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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 50 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
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Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
Austria
Elizabeth I. Played by Romy Schneider in the films and assassinated in Italy.
Burgenland . This state was named after the four capital cities of the districts of Western Hungary, where the Burgenland is and which all end in "-burg". Ironically, none of them is in Burgenland.
Besides the ÖVP (Austrian People's Party), there is a second party which rose to power during the elections in 1999. Which one? | All Things Austrian
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FPO. The FPÖ, or "blue" party, is the club of international supervillain Jörg Haider and in power since 1999 together with the ÖVP. The Green Party is only the fourth biggest one, while the Liberal Forum originally consisted of dissenters from the FPÖ and is now near the end because of catastrophic election results. The KPÖ, or Communist Party, lost big during the 1950's and has never since played a role in Austria.
Austria is situated in the Alps, so it has a good share of mountains. Which one is the highest in Austria? | All Things Austrian
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Großglockner. The Großglockner is 3798 metres above sea level. A famous mountain pass runs over it. The Zugspitze is a mere 2962 metres high and is Germany's highest point (although part of it is in Austria). The Dachstein and the Wildspitze are very beautiful areas, but only 2995 and 3768 m high.
Graz. Linz is big, but rather boring (and not the biggest city). Salzburg is renowned for its great cultural value, as is Graz, which is also the second biggest town. Munich is not even a part of Austria, it lies in Bavaria, Germany.
Yes. Yes, it is, surrounded by eight countries! So, I'm sorry to say, but it's the end of this trip! We'll go to some other country soon! Bye bye till then!
1945. The national flag of Austria has no coat of arms!
Vienna . Vienna had a population of 1,606,843 in 1999!
German. The official language is German, and about 98 per cent of people in Austria speak German. Only about 2 per cent of the people speak Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovenian, Czech and Turkish.
nine. They are Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vienna and Vorarlberg.
eight. Austria is bordered on the north by the Czech Republic; on the northeast by Slovakia; on the east by Hungary; on the south by Slovenia, Italy, and Switzerland; and on the west by Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany.
Its our last night in Vienna and we want to party. We head for the hilly outskirts, to the village of Grinzing and enter one of the famous locales known for their free flowing wine, oompah bands and endless sausages, roast meats, and fun. What are these establishments called? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Heurigen. Beer halls are not for wine, stifts are abbeys, and zirbels are Austrian pines.
Back towards Vienna from Graz, we pass the Neusiedlersee region, origin of the most expensive Austrian wines, the Beerenauslese sweet dessert wines. We pass the areas of great castles of the Burgenland province en route, and reach Vienna. We head to Vienna's famous amusement park. What is its name? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Prater. This park is famous for its ferris wheel and was featured in a James Bond film.
We reach Graz, Austria's second largest city and my home for three years. This charming university town on the Mur river is notable for a steep hill in the middle of town with a famous clocktower. A well known Austrian American comes from here. Who is he? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Arnold Schwarzenegger . The sports stadium here is named after him, and he and his wife Maria Shriver have come back to visit frequently.
Traveling east, towards my family homeland of Styria, we come upon a village with a famous breed of white horses running on the hillsides. What is the home of the famous Lipizzaner horses and the location of the stud farm? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Piber. One can watch performances here in the summer, visit the museum, and tour the stud farm (German language only, I'm afraid).
We visit the bishop's palace, Mirabell Gardens, and head southwest to a town which has hosted two Winter Olympic Games. Where are we? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Innsbruck. Innsbruck, literally "bridge over the Inn" river, hosted the 1964 and 1976 games.
We approach Salzburg. The road takes us directly into a mountain, which is in fact a huge parking garage. As we exit on foot, we enter directly into the old town, and reach a square named after the most famous musician born here. Who is this? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Mozart. There are actually a number of Mozart squares here, numbered 1,2,3,4. This square has a horse fountain and a famous cafe with delectable pastries. Mozart's birthplace can also be toured.
