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Vienna
The Austrian capital and one of the federal provinces is an important nexus for East–West trade and a frequent host to major congresses either in the Vienna International Centre (UNO City) or at the Austria Centre Vienna. Vienna is situated in the northeast of the country with the Danube River running through the northern suburbs of the city. The Ringstrasse forms the boundary of the elegant first District (the Innerstadt or Inner City), with its fine architecture, shops and hotels, much of it pedestrianised. Every major architectural style from the Baroque onwards can be found here, with especial importance given to the Art Nouveau (Secession) style which had its roots here. The Hapsburgs who ruled the country for six centuries resided in the Hofburg where the Kaiser-Appartements (Imperial Apartments) and the Crown Jewels are now open to the public. The Spanish Riding School in the Hofburg where the famous white Lipizzaner stallions perform finely executed dressage manoeuvres to Viennese classical music is very popular with tourists, (closed during July and August). Schloss Schönbrunn, the sumptuous Imperial summer palace can be compared with that at Versailles; its landscaped park is also home to the world’s oldest zoo.
Many fine art collections like the Kunsthistorisches Museum, containing the works of Breughel, Dürer and Titian and the Akademie der bildenden Künste (Hieronymus Bosch) are internationally renowned. There are more than 50 museums open to the public, including the Natural History Museum, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, the Museum of the 20th Century, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museumsquartier, the Künstlerhaus, the Clock and Watch Museum and the Technology Museum. Immortalised in the film The Third Man, the Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) in the Prater amusement park is also a popular attraction. Well worth a visit are St Stephen’s Cathedral, the art collection at the Belvedere Palace, the Chapel of the Hofburg, the Burgtheater (known as ‘Die Burg’), the Parliament, the Rathaus (Town Hall), the University and the Votive church along the Ringstrasse. There are also memorial sites for Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss and Freud. On the southern and western edges of Vienna are the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods), ideal for both quiet time away from the city and rather wilder times at the many local Heurigen (wineries of the local vineyards).
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