasometer, 8 minutes away from town-center and St. Stephens Cathedral). If you are interested in the combination of new modern with old historic architecture take a trip to the gasometers, that had been revitalised from gas-tanks to new multifunctional buildings. • Haus der Musik, Seilerstätte 30. This fascinating museum offers a myriad of 'sound exhibits' where the visitor can manipulate sound waves, view electronic displays of 'brain operas' that you create yourself, and even virtually conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (see museums). • Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery), Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 234, phone 760 41. Graves of honor of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, Schönberg and others. Nov-Feb 8 am-5 pm, March, April, Sept, Oct 7 am-6 pm, May-Aug 7 am-7 pm. Tram 71, 72 : Zentralfriedhof (there's even a Viennese expression "taking the #71 tram" as a euphemism for death). Mozart, Beethoven and other luminaries of the musical world (Schubert, Brahms, Strauss) are buried, or at least memorialized here. • Lainzer Tiergarten Its a beautiful natural reserve at Vienna's border with the woods. This reserve used to be the Emperor's private hunting wood with the fancy "Hermesvilla" - the favorite mansion of Empress Sissi in Vienna. Nowadays, the major part of the park is closed in the winter time, but in summer you can see wild pigs, dear and many Viennese families. • The Wotruba Church A beautiful cubist church on the top of a hill overlooking the woods. You can reach it with tram 60 (stop Maurer Lange Gasse) and then walk for five minutes. • Hietzing A residential area which used to be a village once, but gained importance as the Schoenbrunn Palace was errected in its proximity. A very beautiful area for a stroll along old villas. Stop - Hietzing (U4, trams 10, 58 adn 60), then walk. • Kirche am Steinhof A special church constructed by the Viennese master architect, Otto Wagner. It is situated in a psychiatric hospital on the hills near the wood overlooking Vienna. Very beautiful! Take bus 48a. • Tuerkenschanzpark A very beautiful park which commemorates the Austrian victory on the Turks near the city boundary. Nowadays, a tranquille resort in the heart of a nice villas cluster. Take trams 41, get off at Tuerkenschanzpark. • The Danube Island Home to Europe's biggest Rock fetival. In Summer, a very nice park with a lot of Viennese bathers. There are also floating pubs on the Danube. A nice experience! Take U1, stop Donauinsel. • Maria-Hilfer Street The main shopping street Viennese go to. Between U2 Museumsquartier and U3 Westbahnhof. • The Old Synagogue An underground midievil synagogue excavations. An interesting surprise underneath the Judenplatz (The Jewish Square). Amazingly, although the synagogue was destroyed centuries ago its existence was remembered by the area's inhabitants up to the 20th Century. • Dorotheum The main auction site in Austria. Exhibits all sorts of furniture, art, jewlery and much more. Highly recommended. • The Millenium City A big shopping mall near the bank of the Danube. Take the U6 to Handelskai. • Karl Marx' Court is a socialist building complex from the beginning of the 20th Century. For those of you interested in architecture. Take tram D. • American Bar (Loos) A special pub which retained its original design (of famous Viennese architect Loos) from the beginnig of the 20th Century • Soviet Victory Monument An imposing soviet style monument near Karlsplatz commemorating the Soviet victoty in Vienna over the Nazi army. Take trams 1,2,71,D,J stop Schwarzenbergplatz.