Austria Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! {{Short description|Country in Central Europe}} {{About|the modern republic}} {{Redirect|Osterreich|other uses|Osterreich (disambiguation)}} {{Distinguish|Australia|Asturias|Austrasia}} {{Pp-move}} {{Pp|small=yes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = Republic of Austria | common_name = Austria | native_name = {{Native name|De|Republik Ăsterreich}} | image_flag = Flag of Austria.svg | image_coat = Austria Bundesadler.svg | national_anthem = "Bundeshymne der Republik Ăsterreich"<br/>"[[National anthem of Austria|National Anthem of the Republic of Austria]]" <br/><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:Land der Berge Land am Strome instrumental.ogg]]</div> | image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:EU-Austria (orthographic projection).svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:EU-Austria.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Europe|default=1}} | map_caption = {{Map caption |location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the [[European Union]] |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Austria.svg}} | capital = [[Vienna]] | coordinates = {{Coord|48|12|N|16|21|E|type:city(2,000,000)_region:AT-9}} | largest_city = capital | official_languages = [[German language|German]]{{Efn|Based on article 8 of the [[Federal Constitutional Law|1920 Austrian constitution]].}}{{Efn|[[Burgenland Croatian|Croatian]], [[Czech language|Czech]], [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Romani language|Romani]], [[Slovak language|Slovak]], and [[Slovene language|Slovene]] are officially recognised by the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]] (ECRML).}} | languages = [[Austrian German]]{{Efn|It is standardized in Austria by the {{Lang|de|[[Ăsterreichisches Wörterbuch]]}}, a dictionary published by the [[Ministry of Education, Science and Research]].}} | languages_type = [[National language]] | languages2 = {{hlist|[[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]|[[Slovene language|Slovene]]|[[Burgenland Croatian]]<ref name="demokratiewebstatt.at" /><ref name="Regional Languages of Austria" /> }} | languages2_type = Official regional languages | ethnic_groups = {{Unbulleted list | 75.6% [[Austrians]] | 24.4% [[Demographics of Austria#Ethnic groups|other]] }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2020 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Bevölkerung nach Migrationshintergrund |url=https://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/menschen_und_gesellschaft/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstruktur/bevoelkerung_nach_migrationshintergrund/069443.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331173313/https://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/menschen_und_gesellschaft/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstruktur/bevoelkerung_nach_migrationshintergrund/069443.html |archive-date=31 March 2022 |access-date=23 December 2021 |publisher=www.statistik.at |language=de-AT}}</ref> | religion_year = 2021 | religion_ref = <ref name="statistik.at">{{Cite web |title=Religionsbekenntnis â STATISTIK AUSTRIA â die Informationsmanager |url=https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/weiterfuehrende-bevoelkerungsstatistiken/religionsbekenntnis |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930022008/https://www.statistik.at/statistiken/bevoelkerung-und-soziales/bevoelkerung/weiterfuehrende-bevoelkerungsstatistiken/religionsbekenntnis |url-status=live }}</ref> | religion = {{Ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap; | {{Tree list}} * 64.1% [[Christianity]] ** 55.2% [[Catholic Church in Austria|Catholicism]] ** 5.1% [[Eastern Orthodoxy in Austria|Orthodoxy]] ** 3.8% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]] {{Tree list/end}} |26.4% [[Irreligion|no religion]] |8.3% [[Islam in Austria|Islam]] |1.2% [[Religion in Austria|other]]}} | demonym = [[Austrians|Austrian]] | government_type = Federal [[semi-presidential republic]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 September 2022 |title=Hofburg-Wahl: 'Ăsterreich ist ein sehr ungewöhnlicher Fall' |url=https://diepresse.com/6193038 |access-date=22 September 2022 |language=de-AT |archive-date=3 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003104650/https://www.diepresse.com/6193038/hofburg-wahl-oesterreich-ist-ein-sehr-ungewoehnlicher-fall |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|name=system|The Republic of Austria is ''de jure'' semi-presidential according to the country's [[Constitution of Austria|Constitution]]; however, it behaves more like a [[parliamentary republic]] in practice by [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]], with the [[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]] being the country's leading political figure despite nominally being ranked third according to the Constitution.}} | leader_title1 = [[President of Austria|President]] | leader_name1 = [[Alexander Van der Bellen]] | leader_title2 = [[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]] | leader_name2 = [[Karl Nehammer]] | legislature = [[Austrian Parliament|Parliament]] | upper_house = [[Federal Council (Austria)|Federal Council]] | lower_house = [[National Council (Austria)|National Council]] | sovereignty_type = [[History of Austria|Formation]] | established_event1 = [[Name of Austria|Name]] | established_date1 = 1 November 996 | established_event2 = [[Duchy of Austria|Duchy]] | established_date2 = 17 September 1156 | established_event3 = [[Archduchy of Austria|Archduchy]] | established_date3 = 6 January 1453 | established_event4 = [[Austrian Empire|Empire]] | established_date4 = 11 August 1804 | established_event5 = [[Austria-Hungary]] | established_date5 = 30 March 1867 | established_event6 = [[Republic of German-Austria]] | established_date6 = 12 November 1918 | established_event7 = [[First Austrian Republic|First Republic]] | established_date7 = 10 September 1919 | established_event8 = [[Federal State of Austria|Federal State]] | established_date8 = 1 May 1934 | established_event9 = [[Anschluss]] | established_date9 = 13 March 1938 | established_event10 = [[History of Austria#The Second Republic (since 1945)|Second Republic]] | established_date10 = 27 April 1945 | established_event11 = [[Austrian State Treaty|State Treaty]] | established_date11 = 27 July 1955 | established_event12 = [[1995 enlargement of the European Union|Joined]] the [[European Union]] | established_date12 = 1 January 1995 | area_km2 = 83879<ref>{{cite web|title=Austria EN|url=https://migrants-refugees.va/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-CP-Austria-EN.pdf|website=Migrants Refugees|publisher=The Vatican|date=April 2020|access-date=12 January 2024|archive-date=13 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113014627/https://migrants-refugees.va/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-CP-Austria-EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | area_rank = 113th | area_sq_mi = | percent_water = 0.84 (2015)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Surface water and surface water change|url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|access-date=11 October 2020|publisher=[[OECD|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD)|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324133453/https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER|url-status=live}}</ref> | population_estimate = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 9,027,999<ref name="statistik-population">{{Cite web |date=8 June 2022 |title=Population by Year-/Quarter-beginning |url=https://www.statistik.at/en/statistics/population-and-society/population/population-stock/population-at-beginning-of-year/quarter |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612161754/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/menschen_und_gesellschaft/bevoelkerung/bevoelkerungsstand_und_veraenderung/bevoelkerung_zu_jahres-_quartalsanfang/023582.html |archive-date=12 June 2015 |access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = April 2022 | population_estimate_rank = 98th | population_density_km2 = 107.6 | population_density_sq_mi = 278.7 <!--Do not remove per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers]]--> | population_density_rank = 106th | GDP_PPP = {{Increase}} $626.458 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.AT">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=122,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Austria) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015020413/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=122,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2023 | GDP_PPP_rank = 43rd | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{Increase}} $69,069<ref name="IMFWEO.AT" /> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 14th | GDP_nominal = {{Increase}} $526.182 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.AT" /> | GDP_nominal_year = 2023 | GDP_nominal_rank = 33rd | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{Increase}} $58,013<ref name="IMFWEO.AT" /> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 17th | Gini = 26.7 | Gini_year = 2021 | Gini_change = decrease | Gini_ref = <ref name="eurogini">{{Cite web |title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income â EU-SILC survey |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |access-date=21 June 2022 |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref> | HDI = 0.926 | HDI_year = 2022 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2023/24|language=en|publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]]|date=13 March 2024|page=288|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 22nd | currency = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|âŹ]]) | currency_code = EUR | time_zone = [[Central European Time|CET]] | utc_offset = +1 | utc_offset_DST = +2 | time_zone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] | date_format = dd/mm/yyyy | drives_on = right | calling_code = [[Telephone numbers in Austria|+43]] | cctld = [[.at]] }} '''Austria''',{{efn|{{lang-de-AT|Ăsterreich}}<br>Pronunciation: {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Austria.ogg|Ë|É|s|t|r|i|É}}, {{IPAc-en|Ë|ÉË|s|-}};<ref>{{Citation |last=Roach |first=Peter |title=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary |date=2011 |edition=18th |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-15253-2}}</ref> {{Lang-de-AT|Ăsterreich}} {{IPA-de|ËĂžËstÉraÉȘç||De-Ăsterreich2.ogg}}, {{Lang-bar|Ăstareich}}, [[Alemannic German]]: ''Ăschtreich, Eschtrych''}} formally<!-- When considering changing 'formally' to 'officially', please read the 'Formal name' section in the talk page's Archive 3. Please also check the reference to UNGEGN at the end of the sentence.--> the '''Republic of Austria''',{{Efn|{{lang-de-AT|Republik Ăsterreich}}<br>{{Lang-de-AT|Republik Ăsterreich|links=no}} {{IPA-de|repuËbliËk ËÊĂžËstÉraÉȘç||Republik Ăsterreich.ogg}}}} is a [[landlocked country]] in [[Central Europe]], lying in the [[Eastern Alps]].<ref name="formal name">{{Cite web |title=Austria |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames |access-date=4 January 2023 |website=UNGEGN World Geographical Names |publisher=United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names |location=New York, NY |archive-date=7 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107010908/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a [[federation]] of nine [[Federal states of Austria|federal states]], one of which is the capital, [[Vienna]], the [[List of largest cities in Austria|most populous city]] and federal state. Austria is bordered by [[Germany]] to the northwest, the [[Czech Republic]] to the north, [[Slovakia]] to the northeast, [[Hungary]] to the east, [[Slovenia]] and [[Italy]] to the south, and [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] to the west. The country occupies an area of {{Convert|83879|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} and has [[Austrians|a population]] of around 9 million.<ref>{{Cite report |title=Studies of granular flow down an inclined chute. Quarterly technical progress report: Year four, Quarter two, 13 Marchâ12 June 1994 |last=Hanes |first=D.M. |date=1 September 1994 |publisher=US Department of Energy |doi=10.2172/10182964|doi-access=free}}</ref> Austria emerged from the remnants of the [[March of Pannonia|Eastern]] and [[Hungarian March]] at the end of the [[1st millennium|first millennium]]. Originally [[Margraviate of Austria|a margraviate]] of [[Duchy of Bavaria|Bavaria]], it developed into [[Duchy of Austria|a duchy]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1156 and was later made [[Archduchy of Austria|an archduchy]] in 1453. In the 16th century, Vienna began serving as the empire's administrative capital and Austria thus became the heartland of the [[Habsburg monarchy]]. Before the [[dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire]] two years later, in 1804, Austria established [[Austrian Empire|its own empire]], which became a [[great power]] and the dominant member of the [[German Confederation]]. The empire's defeat in the [[Austro-Prussian War]] of 1866 led to the end of the Confederation and paved the way for the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867|establishment]] of [[Austria-Hungary]] a year later. Austria was the common name for the non-Hungarian parts of the state, also known as ''[[Cisleithania]]''. After the [[assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] in 1914, Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph]] declared war on [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbia]], which ultimately escalated into [[World War I]]. The empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the [[Republic of German-Austria]] in 1918 and the [[First Austrian Republic]] in 1919. During the [[interwar period]], anti-parliamentarian sentiments culminated in the [[Austrian Civil War|formation]] of [[Federal State of Austria|an Austrofascist dictatorship]] under [[Engelbert Dollfuss]] in 1934. A year before the outbreak of [[World War II]], Austria was [[Anschluss|annexed]] into [[Nazi Germany]] by [[Adolf Hitler]], and it became [[Austria within Nazi Germany|a sub-national division]]. After [[Vienna offensive|its liberation]] in 1945 and a decade of [[Allied-occupied Austria|Allied occupation]], the country [[Austrian State Treaty|regained its sovereignty]] and declared [[Declaration of Neutrality|its perpetual neutrality]] in 1955. Austria is a [[semi-presidential]]{{efn|name=system}} [[representative democracy]] with a popularly elected [[President of Austria|president]] as head of state and a [[Chancellor of Austria|chancellor]] as head of government and chief executive. Major [[List of cities and towns in Austria|cities]] include [[Vienna]], [[Graz]], [[Linz]], [[Salzburg]], and [[Innsbruck]]. Austria has the 17th highest [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|nominal GDP per capita]] with high standards of living; it was ranked 25th in the world for its [[Human Development Index]] in 2021. Austria has been a member of the [[United Nations]] since 1955<ref>Jelavich 267</ref> and of the [[European Union]] since 1995.