We continue travelling west past Linz, the hometown of an infamous dictator, and head into an area of charming lakes, villages and hills. We reach an old mine, don our white suits, including booties, take a miniature train into the mine, slide down a wooden bannister, and see underground lakes. What kind of mine are we in? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Salt. The region of the Salzkammergut has been the site of salt mines for centuries. Nearby Salzburg, this region was also the setting for "The Sound of Music".
Back in Vienna, we decide to take a river trip in the opposite direction, to Austria's famous wine growing region which is dotted by romantic castles abbeys, and picturesque towns. What is the name of this region? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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Wachau. Richard the Lionhearted was kept prisoner here, captured en route during one of the crusades. The Wachau is the stretch of the Danube between the magnificent abbey at Melk and the city of Krems.
We take a day trip to Budapest by boat, embarking at the Danube canal in north Vienna and talking the hydrofoil down the Danube in airplane type seats. We go past Bratislava and through some dam locks, and reach our destination in five and a half hours. If we continued down the Danube as far as we could go, where would we end up? | A Leisurely Tour Through Austria
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The Black Sea. Additional sites en route include Belgrade and the historic Novi Sad.
Which two lakes are located at the far eastern and western borders of Austria? | Austrian Facts
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Neusiedlersee & Bodensee. The Bodensee is located at Austria's western border in Vorarlberg. Germany and Switzerland also border the lake with only a small part of it in Austria. The Neusiedlersee is located at the eastern border of Austria in the Burgenland district and is borders Hungary as well.
1995. In 1981 Greece joined the EU. In 1986 Spain and Portugal. In 2004 the EU was joined by Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Austria joined in 1995 together with Finland and Sweden.
Vienna. The Stephansdom is a cathedral which is located in the heart of Vienna. It is home to a huge bell that very seldom rings. It rings on New Years Eve, catholic holidays, when a Federal president dies and on 2 November to commemorate those who died in World War II. It also rang when the Austrian State Treaty was signed in 1955 and when Pope Benedict visited Austria in 2007. The bell is called the "Pummerin".
How many of the nine federal states have the word Austria in their name? | Austrian Facts
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2. Upper Austria and Lower Austria are the two federal states with Austria in their name. The others are; Vienna, Burgenland, Carinthia, Styria, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.
Which stream flows through Austria from west to east, through the capital and ends in the Black Sea? | Austrian Facts
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Danube. At 2888 km the Danube is the second longest river in Europe. The Danube flows from Germany through Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova and the Ukraine until it flows into the Black Sea.
Großglockner. At 3798 m above sea level the Großglockner is Austria's highest mountain. It is located at the border of Carinthia and eastern Tyrol in the "Hohe Tauern". The Großvenediger is 3662 m, the Dachstein 2995m and the Oetscher 1893 m above sea level.
Roughly how much of Austria's land area can be considered to be mountainous? | Amazing Austria
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Two thirds. Since it's located in the Alps, some 62% of Austria's total area is considered to be mountainous. This makes for spectacular winter fun but also wonderful sightseeing in the warmer months.
Austria has a number of great wine growing areas. Speaking of wine, what is the word Austrians use for wine? Watch your spelling! | Amazing Austria
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wein. Archaeologists have found evidence of grape growing in Austria, dating back some 4000 years. Wein is the German word for wine, while Wien is the German for Vienna.
German. Austria's official language is German. Many Austrians speak German in their local dialect. Austrian is not a recognized language.
I'm hungry! If I wanted a crisp savoury pastry to eat with my coffee in the morning, what typical Austrian food would I buy? | Amazing Austria
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Mohnflesserl. A Mohnflesserl is a traditional Austrian savoury pastry (Gebäck) in the form of a braided bun. It is made from white bread dough and is sprinkled with poppy-seeds and salt. It tastes divine.
Which large river flows through Austria and is also its longest river? | Amazing Austria
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Danube. The Danube is Austria's longest river. The Danube flows 217 miles (350 kilometers) through Austria, and it is possible to visit many beautiful Austrian cities and towns by means of a river cruise along it.
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