What is solo travel?(25) Austria

(20) Austria

Austria is a country adjacent to the southeast of Germany. It borders eight countries and is located clockwise from the northwest to Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Just before World War I, it was the second largest territory in Europe after Russia with an area of 681,727 square kilometers, and the third most populous in Europe with a population of 52 million, but after losing the war, it was reduced to almost one-eighth of the current area of 83,879 square kilometers and a population of about 7 million.

The name of the country comes from the establishment of an administrative district as the easternmost border of the empire (Kaiserreich) in 976 during the Holy Roman Empire, and the original Latin name means ‘the eastern border of the country’, which originally meant ‘east of the country’ rather than ‘the country of the east’.

It is a forest country with more than 60% of the Alps, thanks to which dairy farming and winter sports are thriving, and Vienna, the city of music and art, is famous for the Schogenbrunn Palace, the Hofburg Palace, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Vienna is particularly a center of music and culture, where you can enjoy the Vienna State Opera, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Hofburg Palace, and unique Austrian food and wine. Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, etc.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, who set a milestone in the philosophy of modern language and the country of music, which was the main stage of the activities of most classical musicians we know, the Vienna Circle, which was a fierce battleground in modern physics, and Erwin Schrödinger, a physicist famous for Schrödinger’s cat, which is also featured in essays,

Gustav Klimt, a major painter of Art Nouveau, Otto Wagner, a pioneer of modern architecture, Ernst Gombrich, who is a must-meet if you are interested in art history, and psychoanalytic masters Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, who are a branch of psychiatry and psychology,

It is the home of Herbert von Karajan, one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, Friedrich Hayek of economics, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is said to be a legend in the world. It is also the homeland of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Fuhrer who is often thought of as a German.

It was homogeneous to Germany in terms of ethnicity and language, and in the Middle Ages and modern times, it was nominally grouped into one great empire called the Holy Roman Empire, and in fact, in the early and mid-19th centuries, unification emerged as a discourse and competed with Prussia.

Although it was separated from Germany after its defeat by Prussia, it was recognized that it was not a complete reunification, so it merged under Nazi Germany, but it split again due to the defeat in World War II, and it is still separated to this day.

It was the most vibrant place in the history of civilization at the end of the 19th century ~ the beginning of the 20th century, when Western history passed from modern to modern, but it gradually began to gloomy as it fell from an empire to a small country due to the defeat in World War I.

From 1934, it was swayed by Hitler’s sympathizers, but in 1938 it was annexed and became a member of Nazi Germany. In the end, they were defeated in World War II and were divided and occupied by the four victorious powers.

Considering its former glory as an empire, modern Austria may seem a bit shabby because it is relatively out of the center of the world, but even today, based on a solid industrial base centered on steel and machinery industries, 

There is no doubt that it is a developed country with a high national income and sufficient welfare budget. Currently, in addition to joining the EU, it claims to be a neutral country, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are headquartered there and play a major role in international conferences and dispute mediation.

The official language is German, and Austrian Standard German, which is used in Austria, is generally like German Standard German, although there are some notable differences in grammar, vocabulary, and expressions between German Standard German and written language.

However, in colloquial language, there are notable differences in accent in addition to the differences in grammar and vocabulary, but it can be said that German Standard German and Austrian Standard German are the same language, with only a difference between them that can be considered dialects.

Overall, the expressions and impressions of people on the streets, cafes, public transportation, etc. are warmer and more expressive than in northern Germany, which is centered on Prussia, and the culture is open and liberal, inheriting the legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the past.

After the dissolution of the empire, it was a permanently neutral country at the foot of the Alps for a long time, and compared to the past, there was an argument that there was a closed mindset as it had been much more cut off from the outside world.

There is also data that about 50% of the people are atheists, and it is said that the number of people who believe in Islam and other religions is also increasing due to the increase in immigration. In the field of art, it is also a place where many radical artists come out, contrary to the social atmosphere.

Among European countries, security is quite good, but even though it is a wealthy country, there are some landmarks that are lacking compared to other European countries except for classical music and the legacy of the Habsburg dynasty, so the country itself is relatively less recognized and tourists.

It is said that there are few criminals, but it is very safe compared to other cities in Western Europe, and there is no problem even if tourists walk around alone late at night. In addition, the government has been enforcing a law banning smoking in restaurants and bars since November 1, 2019.

In Austria, you should not cover your face with a scarf or scarf. Due to the risk of terrorism, the law was recently passed to prevent people from covering their faces more than half of their faces to verify their identities, especially allowing Muslims to wear hijabs but prohibiting the wearing of niqabs and burqas.

In addition, even during Nazi Germany, when the purity of the German nation was talked about, Austrians were treated as equal Germans, as can be seen from the fact that the representative masterpiece “The Sound of Music” was filmed in Salzburg, Austria.

Due to the popularity of the movie, many people know the insert song “Edelweiss” as the national anthem, but this is an absolute mistake, and it is surprisingly overlooked that the beginning of both world wars is related to Austria, and Adolf Hitler was also born in Austria.