<ref name="CIA">{{Cite web |date=14 May 2009 |title=Austria |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |access-date=31 May 2009 |website=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110074413/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |url-status=live }}</ref> It hosts the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE) and the [[Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries]] (OPEC) and is a founding member of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD) and [[Interpol]].<ref name="OECD">{{Cite web |title=Austria About |url=http://www.oecd.org/about/0,3347,en_33873108_33873245_1_1_1_1_1,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506022708/http://www.oecd.org/about/0%2C3347%2Cen_33873108_33873245_1_1_1_1_1%2C00.html |archive-date=6 May 2009 |access-date=20 May 2009 |publisher=OECD}}</ref> It also signed the [[Schengen Agreement]] in 1995,<ref name="Schengen">{{Cite web |date=May 1995 |title=Austria joins Schengen |url=http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=643_0_4_0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707183649/http://migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/more.php?id=643_0_4_0 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=30 May 2009 |website=Migration News }}</ref> and adopted the [[euro]] currency in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria and the euro |url=https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/austria-and-euro_en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108064042/https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/euro-area/euro/eu-countries-and-euro/austria-and-euro_en |archive-date=8 January 2018 |access-date=7 January 2018 |website=European Commission â European Commission }}</ref> ==Etymology== {{Main|Name of Austria}} The native name for Austria, {{Lang|de|Ăsterreich}}, derives from the [[Old High German]] {{Lang|goh|OstarrĂźchi}}, which meant "eastern realm" and which first appeared in the "OstarrĂźchi document" of 996.<ref name="University of Klagenfurt">{{Cite web |title=University of Klagenfurt |url=http://wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at/spw/oenf/name2.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513121957/http://wwwg.uni-klu.ac.at/spw/oenf/name2.htm |archive-date=13 May 2011 |access-date=2 October 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfhADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT34 |title=Austrian Historical Memory and National Identity |date=1997 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=978-1-56000-902-3 |editor-last=Bischof |editor-first=GĂŒnter |editor-link=GĂŒnter Bischof |location=New Brunswick |pages=20â21 |access-date=14 June 2018 |editor-last2=Pelinka |editor-first2=Anton |editor-link2=Anton Pelinka |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614144308/https://books.google.de/books?id=tfhADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT34&lpg=PA92 |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> This word is probably a translation of [[Medieval Latin]] {{Lang|la|[[Marchia orientalis (Austria)|Marchia orientalis]]}} into a local (Bavarian) dialect. Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976. The word "Austria" is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brauneder |first=Wilhelm |title=Ăsterreichische Verfassungsgeschichte |date=2009 |publisher=Manzsche Verlags- und UniversitĂ€tsbuchhandlung |isbn=978-3-214-14876-8 |edition=11th |location=Vienna |page=17}}</ref> At the time, the Danube basin of Austria ([[Upper Austria|Upper]] and [[Lower Austria]]) was the easternmost extent of Bavaria. ==History== {{Main|History of Austria}} [[File:2011-07-09 gasometer 28.JPG|thumb|left|[[Venus of Willendorf]], 28,000 to 25,000 BC, at the [[Naturhistorisches Museum|Museum of Natural History Vienna]]]] The Central European land that is now Austria was settled in pre-Roman times by various [[Celt]]ic tribes. The Celtic kingdom of [[Noricum]] was later claimed by the [[Roman Empire]] and made a province. Present-day Petronell-[[Carnuntum]] in eastern Austria was an important army camp turned capital city in what became known as the Upper Pannonia province. Carnuntum was home for 50,000 people for nearly 400 years.<ref name="Carnuntum Tourism">{{Cite web |title=Rome's metropolis on the Danube awakens to new life |url=http://www.carnuntum.co.at/content-en/tales-from-carnuntum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116125751/http://www.carnuntum.co.at/content-en/tales-from-carnuntum |archive-date=16 January 2010 |access-date=20 February 2010 |website=ArchĂ€ologischer Park Carnuntum |publisher=ArchĂ€ologische Kulturpark Niederösterreich Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H. }}</ref> ===Middle Ages=== After the fall of the Roman Empire, the area was invaded by [[Bavarians]], [[Slavs]], and [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]].<ref name="johnson 19"/> [[Charlemagne]], King of the Franks, conquered the area in AD 788, encouraged colonisation, and introduced Christianity.<ref name="johnson 19">Johnson 19</ref> As part of [[Eastern Francia]], the core areas that now encompass Austria were bequeathed to the house of [[Babenberg]]. The area was known as the ''[[March of Austria|marchia Orientalis]]'' and was given to [[Leopold I of Austria (Babenberg)|Leopold of Babenberg]] in 976.<ref name="johnson 20">Johnson 20â21</ref> The first record showing the name Austria is from 996, where it is written as ''[[OstarrĂźchi]]'', referring to the territory of the Babenberg March.<ref name="johnson 20"/> In 1156, the [[Privilegium Minus]] elevated Austria to the status of a duchy. In 1192, the Babenbergs also acquired the Duchy of [[Styria (duchy)|Styria]]. With the death of [[Frederick II of Austria|Frederick II]] in 1246, the line of the Babenbergs was extinguished.<ref name="johnson 21">Johnson 21</ref> As a result, [[Ottokar II of Bohemia]] effectively assumed control of the duchies of Austria, Styria, and [[Carinthia (duchy)|Carinthia]].<ref name="johnson 21"/> His reign came to an end with his defeat at [[DĂŒrnkrut]] at the hands of [[Rudolph I of Germany]] in 1278.<ref>Lonnie Johnson 23</ref> Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling dynasty, the [[Habsburgs]]. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburgs]] began to accumulate other provinces in the vicinity of the Duchy of Austria. In 1438, Duke [[Albert V of Austria]] was chosen as the successor to his father-in-law, Emperor [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]]. Although Albert himself only reigned for a year, henceforth every emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was a Habsburg, with only one exception. The Habsburgs began also to accumulate territory far from the hereditary lands. In 1477, Archduke [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian]], only son of Emperor [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick III]], married the heiress Maria of [[County of Burgundy|Burgundy]], thus acquiring most of the [[Netherlands]] for the family.<ref name="johnson 25">Lonnie Johnson 25</ref><ref name="brook 11">Brook-Shepherd 11</ref> In 1496, his son [[Philip I of Castile|Philip the Fair]] married [[Joanna the Mad]], the heiress of [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragon]], thus acquiring Spain and its Italian, African, [[Philippines|Asian]], and [[New World]] appendages for the Habsburgs.<ref name="johnson 25"/><ref name="brook 11"/> In 1526, following the [[Battle of MohĂĄcs]], [[Bohemia]] and the part of [[Hungary]] not occupied by the Ottomans came under Austrian rule.<ref>Lonnie Johnson 26</ref> [[OttomanâHungarian Wars|Ottoman expansion]] into Hungary led to [[OttomanâHabsburg wars|frequent conflicts]] between the two empires, particularly evident in the [[Long War (Ottoman wars)|Long War]] of 1593 to 1606. The Turks made incursions into [[Styria]] nearly 20 times,<ref>"'' The Catholic encyclopedia''". Charles George Herbermann (1913). Robert Appleton company.</ref> of which some are cited as "burning, pillaging, and taking thousands of slaves".<ref>"''[https://books.google.com/books?id=8-ARAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA560 Bentley's miscellany] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312192545/https://books.google.com/books?id=8-ARAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA560#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=12 March 2024 }}''". Charles Dickens, William Harrison Ainsworth, Albert Smith (1853).</ref> In late September 1529, [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] launched the first [[Siege of Vienna (1529)|siege of Vienna]], which unsuccessfully ended, according to Ottoman historians, with the snowfalls of an early beginning winter. ===17th and 18th centuries=== [[File:Anonym Entsatz Wien 1683.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Vienna]] in 1683 broke the advance of the [[Ottoman Empire]] into Europe.]] During the long reign of [[Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor]] following the successful [[Battle of Vienna|defence of Vienna]] against the Turks in 1683, under the command of the King of Poland [[John III Sobieski]],<ref>Lonnie Johnson 26â28</ref> the [[Great Turkish War]] resulted in most of Hungary being controlled by Austria. This arrangement was formalized in the [[Treaty of Karlowitz]] in 1699. Emperor [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor]] relinquished many of the gains the empire made in the previous years. He enjoyed the imminent extinction of the [[House of Habsburg]]. Charles VI was willing to offer concrete advantages in territory and authority in exchange for recognition of the [[Pragmatic Sanction of 1713]]. Therefore, his daughter [[Maria Theresa]] was recognized as his heir. With the rise of [[Prussia]], the [[AustriaâPrussia rivalry]] began in Germany. Austria participated, together with Prussia and Russia, in the first and the third of the three [[Partitions of Poland]] in 1772 and 1795 respectively. From that time, Austria became the birthplace of [[classical music]] and played host to different composers including [[Joseph Haydn]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven]], and [[Franz Schubert]]. ===19th century=== {{See also|Austrian Empire|Austria-Hungary}} [[File:Congress of Vienna.PNG|thumb|left|The [[Congress of Vienna]] met in 1814â15. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the [[French Revolutionary Wars]], the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and the dissolution of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]]] Austria later became engaged in a war with [[Revolutionary France]], which was highly unsuccessful in the beginning, with successive defeats at the hands of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], meaning the end of the old [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1806. Two years earlier,<ref>Lonnie Johnson 34</ref> the [[Austrian Empire|Empire of Austria]] was founded. From 1792 to 1801, the Austrians had suffered 754,700 casualties.<ref>Clodfelter</ref> In 1814, Austria was part of the Allied forces that invaded France and brought to an end the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. It emerged from the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815 as one of the continent's four dominant powers and a recognised [[great power]]. The same year, the [[German Confederation]] ({{Lang|de|Deutscher Bund}}) was founded under the presidency of Austria. Because of unsolved social, political, and national conflicts, the German lands were shaken by the [[1848 revolutions]] aiming to create a unified Germany.<ref name="johnson 36">Johnson 36</ref> [[File:Deutscher Bund.svg|thumb|Map of the [[German Confederation]] with its 39 member sovereign states]] The various different possibilities for a united Germany were: a [[Kleindeutschland and GroĂdeutschland|Greater Germany]], or a [[United States of Greater Austria|Greater Austria]] or just the German Confederation without Austria at all. As Austria was not willing to relinquish its German-speaking territories to what would become the [[Unification of Germany|German Empire of 1848]], the crown of the newly formed empire was offered to the Prussian King [[Friedrich Wilhelm IV]]. In 1864, Austria and Prussia fought together against [[Denmark]] and secured the independence from Denmark of the duchies of [[Schleswig]] and [[Holstein]]. As they could not agree on how the two duchies should be administered, though, they fought the [[Austro-Prussian War]] in 1866. Defeated by Prussia in the [[Battle of KöniggrĂ€tz]],<ref name="johnson 36"/> Austria had to leave the German Confederation and no longer took part in German politics.<ref name="johnson 55">Lonnie Johnson 55</ref><ref>Schulze 233</ref> After the defeated [[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]], the [[Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867]], the ''Ausgleich'', provided for a dual sovereignty, the [[Austrian Empire]] and the [[Kingdom of Hungary]], under [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]].