The opening words of Austria’s national anthem are “Land of mountains…”, and that is exactly what this 84,000 sq km (32,000 sq mile) country is. For centuries these uplands were a bugbear, making life hard for the farmer. The American writer John Gunther remarked in the 1930s that “the chief crop of provincial Austria is the scenery”. That scenery is now the country’s highest earner, and the year-round tourist industry accounts for the largest slice of the national economy.
Tower in the grounds of 12th-century Gurk Cathedral.
Britta Jaschinski/Apa Publications
Nestled among the wild Alpine scenery are hundreds of mountain lakes and idyllic watercourses that are especially attractive in summer. The gentle charms of the Salzkammergut and the Carinthian Lake District are emphasised by the majestic backdrop of mountains. To the east, the foothills of the Alps gradually peter out in the Vienna woods, reaching right up to the suburbs of the capital. Vienna was for 600 years the centre of one of Europe’s superpowers, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and this has endowed it with a grandeur far beyond the norm for the capital of a small country. It is a beautiful city today, and it houses a wealth of treasures. Salzburg, on the north side of the Alps and for many perpetually associated with the film The Sound of Music, is equally romantic, and has become almost a theme park for its most esteemed inhabitant, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“Waterfall hat” in the National Park.
Britta Jaschinski/Apa Publications
Every period of European cultural development is reflected in Austria. Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings are scattered across the land. Statues, frescoes, ceiling and wall paintings document more than 1,000 years of often turbulent history.
Austrians are known for their politeness and hospitality, and attachment to tradition. Older people here, especially, can be observed exchanging a variety of traditional courtesies – men greeting women with a short, clipped bow of the head, a respectful use of titles with anyone who possibly merits one – that hark back to the days of the Habsburg Empire. This all adds to the sensation experienced by many visitors, that this is very much part of the Old World.
