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Image by Leonhard Niederwimmer

Facts on Austria

Did you know...?

  • The Austrian flag (Red-White-Red) dates back to 1191 and is one of the oldest national flags in the world.

  • The Austrian Alps cover as much as 62 % of the entire country.

  • No wonder that Austrians basically invented skiing more than 100 years ago.

  • The Großglockner is Austria's highest mountain with 3.798 m and is one of 695 (!) mountains higher than 3000 m.

  • Austria is home to the highest waterfalls in Europe - the Krimmler Waterfalls with 380 m.

  • Austria is one of the most environmentally concious countries in the world - around 65 % of waste is recycled and the majority of electricity is produced with sustainable ressources.

  • During the 19th century Austria was one of the most powerful countries worldwide. It spanned over 700.000 km2 and was an imperium "where the sun never sets".

  • The Zoo of Schönbrunn in Vienna was founded in 1752 and is thus one of the oldest zoological gardens on the planet.

  • The Austrian national library, located in the Hofburg in Vienna, hosts for then 2 million books and is one of the largest libraries of the world.

  • A fifth of the Austrian population lives in the state capital of Vienna.

  • The castle of Schönbrunn, an emulation of the famous Versailles, has more than1440 rooms.

  • Innsbruck, the federal state capital of Tyrol, hosted the Olympic winter games in 1964 and 1976.

  • The Austrian Bertha von Suttner was the first woman ever to receive the Nobel Peace Price in 1905.

  • Some of the most renowned painters were Austrians, amongst them for example Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.

  • Classical composers like Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler were born in Austria.

  • Gregor Mendel was born in Austria and so was Sigmund Freud.

  • The Viennese Central Cemetary has almost 3 million grave sites, amongst them the final resting places of Beethoven, Schubert and Falco.

  • The Vienna Boys' Choir was founded in 1498 and is one of the most famous choirs in the world.

  • Ferdinand Porsche, Founder of Porsche, was born in Austria and produced his first sports car in Gmünd in the federal state of Carinthia.

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