<ref>Lonnie Johnson 59</ref> The Austrian-Hungarian rule of this diverse empire included various groups, including [[Germans]], [[Hungarians]], Croats, Czechs, [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Rusyns]], Serbs, Slovaks, Slovenes, and Ukrainians, as well as large Italian and Romanian communities. As a result, ruling Austria-Hungary became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements, requiring considerable reliance on an expanded secret police. Yet, the government of Austria tried its best to be accommodating in some respects: for example, the ''Reichsgesetzblatt'', publishing the laws and ordinances of [[Cisleithania]], was issued in eight languages; and all national groups were entitled to schools in their own language and to the use of their mother tongue at state offices. [[File:Austria Hungary ethnic.svg|thumb|left|An ethnic map of [[Austria-Hungary]], 1910]] Many Austrians of all different social circles such as [[Georg Ritter von Schönerer]] promoted strong [[German nationalism in Austria|pan-Germanism]] in hope of reinforcing an ethnic German identity and the annexation of Austria to Germany.<ref name="DPSO">{{Cite web |date=2000 |title=Das politische System in Ăsterreich (The Political System in Austria) |url=http://www.politischebildung.at/upload/polsystem.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423112116/http://www.politischebildung.at/upload/polsystem.pdf |archive-date=23 April 2014 |access-date=9 July 2014 |publisher=Austrian Federal Press Service |page=24 |language=de |location=Vienna }}</ref> Some Austrians such as [[Karl Lueger]] also used pan-Germanism as a form of populism to further their own political goals. Although Bismarck's policies excluded Austria and the German Austrians from Germany, many Austrian pan-Germans idolised him and wore blue cornflowers, known to be the favourite flower of German Emperor [[William I, German Emperor|William I]], in their buttonholes, along with cockades in the German national colours (black, red, and yellow), although they were both temporarily banned in Austrian schools, as a way to show discontent towards the multi-ethnic empire.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Unowsky |first=Daniel L. |title=The Pomp and Politics of Patriotism: Imperial Celebrations in Habsburg Austria, 1848â1916 |publisher=Purdue University Press |date=2005 |page=157}}</ref> Austria's exclusion from Germany caused many Austrians a problem with their national identity and prompted the Social Democratic Leader [[Otto Bauer]] to state that it was "the conflict between our Austrian and German character".<ref>Evan Burr Bukey, Hitler's Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era, 1938â1945, p. 6</ref> The Austro-Hungarian Empire caused ethnic tension between the German Austrians and the other ethnic groups. Many Austrians, especially those involved with the pan-German movements, desired a reinforcement of an ethnic German identity and hoped that the empire would collapse, which would allow an [[Anschluss|annexation of Austria by Germany]].<ref>Brigitte Hamann, Hitler's Vienna: A Portrait of the Tyrant as a Young Man, p. 394</ref> A lot of Austrian pan-German nationalists protested passionately against minister-president [[Count Kasimir Felix Badeni|Kasimir Count Badeni]]'s language decree of 1897, which made German and Czech co-official languages in Bohemia and required new government officials to be fluent in both languages. This meant in practice that the civil service would almost exclusively hire Czechs, because most middle-class Czechs spoke German but not the other way around. The support of [[ultramontanism|ultramontane]] Catholic politicians and clergy for this reform triggered the launch of the ''[[Away from Rome]]'' movement, which was initiated by supporters of Schönerer and called on "German" Christians to leave the Roman Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite news |last=Suppan |title='Germans' in the Habsburg Empire |publisher=The Germans and the East |date=2008 |pages=164, 172}}</ref> ===Early 20th century === {{See also|Republic of German-Austria|First Austrian Republic}} As the [[Second Constitutional Era]] began in the [[Ottoman Empire]], Austria-Hungary took the opportunity to annex [[Bosnia and Herzegovina in Austria-Hungary|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] in 1908.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina 1908 |url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos127.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323152047/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/boshtml/bos127.htm |archive-date=23 March 2013 |access-date=25 March 2013 |publisher=Mtholyoke.edu }}</ref> The [[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|assassination]] of Archduke [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Franz Ferdinand]] in [[Sarajevo]] in 1914 by Bosnian Serb [[Gavrilo Princip]]<ref>Johnson 52â54</ref> was used by leading Austrian politicians and generals to persuade the emperor to declare war on Serbia, thereby risking and prompting the outbreak of World War I, which eventually led to the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Over one million Austro-Hungarian soldiers died in World War I.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Grebler |first1=Leo |title=The Cost of the World War to Germany and Austria-Hungary |last2=Winkler |first2=Wilhelm |publisher=Yale University Press |date=1940 |isbn=0-598-94106-1}}</ref> [[File:GermanAustriaMap.png|thumb|left|upright=1.4|German-speaking provinces claimed by [[German-Austria]] in 1918: The border of the subsequent Second Republic of Austria is outlined in red]] On 21 October 1918 the elected German members of the ''Reichsrat'' (parliament of Imperial Austria) met in Vienna as the Provisional National Assembly for German Austria (''Provisorische Nationalversammlung fĂŒr Deutschösterreich''). On 30 October the assembly founded the [[Republic of German-Austria]] by appointing a government, called ''Staatsrat''. This new government was invited by the Emperor to take part in the decision on the planned armistice with Italy, but refrained from this business.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shepard |first=Gordon |title=The Austrians |date=1996 |publisher=Avalon Publishing Group Inc. |isbn=978-0-7867-3066-7}}</ref> This left the responsibility for the end of the war, on 3 November 1918, solely to the emperor and his government. On 11 November, the emperor, advised by ministers of the old and the new governments, declared he would not take part in state business any more; on 12 November, German-Austria, by law, declared itself to be a democratic republic and part of the new German republic. The constitution, renaming the ''Staatsrat'' as ''Bundesregierung'' (federal government) and ''Nationalversammlung'' as ''Nationalrat'' (national council) was passed on 10 November 1920.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria: notes |url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/austria/au_rep1/01_laws.php |access-date=4 February 2021 |website=Archontology |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090109/http://www.archontology.org/nations/austria/au_rep1/01_laws.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Treaty of Saint-Germain]] of 1919 (for Hungary the [[Treaty of Trianon]] of 1920) confirmed and consolidated the new order of Central Europe which to a great extent had been established in November 1918, creating new states and altering others. The German-speaking parts of Austria which had been part of Austria-Hungary were reduced to a rump state named the Republic of German-Austria (German: ''Republik Deutschösterreich''), though excluding the predominantly German-speaking [[South Tyrol]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Moos |first=Carlo |title=A Land on the Threshold. South Tyrolean Transformations, 1915â2015 |pages=27â39 |date=2017 |editor-last=Georg Grote and Hannes Obermair |contribution=SĂŒdtirol im St. Germain-Kontext |place=Oxford-Berne-New York |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-3-0343-2240-9}}</ref><ref>In Habsburg Austria-Hungary, "German-Austria" was an unofficial term for the areas of the empire inhabited by Austrian Germans.</ref><ref>Alfred D. Low, ''The Anschluss Movement, 1918â1919, and the Paris Peace Conference'', pp. 135â138.</ref> The desire for the annexation of Austria to Germany was a popular opinion shared by all social circles in both Austria and Germany.<ref>Alfred D. Low, ''The Anschluss Movement, 1918â1919, and the Paris Peace Conference'', pp. 3â4</ref> On 12 November, German-Austria was declared a republic, and named Social Democrat [[Karl Renner]] as provisional chancellor. On the same day it drafted a provisional constitution that stated that "German-Austria is a democratic republic" (Article 1) and "German-Austria is an integral part of the German reich" (Article 2).<ref>Mary Margaret Ball, ''Post-war German-Austrian Relations: The Anschluss Movement, 1918â1936'', pp. 11â15</ref> The Treaty of Saint Germain and the [[Treaty of Versailles]] explicitly forbade union between Austria and Germany.<ref>Roderick Stackelberg, ''Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies'', pp. 161â162</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Treaty of Peace between the Allied and Associated Powers and Austria; Protocol, Declaration and Special Declaration [1920] ATS 3 |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1920/3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000917221810/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat/treaties/1920/3.html |archive-date=17 September 2000 |access-date=15 June 2011 |publisher=Austlii.edu.au }}</ref> The treaties also forced German-Austria to rename itself as "Republic of Austria" which consequently led to the first [[First Austrian Republic|Austrian Republic]].<ref>Mary Margaret Ball, ''Post-war German-Austrian Relations: The Anschluss Movement, 1918â1936'', pp. 18-19</ref><ref>Montserrat Guibernau, ''The Identity of Nations'', pp. 70â75</ref> Over three million German-speaking Austrians found themselves living outside the new Austrian Republic as minorities in the newly formed or enlarged states of [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[Hungary]], and Italy.<ref>Brook-Shepherd 246</ref> These included the provinces of [[South Tyrol]], and [[German Bohemia]]. The status of German Bohemia and [[Sudetenland]] later played a role in World War II.<ref name="a1">Brook-Shepherd 245</ref> The border between Austria and the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] was settled with the [[Carinthian Plebiscite]] in October 1920 and allocated the major part of the territory of the former Austro-Hungarian Crownland of [[Carinthia]] to Austria. This set the border on the [[Karavanke]] mountain range, with many Slovenes remaining in Austria. ===Interwar period and World War II=== {{See also|First Austrian Republic|Federal State of Austria|Anschluss|Austria within Nazi Germany|History of the Jews in Austria#The Holocaust in Austria}} After the war, inflation began to devalue the Krone, which was still Austria's currency. In autumn 1922, Austria was granted an international loan supervised by the [[League of Nations]].<ref>Brook-Shepherd 257â258</ref> The purpose of the loan was to avert bankruptcy, stabilise the currency, and improve Austria's general economic condition. The loan meant that Austria passed from an independent state to the control exercised by the League of Nations. In 1925, the ''[[Austrian schilling]]'' was introduced, replacing the Krone at a rate of 10,000:1. Later, it was nicknamed the "Alpine dollar" due to its stability. From 1925 to 1929 the economy enjoyed a short high before nearly crashing after [[Wall Street Crash of 1929|Black Tuesday]]. The [[First Austrian Republic]] lasted until 1933, when Chancellor [[Engelbert Dollfuss]], using what he called [[Selbstausschaltung des Parlaments|"self-switch-off of Parliament"]], established an autocratic regime tending towards [[Italian fascism]].<ref name="johnson 104">Lonnie Johnson 104</ref><ref name="brook 269">Brook-Shepherd 269â270</ref> The two big parties at this time, the Social Democrats and the Conservatives, had paramilitary armies;<ref name="Brook-Shepherd 261">Brook-Shepherd 261</ref> the Social Democrats' ''[[Republikanischer Schutzbund]]'' was now declared illegal, but was still operative<ref name="Brook-Shepherd 261"/> as the 12â15 February 1934 [[Austrian Civil War]] broke out.<ref name="johnson 104"/><ref name="brook 269"/><ref name="johnson 107">Johnson 107</ref> In February 1934, several members of the ''Schutzbund'' were executed,<ref>Brook-Shepherd 283</ref> the Social Democratic party was outlawed, and many of its members were imprisoned or emigrated.<ref name="johnson 107"/> On 1 May 1934, the [[Austrofascism|Austrofascists]] imposed a new constitution ("Maiverfassung") which cemented Dollfuss's power, but on 25 July he was assassinated in an [[Austrian Nazi]] [[July Putsch|coup attempt]].<ref>Lonnie Johnson 109</ref><ref>Brook-Shepherd 292</ref> [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0922-500, Wien, Heldenplatz, Rede Adolf Hitler.jpg|thumb|[[Adolf Hitler]] speaking at [[Heldenplatz]], Vienna, 1938]] His successor [[Kurt Schuschnigg]] acknowledged the fact that Austria was a "German state" and he also believed that Austrians were "better Germans" but he wished that Austria would remain independent.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ryschka |first=Birgit |title=Constructing and Deconstructing National Identity: Dramatic Discourse in Tom Murphy's The Patriot Game and Felix Mitterer's In Der Löwengrube |date=1 January 2008 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-3-631-58111-7 }}</ref> He announced a [[referendum]] on 9 March 1938, to be held on 13 March, concerning Austria's independence from Germany. ==== Nazi rule ==== On 12 March 1938, Austrian Nazis took over the government, while German troops occupied the country, which prevented Schuschnigg's referendum from taking place.<ref name="johnson 112">Lonnie Johnson 112-113</ref> On 13 March 1938, the ''[[Anschluss]]'' ({{literal translation|joining|connection}}) of Austria was officially declared. Two days later, Austrian-born [[Adolf Hitler]] announced what he called the "reunification" of his home country with the "rest of the [[Nazi Germany|German Reich]]" on Vienna's [[Heldenplatz]]. He established a referendum which confirmed the union with Germany in April 1938. Parliamentary elections were held in Germany (including recently annexed Austria) on 10 April 1938. They were the final elections to the Reichstag during Nazi rule, and they took the form of a single-question referendum asking whether voters approved of a single Nazi-party list for the 813-member Reichstag, as well as the recent annexation of Austria (the ''[[Anschluss]]''). Jews, Roma and Sinti were not allowed to vote.