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Austria is so much more than Mozart and the Alps. The country is organized into nine counties and every one of them has something special to offer.
The Hofburg or imperial palace was the residence of the Habsburgs for over six centuries. The palace now houses the offices for the Austrian president. The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the finest museums in Europe, reknowned for its large Rubens collection. Lower Austria is the country's largest province. Geographically, the region is dominated by the Danube Valley, which is also the focus of tourism. It is the valley's historical importance as a corridor between east and west that has given this region so many monuments to explore. The attractiveness of the area made it highly contested. Consequently, the valley has hundred of fortresses - including many monasteries and abbeys with defences to match conventional castles. Upper Austria has everything from mountains to hilly countryside to flat land. Mt Dachstein, 3,000 meters high, is famous for its mountain tours, lakes, ice caves, hiking possibilities and skiing. Linz, Austria's third biggest city, is the county's capital. Linz is located on the Danube, and is one of the most important cities for business and industries as well as for cultural events and music festivals. Salzburg is most famous for being the place where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. Today, Mozart lives on in the city through his music - frequently played during the various summer festivals. In addition to culture, Salzburg also offers a lot for the nature lover. Saalback/Hinterglemm is known as one of the best ski resorts in Europe, hosting many skiing world championships. In the summer, the region's lakes are popular for swimming, sailing and windsurfing. Carinthia is embedded between mountains and lakes, and offers lots of summer and winter possibilities for travellers. The Woerthersee is the most famous lake in Carinthia, with water that is warmed by thermal springs. The lake is a popular summer holiday destination for the Austrians, who go there to practise a variety of water sports. Burgenland is the main agricultural region of Austria, and its main attractions are its many vineyards and orchards. The region also has a national park, Seewinkel, which has grassland and wetland interspersed with small lakes. The region's capital is Eisenstadt, a small provincial town known for being the birthplace of the 18th century composer Josef Haydn. Styria is Austrias second largest province. Graz, its capital, is the country's largest city with 243,000 inhabitants. The river Mur, Schlossberg hill and many historic Baroque buildings dominate it. Graz is also one of the largest student towns in Austria. Tirol is the region that attracts the most tourists. In 2000 the region had 7.5 million visitors, twice as many as its nearest rival Salzburg. The Austrian Alps are what make the area such an attraction. Famous skiing reorts like St. Anton and Kitzbühel are located here. Its capital, Innsbruck, staged both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympic Games. Vorarlberg is Austria's smallest province after Vienna. Despite its small size, the county offers many outdoor activities as well as access to Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany. Bregenz, the capital city, is located by Bodensee lake, which provides the setting for an annual music festival that has placed the town firmly on the country's cultural map. Lech, Austria's most exclusive ski resort, regularly attracts royalty and movie stars.
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Stephansdom