<ref>Robert Gellately, Social Outsiders in Nazi Germany, (2001), p. 216</ref> Turnout in the election was officially 99.5 percent, with 98.9 percent voting "yes". In the case of Austria, Adolf Hitler's native soil, 99.71 percent of an electorate of 4,484,475 officially went to the ballots, with a positive tally of 99.73 percent.<ref name="test">[[1938 German election and referendum]]</ref> Although most Austrians favored the ''Anschluss'', in certain parts of Austria, the German soldiers were not always welcomed with flowers and joy, especially in Vienna, which had Austria's largest Jewish population.<ref>Evan Burr Bukey, Hitler's Austria: Popular Sentiment in the Nazi Era, 1938â1945, p. 33</ref> Nevertheless, despite the propaganda and the manipulation and rigging which surrounded the ballot box result, there was massive genuine support for Hitler for fulfilling the ''Anschluss'',<ref>Ian Kershaw (2001) Hitler 1936-1945" Nemesis, p.83</ref> since many Germans from both Austria and Germany saw it as completing the long overdue unification of all Germans into one state.<ref>Roderick Stackelberg, Hitler's Germany: Origins, Interpretations, Legacies, p.170</ref> [[File:OstmarkMap.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Austria in 1941 when it was known as the "Ostmark"]] On 13 March 1938, Austria was annexed by the [[Third Reich]] and ceased to exist as an independent country (the ''Anschluss''). The [[Aryanization (Nazism)|Aryanisation]] of the wealth of Jewish Austrians started immediately in mid-March, with a so-called "wild" (i.e. extra-legal) phase, but it was soon structured legally and bureaucratically so the assets which Jewish citizens possessed could be stripped from them. At that time, [[Adolf Eichmann]], who grew up in Austria, was transferred to Vienna and ordered to persecute the Jews. During the November pogrom in 1938 ("Reichskristallnacht"), Jews and Jewish institutions such as synagogues were subjected to violent attacks in Vienna, Klagenfurt, Linz, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and several cities in Lower Austria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DĂW â Erkennen â Ausstellung â 1938 â Die Verfolgung der österreichischen Juden |url=https://www.doew.at/erkennen/ausstellung/1938/die-verfolgung-der-oesterreichischen-juden |website=www.doew.at |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=6 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706103854/https://www.doew.at/erkennen/ausstellung/1938/die-verfolgung-der-oesterreichischen-juden |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=JĂŒdische Gemeinde â Wien (Ăsterreich) |url=https://www.xn--jdische-gemeinden-22b.de/index.php/gemeinden/u-z/2087-wien-oesterreich |website=www.xnâjdische-gemeinden-22b.de |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=10 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220610035119/https://www.xn--jdische-gemeinden-22b.de/index.php/gemeinden/u-z/2087-wien-oesterreich |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Vienna |url=https://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture/jewishvienna |website=www.wien.gv.at |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416073430/https://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture/jewishvienna/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.zeit.de/2018/11/nationalsozialismus-oesterreich-anschluss-antisemitismus-adolf-eichmann/komplettansicht |title=Hitlers willige Vasallen |newspaper=Die Zeit |date=12 March 2018 |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=5 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505105703/https://www.zeit.de/2018/11/nationalsozialismus-oesterreich-anschluss-antisemitismus-adolf-eichmann/komplettansicht |url-status=live |last1=Riedl |first1=Joachim }}</ref><ref>Wolfgang HĂ€usler, ''Das Jahr 1938 und die österreichischen Juden.'' In: Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes: "AnschluĂ" 1938. Vienna, 1988.</ref> [[Otto von Habsburg]], a vehement opponent of the Nazis, the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, an honorary citizen of hundreds of places in Austria and partly envisaged by Schuschnigg as a monarchical option, was in Belgium at the time. He spoke out against the Anschluss and was then wanted by the Nazi regime and his property would have been expropriated and he would have been shot immediately if he were caught.<ref>Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer, ''Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938â1945.'' Vienna 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-9024-9483-2}}, pp. 299â305; James Longo, ''Hitler and the Habsburgs: The Fuhrer's Vendetta Against the Austrian Royals'' (2018); Stephan Baier, Eva Demmerle, ''Otto von Habsburg. Die Biografie.'' Amalthea, Wien 2002, {{ISBN|978-3-8500-2486-0}}, p. 122.</ref> In 1938, the Nazis renamed Austria the "[[Ostmark (Austria)|Ostmark]]",<ref name="johnson 112"/> a name which it had until 1942, when it was renamed the "Alpine and Danubian Gaue" (Alpen-und Donau-Reichsgaue).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jelavich |first=Barbara |title=Modern Austria: Empire and Republic, 1815â1986 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-521-31625-5 |page=227}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Schmitz-Berning |first=Cornelia |title=Vokabular des Nationalsozialismus |publisher=de Gruyter |date=2007 |isbn=978-3-11-019549-1 |page=24 |language=de}}</ref> Though Austrians made up only 8 percent of the population of the Third Reich,<ref name="dav_art_nazi_past"/> some of the most prominent Nazis were native Austrians, including [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Ernst Kaltenbrunner]], [[Arthur Seyss-Inquart]], [[Franz Stangl]], [[Alois Brunner]], [[Friedrich Rainer]], and [[Odilo Globocnik]],<ref>Ian Wallace (1999) "German-speaking exiles in Great Britain" Rodopi p.81 ISBN 9789042004153</ref> as were over 13 percent of the members of the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] and 40 percent of the staff at the Nazi [[extermination camp]]s.<ref name="dav_art_nazi_past">David Art (2006) "The politics of the Nazi past in Germany and Austria" Cambridge University Press p.43 ISBN 9780521856836</ref> In the [[Austria under National Socialism|Reichsgau]], besides the main camp [[Mauthausen concentration camp|KZ-Mauthausen]], there were numerous sub-camps in all provinces where Jews and other prisoners were killed, tortured and exploited.<ref>Ăsterreichische Historikerkommission, ''Schlussbericht der Historikerkommission der Republik Ăsterreich.'' Volume 1, 2003, pp 85.</ref> At this time, because the territory was outside the operational radius of Allied aircraft, the armaments industry was greatly expanded through the forced labor of concentration camp prisoners, this was especially the case with regard to the manufacture of fighter planes, tanks and missiles.<ref>Norbert Schausberger, ''RĂŒstung in Ăsterreich 1938â1945'', Vienna (1970).</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 July 2010 |title=Hitlers Schuldendiktat: Wie Hitlers Kriegswirtschaft wirklich lief |url=https://profil.at/home/hitlers-schuldendiktat-wie-hitlers-kriegswirtschaft-273933 |publisher=profil.at |access-date=1 April 2021 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415232658/https://www.profil.at/home/hitlers-schuldendiktat-wie-hitlers-kriegswirtschaft-273933 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zwangsarbeit fĂŒr die RĂŒstungsindustrie |publisher=KZ-GedenkstĂ€tte Mauthausen |url=https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/de/Wissen/Das-Konzentrationslager-Mauthausen-1938-1945/Zwangsarbeit-fuer-die-Ruestungsindustrie |website=www.mauthausen-memorial.org |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090110/https://www.mauthausen-memorial.org/de/Wissen/Das-Konzentrationslager-Mauthausen-1938-1945/Zwangsarbeit-fuer-die-Ruestungsindustrie |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of the [[Austrian resistance|resistance groups]] were soon crushed by the [[Gestapo]]. While the plans of the group around [[Karl Burian]] to blow up the Gestapo's headquarters in Vienna were uncovered,<ref>Karl Glanz (2020) ''Die Sozialdemokratie'' p 28</ref> the important group around the later executed priest [[Heinrich Maier]] managed to contact the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. This so-called Maier-Messner group was able to send the Allies information about armaments factories where [[V-1 flying bomb]]s, [[V-2 rocket]]s, [[Tiger I|Tiger tanks]] and aircraft ([[Messerschmitt Bf 109]], [[Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet]], etc.) were manufactured, information which was important to the success of [[Operation Crossbow]] and [[Operation Hydra (1943)|Operation Hydra]], both of which were preliminary missions before the launch of [[Operation Overlord]]. This resistance group, which was in contact with the American secret service ([[Office of Strategic Services|OSS]]), soon provided information about mass executions and [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camps]] such as [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]]. The group's aim was to cause Nazi Germany to lose the war as quickly as possible and re-establish an independent Austria.<ref>Christoph Thurner (2017) ''The CASSIA Spy Ring in World War II Austria: A History of the OSS's Maier-Messner Group'' p. 35.</ref><ref>Elisabeth Boeckl-Klamper, Thomas Mang, Wolfgang Neugebauer, (2018) ''Gestapo-Leitstelle Wien 1938â1945'' ISBN 9783902494832 p 299-305</ref><ref>Hansjakob Stehle, "Die Spione aus dem Pfarrhaus (German: The spies from the rectory)". In: Die Zeit, 5 January 1996</ref> [[File:KZ Mauthausen.jpg|thumb|left|The liberation of [[Mauthausen concentration camp]], 1945]] === Allied occupation === Vienna fell on 13 April 1945, during the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Vienna offensive]], just before the total collapse of the Third Reich. The invading Allied powers, in particular the Americans, planned for the supposed "Alpine Fortress Operation" of a national redoubt, that was largely to have taken place on Austrian soil in the mountains of the [[Eastern Alps]]. However, it never materialised because of the rapid collapse of the Reich. [[Karl Renner]] and [[Adolf SchĂ€rf]] (Socialist Party of Austria [Social Democrats and Revolutionary Socialists]), Leopold Kunschak (Austria's People's Party [former Christian Social People's Party]), and Johann Koplenig (Communist Party of Austria) declared Austria's secession from the Third Reich by the Declaration of Independence on 27 April 1945 and set up a [[provisional government]] in Vienna under state Chancellor Renner the same day, with the approval of the victorious [[Red Army]] and backed by [[Joseph Stalin]].<ref name="johnson 135">Lonnie Johnson 135-136</ref> (The date is officially named the birthday of the second republic.) At the end of April, most of western and southern Austria were still under Nazi rule. On 1 May 1945, the [[Federal Constitutional Law]] of 1920, which had been terminated by dictator Dollfuss on 1 May 1934, was declared valid again. The total number of [[World War II casualties#endnote Austria|Austrian military deaths]] from 1939 to 1945 was 260,000.<ref>RĂŒdiger Overmans (2000) ''Deutsche militĂ€rische Verluste im Zweiten Weltkrieg'' Oldenbourg</ref> The total number of Jewish [[The Holocaust in Austria|Austrian Holocaust]] victims was 65,000.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria/33382/Anschluss-and-World-War-II Anschluss and World War II] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820033236/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria/33382/Anschluss-and-World-War-II |date=20 August 2009 }}. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> About 140,000 Jewish Austrians had fled from the country in 1938â39. Thousands of Austrians had taken part in serious Nazi crimes (hundreds of thousands of people died in the [[Mauthausen concentration camp|Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp]] alone), a fact which was officially acknowledged by Chancellor [[Franz Vranitzky]] in 1992.[[File:Uno City Kaiserwasser.jpg|thumb|right|The [[United Nations Office in Vienna]]]] [[Allied-occupied Austria]] was after [[World War II]] divided into [[military occupation]] zones. Austria was governed by the [[Allied Commission for Austria]].<ref>Lonnie Johnson 137</ref> As stipulated in the [[Moscow Declaration]] of 1943 a subtle difference was seen in the treatment of Austria by the Allies.<ref name="johnson 135"/> The Austrian government, consisting of Social Democrats, Conservatives, and Communists resided in [[Vienna]], which was surrounded by the Soviet zone. This Austrian government was recognised by the [[allies of World War II]] in October 1945 after concerns that [[Karl Renner]] could be Stalin's puppet.<ref>Manfried Rauchensteiner, ''Der Sonderfall. Die Besatzungszeit in Ăsterreich 1945 bis 1955'' (The Special Case. The Time of Occupation in Austria 1945 to 1955), edited by Heeresgeschichtliches Museum / MilitĂ€rwissenschaftliches Institut (Museum of Army History / Institute for Military Science), Vienna 1985</ref> On 26 July 1946 the Austrian Parliament passed its first [[nationalization]] law and approximately 70 mining and manufacturing companies were seized by the Austrian state. The Ministry of Property Protection and Economic Planning (''Ministerium fĂŒr Vermögenssicherung und Wirtschaftsplanung'') was responsible for directing the nationalized industries under the directorship of Minister [[Peter Krauland]] (party ĂVP).<ref>{{cite book | editor1=Gunter Bischof |title=Austria in the Nineteen Fifties |publisher= Taylor & Francis |year=2020 |page= |isbn=978-1-000-67584-9 }}</ref> === Independence === On 15 May 1955, after talks which lasted for years and were influenced by the [[Cold War]] Austria regained full independence by concluding the [[Austrian State Treaty]] with the allies of World War II. On 26 October 1955 all occupation troops had left and Austria declared its ''permanent neutrality'' by an act of parliament.<ref name="johnson 153">Lonnie Johnson 153</ref> This day is now Austria's [[National Day]], a public holiday.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Austrian National Day |url=https://www.austria.org/national-day |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025070927/https://www.austria.org/national-day |archive-date=25 October 2018 |access-date=24 October 2018 |publisher=Austrian Embassy, Washington |language=en-US }}</ref> The status of [[Tyrol]] is a lingering problem between Austria and [[Italy]]. To this day, there are 20 different squares in Austrian cities called "SĂŒdtiroler Platz" (South Tyrolean Square) in memory of the supposed loss of the Austrian territories. Riots by the [[South Tyrolean independence movement]] have been documented in the 1950s and 1960s. A great degree of autonomy was granted to Tyrol by the Italian national government. [[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|right|Austria joined the [[European Union]] in 1995 and signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007]] The political system of the [[Second Austrian Republic|Second Republic]] is based on the constitution of 1920 and 1929, which was reintroduced in 1945. The system came to be characterised by ''[[Proporz]]'', whereby most posts of political importance were split proportionately between members of the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria]] (SPĂ) and the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ĂVP).<ref>Lonnie Johnson 139</ref> Interest group "chambers" with mandatory membership (e.g. for workers, business people, farmers) grew to considerable importance and were usually consulted in the legislative process, so hardly any legislation was passed that did not reflect widespread consensus.<ref>Lonnie Johnson 165</ref> Since 1945, governing via a single-party government has occurred twice: 1966â1970 (ĂVP) and 1970-1983 (SPĂ). During all other legislative periods, either a [[grand coalition]] of SPĂ and ĂVP or a "small coalition" (one of these two and a smaller party) ruled the country. [[Kurt Waldheim]], the former secretary-general of the [[United Nations]], was elected President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. He had been a Wehrmacht officer in the Second World War and was [[Austria â the Nazis' first victim#Waldheim Affair|accused of war crimes]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kurt Waldheim {{!}} president of Austria and secretary-general of the United Nations |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurt-Waldheim |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926052356/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurt-Waldheim |archive-date=26 September 2018 |access-date=25 September 2018 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en }}</ref> Following a [[1994 Austrian European Union membership referendum|referendum in 1994]], at which consent reached a majority of two-thirds, the country became a member of the [[European Union]] on 1 January 1995.<ref>Brook-Shepherd 447,449</ref> The major parties SPĂ and ĂVP have contrary opinions about the future status of Austria's military nonalignment: While the SPĂ in public supports a neutral role, the ĂVP argues for stronger integration into the EU's security policy; even a future NATO membership is not ruled out by some ĂVP politicians (ex. Werner Fasslabend (ĂVP) in 1997).{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}} In reality, Austria is taking part in the EU's [[Common Foreign and Security Policy]], participates in [[peacekeeping]] and peace creating tasks, and has become a member of [[NATO]]'s "[[Partnership for Peace]]"; the constitution has been amended accordingly.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=North Atlantic Treaty Organization |title=Signatures of Partnership for Peace Framework Document |date=October 5, 2006 |url=http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm |access-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-date=29 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061129213256/http://www.nato.int/pfp/sig-cntr.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Since [[Liechtenstein]] joined the [[Schengen Area]] in 2011, none of Austria's neighbouring countries performs border controls towards it anymore.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press corner |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_1566 |website=European Commission â European Commission |language=en |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204100203/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_11_1566 |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Government and politics== {{Main|Politics of Austria}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series--> {{Multiple image | align = right | caption_align = center | image1 = Alexander Van der Bellen (13-07-2021) (cropped).jpg | width1 = 124 | alt1 = Alexander Van der Bellen | caption1 = [[Alexander Van der Bellen]]<br/><small>[[President of Austria|President]]</small> | image2 = 2020 Karl Nehammer Ministerrat am 8.1.2020 (49351366976) (cropped) (cropped).jpg | width2 = 138 | alt2 = Karl Nehammer | caption2 = [[Karl Nehammer]]<br/><small>[[Chancellor of Austria|Chancellor]]</small> }} [[File:WienParlament.jpg|thumb|The [[Austrian Parliament Building]] in [[Vienna]]]] The [[Parliament of Austria]] is located in [[Vienna]], the country's capital and most populous city. Austria became a [[Federation|federal]], [[Representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[republic]] through the [[Federal Constitutional Law]] of 1920. The political system of the Second Republic with its [[Federal states of Austria|nine federal states]] is based on the constitution of 1920, amended in 1929, which was re-enacted on 1 May 1945.<ref>Lonnie Johnson 17, 142</ref> The [[president of Austria]] is the head of state. The president is directly elected by popular majority vote, with a run-off between the top-scoring candidates if necessary. The [[chancellor of Austria]] is head of the [[Government of Austria|government]]. The chancellor is selected by the president and tasked with forming a government based on the partisan composition of the lower house of parliament. The government can be removed from office by either a presidential decree or by [[vote of no confidence]] in the lower chamber of parliament, the [[National Council of Austria|''Nationalrat'']]. Voting for the president and for the parliament used to be compulsory in Austria. The compulsion was abolished in steps from 1982 to 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bundesministerium fĂŒr Inneres â Elections Compulsory voting |url=http://www.bmi.gv.at/wahlen/elections_compulsorey_voting.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103221527/http://www.bmi.gv.at/wahlen/elections_compulsorey_voting.asp |archive-date=3 November 2007 |access-date=3 January 2009 |publisher=Bmi.gv.at}}</ref> Austria's parliament consists of two chambers. The composition of the Nationalrat (183 seats) is determined every five years (or whenever the Nationalrat has been dissolved by the federal president on a motion by the federal chancellor, or by Nationalrat itself) by a general election in which every citizen over the age of 16 has the [[Suffrage|right to vote]]. The voting age was lowered from 18 in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Austrian Parliament |url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/ZUSD/DLFolder/Austrian_Parl_E_p27.pdf |website=Parlament.gv.at |access-date=22 November 2021 |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425043546/https://www.parlament.gv.at/ZUSD/DLFolder/Austrian_Parl_E_p27.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> While there is a general threshold of 4% of the vote for all parties in federal elections (''Nationalratswahlen'') to participate in the proportional allocation of seats, there remains the possibility of being elected to a seat directly in one of the 43 regional electoral districts ({{Lang|de|Direktmandat}}). The Nationalrat is the dominant chamber in the legislative process in Austria. However, the upper house of parliament, the [[Federal Council of Austria|''Bundesrat'']], has a limited right of veto (the Nationalrat can{{Mdash}}in almost all cases{{Mdash}}ultimately pass the respective<!--????--> bill by voting a second time; this is referred to as a ''Beharrungsbeschluss'', lit. "vote of persistence"). A constitutional convention, called the {{Lang|de|Ăsterreich -Konvent}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Willkommen beim Ăsterreich Konvent |url=http://www.konvent.gv.at |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104001526/http://www.konvent.gv.at |archive-date=4 January 2009 |access-date=21 November 2008 |publisher=Konvent.gv.at}}</ref> was convened on 30 June 2003 to consider reforms to the constitution, but failed to produce a proposal that would command a two-thirds majority in the Nationalrat, the margin necessary for constitutional amendments or reform. While the bicameral Parliament and the Government constitute the legislative and executive branches, respectively, the courts are the third branch of Austrian state powers. The Constitutional Court (''Verfassungsgerichtshof'') exerts considerable influence on the political system because of its power to invalidate legislation and ordinances that are not in compliance with the constitution. Since 1995, the [[European Court of Justice]] may overrule Austrian decisions in all matters defined in laws of the European Union. Austria also implements the decisions of the [[European Court of Human Rights]], since the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] is part of the Austrian constitution. ===Since 2006=== [[File:Wien - Bundeskanzleramt1.JPG|thumb|The Federal Chancellery on [[Ballhausplatz]]]] After general elections held in October [[2006 Austrian legislative election|2006]], the [[Social Democratic Party of Austria|Social Democratic Party]] (SPĂ) emerged as the strongest party, and the [[Austrian People's Party]] (ĂVP) came in second, having lost about 8 percent of its previous polling.<ref name="Election2002">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=24 November 2002 General Election Results â Austria Totals |url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185433/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2002 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=Election Resources on the Internet }}</ref><ref name="Election2006">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=October 1st, 2006 General Election Results â Austria Totals |url=http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707185102/http://electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2006 |archive-date=7 July 2009 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=Election Resources on the Internet }}</ref> Political realities prohibited any of the two major parties from forming a coalition with smaller parties. In January 2007 the People's Party and SPĂ formed a grand coalition with the social democrat [[Alfred Gusenbauer]] as Chancellor. This coalition broke up in June 2008. Elections in September [[2008 Austrian legislative election|2008]] further weakened both major parties (SPĂ and ĂVP) but together they still held 70 percent of the votes, with the Social Democrats holding slightly more than the other party. They formed a coalition with [[Werner Faymann]] from the Social Democrats as Chancellor. The [[The Greens â The Green Alternative|Green Party]] came in third with 11 percent of the vote. The FPĂ and the deceased [[Jörg Haider]]'s new party [[Alliance for the Future of Austria]], both on the political right, were strengthened during the election but taken together received less than 20 percent of the vote. On 11 October 2008, Jörg Haider died in a car accident.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 October 2008 |title=Austrian far-right leader Jörg Haider dies in car crash |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621073253/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/11/austria-haider |url-status=live }}</ref> In the [[2013 Austrian legislative election|legislative elections of 2013]], the Social Democratic Party received 27 percent of the vote and 52 seats; People's Party 24 percent and 47 seats, thus controlling together the majority of the seats. The Freedom Party received 40 seats and 21 percent of the votes, while the Greens received 12 percent and 24 seats. Two new parties, Stronach and the NEOS, received less than 10 percent of the vote, and 11 and nine seats respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Resources on the Internet: Federal Elections in Austria â Nationalrat Results Lookup |url=http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013 |website=www.electionresources.org |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=20 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020101927/http://www.electionresources.org/at/nationalrat.php?election=2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 17 May 2016, [[Christian Kern]] from Social Democrats (SPĂ) was sworn in as new chancellor. He continued governing in a "grand coalition" with the conservative People's Party (ĂVP). He took the office after former chancellor, also from SPĂ, [[Werner Faymann]]'s resignation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=17 May 2016 |title=Austria's Christian Kern sworn in as new chancellor {{!}} DW {{!}} 17 May 2016 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210090552/https://www.dw.com/en/austrias-christian-kern-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-19263395 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 26 January 2017, [[Alexander Van der Bellen]] was sworn in as the mostly ceremonial â but symbolically significant â role of Austrian president.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=26 January 2017 |title=Van der Bellen takes office as Austrian president {{!}} DW {{!}} 26 January 2017 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=10 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210092251/https://www.dw.com/en/van-der-bellen-takes-office-as-austrian-president/a-37282299 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the Grand Coalition broke in Spring 2017 a snap election was proclaimed for [[2017 Austrian legislative election|October 2017]]. The Austrian People's Party (ĂVP) with its new young leader [[Sebastian Kurz]] emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 31.5 percent of votes and 62 of the 183 seats. The Social Democratic Party (SPĂ) finished second with 52 seats and 26.9 percent votes, slightly ahead of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPĂ), which received 51 seats and 26 percent. NEOS finished fourth with 10 seats (5.3 percent of votes), and PILZ (which split from the Green Party at the start of the campaign) entered parliament for the first time and came in fifth place with 8 seats and 4.4 percent The Green Party failed with 3.8 percent to cross the 4 percent threshold and was ejected from parliament, losing all of its 24 seats.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=15 October 2017 |title=Austrian elections: Sebastian Kurz becomes youngest leader |publisher=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587 |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-elections-sebastian-kurz-becomes-youngest-leader/a-40959587 |url-status=live }}</ref> The ĂVP decided to form a coalition with the FPĂ. The new government between the centre-right wing and the right-wing populist party under the new chancellor Sebastian Kurz was sworn in on 18 December 2017,<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 December 2017 |title=Muted protests in Vienna as far-right ministers enter Austria's government |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209130143/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/thousands-protest-as-far-right-ministers-enter-government-in-austria |url-status=live }}</ref> but the coalition government later collapsed in the wake of the [[Ibiza affair|"Ibiza" corruption scandal]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 May 2019 |title=Austrian government collapses after far-right minister fired |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125162548/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/20/austrian-government-collapses-after-far-fight-minister-fired |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[2019 Austrian legislative election|new elections]] were called for 29 September 2019. The elections lead to another landslide victory (37.5 percent) of the Austrian People's Party (ĂVP) who formed a coalition-government with the reinvigorated (13.9 percent) Greens, which was sworn in with Kurz as chancellor on 7 January 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 September 2019 |title=Austrian elections: support for far-right collapses |language=en |work=the Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209125553/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/29/austrian-elections-exit-polls-collapse-far-right-support-sebastian-kurz-victory |url-status=live }}</ref> On 11 October 2021, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned, after pressure triggered by a corruption scandal. Foreign Minister [[Alexander Schallenberg]] of ĂVP succeeded him as chancellor.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 October 2021 |title=Sebastian Kurz: Austrian leader resigns amid corruption inquiry |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58856796 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=9 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009182132/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58856796 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following a corruption scandal involving the ruling People's Party, Austria got its third conservative chancellor in two months after [[Karl Nehammer]] was sworn into office on 6 December 2021. His predecessor Alexander Schallenberg had left the office after less than two months. ĂVP and the Greens continued to govern together.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Welle (www.dw.com) |first=Deutsche |date=6 December 2021 |title=Austria: Karl Nehammer sworn in as new chancellor {{!}} DW {{!}} 6 December 2021 |work=DW.COM |url=https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938 |access-date=10 December 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412004047/https://www.dw.com/en/austria-karl-nehammer-sworn-in-as-new-chancellor/a-60032938 |url-status=live }}</ref> A year after [[Karl Nehammer]] was sworn into office, Austria disagreed to [[Bulgaria]]'s and [[Romania]]'s accession to the [[Schengen Area]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2022 |title=Austria blocks Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, while Croatia gets green light |work=euronews. |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/08/austria-blocks-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria-while-croatia-gets-green-light |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=10 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210175419/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/12/08/austria-blocks-schengen-accession-of-romania-and-bulgaria-while-croatia-gets-green-light |url-status=live }}</ref> In the two countries, the Austrian veto caused a considerable outrage. Because of the controversial vote, [[Romania]] withdrew its ambassador from [[Vienna]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 December 2022 |title=Romania Recalls Ambassador Hurezeanu From Austria. MAE: Relations Will Be Diminished |work=Romania Journal |url=https://www.romaniajournal.ro/politics/romania-recalls-ambassador-hurezeanu-from-austria-mae-relations-will-be-diminished/ |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217204947/https://www.romaniajournal.ro/politics/romania-recalls-ambassador-hurezeanu-from-austria-mae-relations-will-be-diminished/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Citizens of [[Romania]] were advised by the government not to travel to Austria for skiing, and a boycott against Austrian companies like [[OMV]] and [[Raiffeisen Zentralbank|Raiffeisen]] is still ongoing.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2022 |title=Romanians started boycott against Austrian companies |work=The Conservative |url=https://www.theconservative.online/romanians-started-boycott-against-austrian-companies |access-date=17 February 2023 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217204948/https://www.theconservative.online/romanians-started-boycott-against-austrian-companies |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Foreign relations=== {{Main|Foreign relations of Austria}} [[File:Inauguration EYE2014 Parlement europĂ©en Strasbourg 9 mai 2014.jpg|thumb|The [[European Parliament]]: Austria is one of the 27 EU members.]] The 1955 [[Austrian State Treaty]] ended the occupation of Austria following World War II and recognised Austria as an independent and sovereign state. On 26 October 1955, the [[Federal Assembly of Austria|Federal Assembly]] passed a constitutional article in which "Austria declares of her own free will her perpetual neutrality." The second section of this law stated that "in all future times Austria will not join any military alliances and will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on her territory." Since then, Austria has shaped its foreign policy on the basis of neutrality, but rather different from the neutrality of Switzerland. Austria began to reassess its definition of [[Neutral country|neutrality]] following the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], granting overflight rights for the UN-sanctioned action against [[Iraq]] in 1991, and since 1995, it has developed participation in the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy. Also in 1995, it joined NATO's [[Partnership for Peace]] (although it was careful to do so only after Russia joined) and subsequently participated in peacekeeping missions in Bosnia. Meanwhile, the only part of the Constitutional Law on Neutrality of 1955 still fully valid is not to allow foreign military bases in Austria.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria's Permanent Neutrality |url=https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2015-16/wc55d7qi5qrmyzmxh1qkofcmsluxvj |access-date=4 February 2021 |website=New Austrian Information |date=16 December 2015 |archive-date=13 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213232914/https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2015-16/wc55d7qi5qrmyzmxh1qkofcmsluxvj |url-status=live }}</ref> Austria signed the UN's [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons|Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 2019 |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament â No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref> which was opposed by all NATO members.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 July 2017 |title=122 countries adopt 'historic' UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/un-treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons-1.4192761 |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814183525/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/un-treaty-ban-nuclear-weapons-1.4192761 |url-status=live }}</ref> Austria attaches great importance to participation in the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] and other international economic organisations, and it has played an active role in the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] (OSCE). As an OSCE-participating state, Austria's international commitments are subject to monitoring under the mandate of the [[U.S. Helsinki Commission]]. ===Military=== {{Main|Austrian Armed Forces}} [[File:Leopard 2A4 Austria 4.JPG|thumb|[[Austrian Federal Army|Austrian Army]] [[Leopard 2]] [[main battle tank]]]] The manpower of the Austrian Armed Forces ({{Lang-de-AT|link=no|Bundesheer}}) mainly relies on [[conscription]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Prodhan |first=Georgina |date=20 January 2013 |title=Neutral Austria votes to keep military draft |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-military-referendum/neutral-austria-votes-to-keep-military-draft-idUSBRE90J0DC20130120 |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=8 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208223245/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-austria-military-referendum/neutral-austria-votes-to-keep-military-draft-idUSBRE90J0DC20130120 |url-status=live }}</ref> All males who have reached the age of eighteen and are found fit have to serve a six months compulsory [[military service]], followed by an eight-year reserve obligation. Both males and females at the age of sixteen are eligible for voluntary service.<ref name="CIA"/> [[Conscientious objector|Conscientious objection]] is legally acceptable and those who claim this right are obliged to serve an institutionalised nine months [[Zivildienst in Austria|civilian service]] instead. Since 1998, women volunteers have been allowed to become professional soldiers. The main sectors of the Bundesheer are Joint Forces (StreitkrĂ€ftefĂŒhrungskommando, SKFĂŒKdo) which consist of Land Forces (LandstreitkrĂ€fte), Air Forces (LuftstreitkrĂ€fte), International Missions (Internationale EinsĂ€tze) and Special Forces (SpezialeinsatzkrĂ€fte), next to Joint Mission Support Command (Kommando EinsatzunterstĂŒtzung; KdoEU) and Joint Command Support Centre (FĂŒhrungsunterstĂŒtzungszentrum; FĂŒUZ). Austria is a [[landlocked country]] and has no navy. [[File:Eurofighter Typhoon AUT.jpg|thumb|[[Austrian Air Force]] [[Eurofighter Typhoon]] [[fighter aircraft]]]] In 2012, Austria's defence expenditures corresponded to approximately 0.8% of its GDP. The Army currently has about 26,000<ref>{{Cite web |title=Defence Data |url=http://www.eda.europa.eu/info-hub/defence-data-portal/Austria/year/2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603202759/http://eda.europa.eu/info-hub/defence-data-portal/Austria/year/2012 |archive-date=3 June 2014 |access-date=4 April 2014 |website=europa.eu }}</ref> soldiers, of whom about 12,000 are conscripts. As head of state, the [[President of Austria|Austrian president]] is nominally the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Command of the Austrian Armed Forces is exercised by the minister of defence, {{As of|2020|May|lc=yes}}: [[Klaudia Tanner]]. Since the end of the [[Cold War]], and more importantly the removal of the former heavily guarded "[[Iron Curtain]]" separating Austria and its [[Eastern Bloc]] neighbours ([[Hungary]] and former [[Czechoslovakia]]), the Austrian military has been assisting Austrian border guards in trying to prevent border crossings by [[illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]]. This assistance came to an end when Hungary and [[Slovakia]] joined the EU [[Schengen Area]] in 2008, for all intents and purposes abolishing "internal" border controls between treaty states. Some politicians have called for a prolongation of this mission, but the legality of this is heavily disputed. In accordance with the Austrian constitution, armed forces may only be deployed in a limited number of cases, mainly to defend the country and aid in cases of national emergency, such as in the wake of [[natural disaster]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria 1920 (reinst. 1945, rev. 2013) |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Austria_2013?lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402155729/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Austria_2013?lang=en |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=17 March 2015 |website=Constitute }}</ref> They may only exceptionally be used as auxiliary police forces. Within its [[Declaration of Neutrality|self-declared status of permanent neutrality]], Austria has a tradition of engaging in UN-led peacekeeping and other humanitarian missions. The [[Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit]] (AFDRU), in particular, an all-volunteer unit with close ties to civilian specialists (e.g. rescue dog handlers) enjoys a reputation as a quick (standard deployment time is 10 hours) and efficient [[Search and rescue|SAR]] unit. Currently, larger contingents of Austrian forces are deployed in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] and [[Kosovo]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} ===Administrative divisions=== <!---"Administrative divisions of Austria" redirects here---> {{Main|Federal states of Austria}} Austria is a [[federal republic]] consisting of [[Federal states of Austria|nine federal states]] ({{Lang-de-AT|link=no|BundeslĂ€nder}}).<ref name="CIA"/> The federal states are sub-divided into [[Districts of Austria|districts]] ({{Lang|de|[[Bezirke]]}}) and statutory cities ({{Lang|de|[[Statutarstadt|StatutarstĂ€dte]]}}). Districts are subdivided into [[Municipality (Austria)|municipalities]] ({{Lang|de|Gemeinden}}). Statutory Cities have the competencies otherwise granted to both districts and municipalities. Vienna is unique in that it is both a city and a federal state. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation calls the federal states ''provinces''. {{States of Austria labeled map|options=float:left; font-size:100%; border:3px; max-width:480px; width:50%}} {| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:100%" |- style="font-size:100%; text-align:right" ! [[States of Austria|Federal state]] ! Capital ! Area<br/>{{Smaller|([[Square kilometre|sq km]])}} ! Population<br/>{{Smaller|(1 Jan 2017)}} ! Density<br/>per km2 ! GDP (billion euros)<br/>{{Smaller|(2012 Eurostat)}} ! GDP per<br/>capita |- | {{Flagicon|Burgenland}} [[Burgenland]] || [[Eisenstadt]] |style="text-align:right"| 3,965 ||style="text-align:right"| 291,942 ||style="text-align:right"| 73.6 ||style="text-align:right"| 7.311||style="text-align:right"| 25,600 |- | {{Flagicon|Carinthia}} [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] || [[Klagenfurt]] |style="text-align:right"| 9,536 ||style="text-align:right"| 561,077 ||style="text-align:right"| 58.8 ||style="text-align:right"| 17.62||style="text-align:right"| 31,700 |- | {{Flagicon|Lower Austria}} [[Lower Austria]] || [[Sankt Pölten]] |style="text-align:right"| 19,178 ||style="text-align:right"| 1,665,753 ||style="text-align:right"| 86.9 ||style="text-align:right"| 49.75||style="text-align:right"| 30,800 |- | {{Flagicon|Salzburg}} [[Salzburg (federal state)|Salzburg]] || [[Salzburg]] |style="text-align:right"| 7,154 ||style="text-align:right"| 549,263 ||style="text-align:right"| 76.8 ||style="text-align:right"| 23.585||style="text-align:right"| 44,500 |- | {{Flagicon|Styria}} [[Styria]] || [[Graz]] |style="text-align:right"| 16,401 ||style="text-align:right"| 1,237,298 ||style="text-align:right"| 75.4 ||style="text-align:right"| 40.696||style="text-align:right"| 33,600 |- | {{Flagicon|Tyrol}} [[Tyrol (federal state)|Tyrol]]|| [[Innsbruck]] |style="text-align:right"| 12,648 ||style="text-align:right;"| 746,153 ||style="text-align:right"| 59.0 ||style="text-align:right"| 28.052||style="text-align:right"| 39,400 |- | {{Flagicon|Upper Austria}} [[Upper Austria]] || [[Linz]] |style="text-align:right"| 11,982 ||style="text-align:right;"| 1,465,045 ||style="text-align:right"| 122.3 ||style="text-align:right"| 53.863||style="text-align:right"| 38,000 |- |colspan=2| {{Flagicon|Vienna}} [[Vienna]] |style="text-align:right"| 415 ||style="text-align:right;"| 1,867,582 ||style="text-align:right"| 4,500 ||style="text-align:right"| 81.772||style="text-align:right"| 47,300 |- | {{Flagicon|Vorarlberg|variant=state}} [[Vorarlberg]] || [[Bregenz]] |style="text-align:right"| 2,601 ||style="text-align:right;"| 388,752 ||style="text-align:right"| 149.5 ||style="text-align:right"| 14.463||style="text-align:right"| 38,900 |- |colspan=7 |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurostat â Data Explorer |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006122431/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do |archive-date=6 October 2014 |access-date=19 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistik Austria â Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2002â2017 nach Gemeinden (Gebietsstand 1.1.2017) |url=http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=354032&dDocName=080904 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322204818/http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&dID=354032&dDocName=080904 |archive-date=22 March 2018 |access-date=9 July 2018 }}</ref> |} ==Geography== {{Main|Geography of Austria}} [[File:Oesterreich topo.png|thumb|upright=1.25|A topographic map of Austria showing cities with over 100,000 inhabitants]] [[File:Wildspitze seen from Hinterer Brunnkogel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A [[glacier|glacial]] region in winter, close to the valley [[Ătztal]] in Tyrolia. The highest peak is the [[Wildspitze]] ({{convert|3768|m|ft}}), the second highest mountain in Austria.]] Austria is a largely mountainous country because of its location in the [[Alps]].<ref name="BritannicaAlps">{{Cite web |date=11 June 2009 |title=Alps |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/17356/Alps |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601083317/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/17356/Alps |archive-date=1 June 2009 |access-date=12 June 2009 |website=EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica |publisher=EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica Online}}</ref> The [[Central Eastern Alps]], [[Northern Limestone Alps]], and [[Southern Limestone Alps]] are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria ({{Convert|83871|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), only about a quarter can be considered low lying, and only 32% of the country is below {{Convert|500|m|ft|0}}. The Alps of western Austria give way somewhat into low lands and plains in the eastern part of the country. Austria lies between latitudes [[46th parallel north|46°]] and [[49th parallel north|49° N]], and longitudes [[9th meridian east|9°]] and [[18th meridian east|18° E]]. It can be divided into five areas, the biggest being the [[Eastern Alps]], which constitute 62% of the nation's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the [[Carpathian Mountains|Carpathians]] account for around 12% and the foothills in the east and areas surrounding the periphery of the Pannoni low country amount to about 12% of the total landmass. The second greater mountain area (much lower than the Alps) is situated in the north. Known as the Austrian [[granite]] [[plateau]], it is located in the central area of the Bohemian Mass and accounts for 10% of Austria. The Austrian portion of the [[Vienna basin]] makes up the remaining 4%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Geography â Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations â Vienna |url=https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oev-wien/about-austria/geography |access-date=8 February 2023 |archive-date=8 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208122616/https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oev-wien/about-austria/geography/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Austria belongs to the Central European province of the [[Circumboreal Region]] within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]], the territory of Austria can be subdivided into four ecoregions: the [[Central European mixed forests]], [[Pannonian mixed forests]], [[Alps conifer and mixed forests]], and [[Western European broadleaf forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |date=2017 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534â545 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=5451287 |pmid=28608869 |doi-access=free |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=KierĂĄn |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=JosĂ© C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-FarpĂłn |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=LillesĂž |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad}}</ref> Austria had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 3.55/10, ranking it 149th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{Cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |date=2020 |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity â Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=5978 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=7723057 |pmid=33293507 |doi-access=free |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M.}}</ref> ===Climate=== [[File:Koppen-Geiger Map AUT present.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen-Geiger climate classification]] map for Austria<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beck |first1=Hylke E. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=Niklaus E. |last3=McVicar |first3=Tim R. |last4=Vergopolan |first4=Noemi |last5=Berg |first5=Alexis |last6=Wood |first6=Eric F. |author-link6=Eric Franklin Wood |date=30 October 2018 |title=Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution |journal=Scientific Data |volume=5 |pages=180214 |bibcode=2018NatSD...580214B |doi=10.1038/sdata.2018.214 |pmc=6207062 |pmid=30375988}}</ref>]] The greater part of Austria lies in the cool/temperate [[climate zone]], where humid westerly winds predominate. With nearly three-quarters of the country dominated by the Alps, the [[alpine climate]] is predominant. In the eastâin the [[Pannonian Plain]] and along the [[Danube|Danube valley]]âthe climate shows continental features with less rain than the alpine areas. Although Austria is cold in the winter (â10 to 0 °C), summer temperatures can be relatively high,<ref name="Climate">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Average Conditions, Vienna, Austria |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003350 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202042009/http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/city_guides/results.shtml?tt=TT003350 |archive-date=2 December 2010 |access-date=24 May 2009 |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> with average temperatures in the mid-20s and a highest temperature of {{Convert|40.5|C|0}} in August 2013.<ref name="ZAMG">{{Cite web |title=Austrian Meteorological Institute |url=http://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/klima/klimauebersichten/klimamittel-1971-2000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812220313/http://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/klima/klimauebersichten/klimamittel-1971-2000 |archive-date=12 August 2012 |access-date=12 August 2012 }}</ref> According to the [[Köppen Classification|Köppen Climate Classification]] Austria has the following climate types: [[Oceanic climate|Oceanic (Cfb)]], [[Humid continental climate|Cool/Warm-summer humid continental (Dfb)]], [[Subarctic climate|Subarctic/Subalpine (Dfc)]], [[Tundra climate|Tundra/Alpine (ET)]], and [[Ice cap climate|Ice-Cap (EF)]]. It is important to note though that Austria may experience very cold, severe winters, but most of the time they are only around as cold as those in somewhat comparable climate zones, for example Southern Scandinavia or Eastern Europe. As well, at higher altitudes, summers are usually considerably cooler than in the valleys/lower altitudes. The subarctic and tundra climates seen around the Alps are much warmer in winter than what is normal elsewhere due in part to the Oceanic influence on this part of Europe.<ref name="ZAMG"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Climate-Data.org |url=https://en.climate-data.org/country/4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415201756/https://en.climate-data.org/country/4 |archive-date=15 April 2017 |access-date=15 April 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zampieri |first1=Matteo |last2=Scoccimarro |first2=Enrico |last3=Gualdi |first3=Silvio |date=2013 |title=Atlantic influence on the Alps |journal=Environmental Research Letters |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=034026 |bibcode=2013ERL.....8c4026Z |doi=10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034026 |doi-access=free}}</ref> ==Economy== {{Main|Economy of Austria}} [[File:KitzbĂŒhel by night.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[KitzbĂŒhel]], a famous winter tourist destination in Austria]] Austria consistently ranks high in terms of [[List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita|GDP per capita]],<ref name="autogenerated1">{{Cite web |title=Real GDP Gwoth |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=14 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114112122/https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD |url-status=live }}</ref> due to its highly industrialised economy, and well-developed [[social market economy]]. Until the 1980s, many of Austria's largest industry firms were nationalised; in recent years, however, [[privatisation]] has reduced state holdings to a level comparable to other European economies. [[Labour movement]]s are particularly influential, exercising large influence on labour politics and decisions related to the expansion of the economy. Next to a highly developed industry, international tourism is the most important part of the [[economy of Austria]]. Germany has historically been the main trading partner of Austria, making it vulnerable to rapid changes in the [[German economy]]. Since Austria became a member state of the [[European Union]], it has gained closer ties to other EU economies. Membership of the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the aspiring economies of the European Union. Growth in GDP reached 3.3 percent in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oenb.at/en/Statistics/Standardized-Tables/Economic-and-Industry-Indicators/Economic-Indicators/gdp-growth.html |title=GDP Growth â Expenditure Side by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank |access-date=4 December 2023 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204121500/https://www.oenb.at/en/Statistics/Standardized-Tables/Economic-and-Industry-Indicators/Economic-Indicators/gdp-growth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At least 67 percent of Austria's imports come from other European Union member states.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OEC Austria (AUT) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners |url=http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aut |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313121243/http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/aut |archive-date=13 March 2016 |access-date=12 March 2016 |website=atlas.media.mit.edu }}</ref> [[File:BlueEurozone.svg|thumb|left|Austria is part of a monetary union, the [[eurozone]] (dark blue), and of the [[Internal Market (European Union)|EU single market]].]] The [[Financial crisis of 2007â2008]] dented the economy of Austria in other ways as well. It caused, for example, the [[Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank International]] to be purchased in December 2009 by the government for 1 euro owing to credit difficulties, thus wiping out the âŹ1.63bn of [[BayernLB]]. {{As of|2014|February}}, the HGAA situation was unresolved,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Groendahl |first=Boris |date=15 February 2014 |title=Hypo Alpe Debt Cut Four Steps as Insolvency Not Ruled Out |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-15/hypo-alpe-s-state-backed-bonds-cut-4-levels-on-insolvency-debate.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024143911/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-15/hypo-alpe-s-state-backed-bonds-cut-4-levels-on-insolvency-debate.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 }}</ref> causing Chancellor [[Werner Faymann]] to warn that its failure would be comparable to the 1931 [[Creditanstalt]] event.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Groendahl |first=Boris |date=17 February 2014 |title=Faymann Evokes 1931 Austria Creditanstalt Crash on Hypo Alpe |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/austria-s-faymann-channels-1931-creditanstalt-crash-on-hypo-alpe.html |url-status=live |access-date=5 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024143418/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-17/austria-s-faymann-channels-1931-creditanstalt-crash-on-hypo-alpe.html |archive-date=24 October 2014 }}</ref> Austria indicated on 16 November 2010 that it would withhold the December installment of its contribution to the EU bailout of Greece, citing the material worsening of the Greek debt situation and the apparent inability of Greece to collect the level of tax receipts it had previously promised.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mark |date=16 November 2010 |title=Mark's Market Analysis |url=http://www.marksmarketanalysis.com/2010/11/austria-withholds-greek-bailout-funds.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110714035955/http://www.marksmarketanalysis.com/2010/11/austria-withholds-greek-bailout-funds.html |archive-date=14 July 2011 |access-date=24 July 2011 |publisher=Marksmarketanalysis.com }}</ref> Since the [[fall of communism]], [[List of Austrian companies|Austrian companies]] have been quite active players and consolidators in Eastern Europe. Between 1995 and 2010, 4,868 [[mergers and acquisitions]] with a total known value of 163 billion EUR with the involvement of Austrian firms have been announced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics on Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) |url=http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html#MergersAcquisitions_Austria |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726173440/http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=24 July 2011 |publisher=Imaa-institute.org }}</ref> The largest transactions with involvement of Austrian companies<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics on Mergers & Acquisitions |url=http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html#TopMergersAcquisitions_Austria |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726173440/http://www.imaa-institute.org/statistics-mergers-acquisitions.html |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=24 July 2011 |publisher=Imaa-institute.org }}</ref> have been: the acquisition of [[Bank Austria]] by [[HypoVereinsbank]] for 7.8 billion EUR in 2000, the acquisition of [[Porsche|Porsche Holding Salzburg]] by [[Volkswagen Group]] for 3.6 billion EUR in 2009,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramsey |first=Jonathon |title=Volkswagen takes 49.9 percent stake in Porsche AG |url=http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/volkswagen-takes-49-9-percent-stake-in-porsche-ag |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810091134/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/08/volkswagen-takes-49-9-percent-stake-in-porsche-ag |archive-date=10 August 2011 |access-date=24 July 2011 |publisher=Autoblog.com }}</ref> and the acquisition of [[Banca ComercialÄ RomĂąnÄ]] by [[Erste Group]] for 3.7 billion EUR in 2005.<ref>[http://www.erstegroup.com/de/Download?chronicleId=0901481b80005991.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809152940/http://www.erstegroup.com/de/Download?chronicleId=0901481b80005991.pdf|date=9 August 2011}}</ref> [[Tourism in Austria]] accounts for almost 9 percent of its gross domestic product.<ref name="STAT">{{Cite web |date=May 2008 |title=TOURISMUS IN ĂSTERREICH 2007 |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/tourismus_in_oesterreich_2007_bmwa_wko_stat_031155.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081218105425/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/tourismus_in_oesterreich_2007_bmwa_wko_stat_031155.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2008 |access-date=18 November 2008 |publisher=BMWA, WKO, Statistik Austria |language=de}}</ref> In 2007, Austria ranked 9th worldwide in international tourism receipts, with 18.9 billion US$.<ref name="UNTWO"/> In [[World Tourism rankings|international tourist arrivals]], Austria ranked 12th with 20.8 million tourists.<ref name="UNTWO">{{Cite web |date=June 2008 |title=UNTWO World Tourism Barometer, Vol.6 No.2 |url=http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031013714/http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf |archive-date=31 October 2008 |access-date=18 November 2008 |publisher=UNTWO}}</ref> ===Infrastructure and natural resources=== {{Main|Transport in Austria|Wind power in Austria|Renewable energy in the European Union}} [[File:Verbund malta.jpg|thumb|The [[Kölnbrein Dam]] in [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]]]] In 1972 the country began construction of a [[nuclear power plant]] to produce electricity at [[Zwentendorf]] on the River [[Danube]], following a unanimous vote in parliament. However, in 1978 a [[referendum]] voted approximately 50.5 percent against nuclear power, 49.5 percent for,<ref>Lonnie Johnson 168â169</ref> and parliament subsequently unanimously passed a law forbidding the use of nuclear power to generate electricity although the nuclear power plant had already finished. Austria currently produces more than half of its electricity by [[hydropower]].<ref name="RES">{{Cite web |date=23 January 2008 |title=Austria Renewable Energy Fact Sheet |url=http://www.energy.eu/renewables/factsheets/2008_res_sheet_austria_en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081934/http://www.energy.eu/renewables/factsheets/2008_res_sheet_austria_en.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2009 |access-date=20 May 2009 |website=Europe's Energy Portal }}</ref> Together with other [[renewable energy]] sources such as [[wind power]], [[solar power]], and [[biomass]], the electricity supply from renewable energy amounts to 62.89 percent.<ref name="Renewables">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Renewable energy in Europe |url=http://www.energy.eu/renewables/eu-charts/chart4.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090520023020/http://www.energy.eu/renewables/eu-charts/chart4.html |archive-date=20 May 2009 |access-date=20 May 2009 |publisher=Europe's Energy Portal}}</ref> Compared to most European countries, Austria is ecologically well endowed. Its [[biocapacity]] (or biological [[natural capital]]) is more than double of the world average: In 2016 Austria had 3.8 global hectares<ref name="GFN">{{Cite web |title=Country Trends |url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=11&type=BCpc,EFCpc |access-date=16 October 2019 |publisher=Global Footprint Network |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808050235/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=11&type=BCpc,EFCpc |url-status=live }}</ref> of biocapacity per person within its territory, compared to the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person. By contrast, in 2016 they used 6.0 global hectares of biocapacity which amounts to Austria's [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means that Austrians use about 60 percent more biocapacity than Austria contains. As a result, Austria is running a biocapacity deficit.<ref name=GFN/> ==Demographics== {{Main|Demographics of Austria}} [[File:AuVorarlberg5.JPG|upright=1.25|thumb|Children in Austria, near [[Au, Vorarlberg|Au]], Vorarlberg|alt=]] Austria's population was estimated to be nearly 9 million (8.9) in 2020 by [[Statistik Austria]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistik Austria |title=STATISTIK AUSTRIA â Presse |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse/075280 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228153810/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/presse/075280 |archive-date=28 February 2014 |access-date=4 April 2014 |website=statistik.at }}</ref> The population of the capital, [[Vienna]], exceeds 1.9 million<ref name="Vienna pop">{{Cite web |date=31 October 2006 |title=ProbezĂ€hlung 2006 â Bevölkerungszahl |url=http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/pz1/g90001.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620081942/http://www.statistik.at/blickgem/pz1/g90001.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2009 |access-date=27 May 2009 |website=Statistik Austria |language=de }}</ref> (2.6 million, including the suburbs), representing about a quarter of the country's population. It is known for its cultural offerings and high standard of living. Vienna is by far the country's largest city. [[Graz]] is second in size, with 291,007 inhabitants, followed by [[Linz]] (206,604), [[Salzburg]] (155,031), [[Innsbruck]] (131,989), and [[Klagenfurt]] (101,303). All other cities have fewer than 100,000 inhabitants. According to [[Eurostat]], in 2018 there were 1.69 million [[foreign born|foreign-born]] residents in Austria, corresponding to 19.2% of the total population; 928,700 (10.5%) were born outside the EU and 762,000 (8.6%) were born in another EU member state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Migration and migrantpopulation statistics |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1275.pdf |website=www.ec.europa.eu |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=20 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120142716/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/1275.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> There are more than 483,100 descendants of foreign-born immigrants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population â Austria |url=https://www.austria.org/population |publisher=Austrian Press & Information Service in the United States, Embassy of Austria |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808130926/https://www.austria.org/population/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Turks in Austria|Turks]] form one of the largest ethnic groups in Austria, numbering around 350,000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 November 2010 |title=Turkey's ambassador to Austria prompts immigration spat |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11725311 |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919151104/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11725311 |url-status=live }}</ref> 13,000 Turks were naturalised in 2003 and an unknown number have arrived in Austria at the same time. While 2,000 Turks left Austria in the same year, 10,000 immigrated to the country, confirming a strong trend of growth.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bell |first=Bethany |date=24 December 2002 |title=Europe | Back to school for Austria immigrants |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2593717.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030523192030/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2593717.stm |archive-date=23 May 2003 }}</ref> Together, [[Serbs]], [[Croats]], [[Bosniaks]], [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]], and [[Slovenes]] make up about 5.1% of Austria's total population. The Council of Europe estimates that approximately 25,000 [[Romani people]] live in Austria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|title=Austria - European Commission|access-date=22 September 2023|archive-date=6 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006032733/https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/roma-eu/roma-equality-inclusion-and-participation-eu-country/austria_en|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) in 2017 was estimated at 1.52 children born per woman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=AUSTRIA |first=STATISTIK |title=Bevölkerung |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/bevoelkerung/index.html |access-date=24 August 2017 |website=Statistik.at |archive-date=19 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319164013/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/bevoelkerung/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> below the replacement rate of 2.1, it remains considerably below the high of 4.83 children born per woman in 1873.<ref>{{Citation |last=Roser |first=Max |title=Total Fertility Rate around the world over the last two centuries |date=2014 |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT |work=[[Our World in Data]], [[Gapminder Foundation]] |access-date=2 May 2023 |archive-date=2 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502180300/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman?date=1800&country=AUT |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, 42.1% of births were to unmarried women.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurostat â Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527142604/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |archive-date=27 May 2016 |access-date=17 July 2017 |website=ec.europa.eu }}</ref> Austria had [[List of countries by median age#CIA figures|the 14th oldest population in the world]] in 2020, with the average age of 44.5 years.<ref name="cia.age">{{Cite web |title=Median age â The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison |access-date=15 August 2022 |website=Central Intelligence Agency |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523225144/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/median-age/country-comparison/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[life expectancy]] in 2016 was estimated at 81.5 years (78.9 years male, 84.3 years female).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook â Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528191952/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html |archive-date=28 May 2014 |access-date=17 July 2017 |website=www.cia.gov }}</ref> Statistics Austria estimates that the population will grow to 10.55 million people by 2080 due to immigration.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population Forecasts |url=https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/11/20221130Bevoelkerungsprognose2022.pdf |website=www.statistik.at |access-date=30 November 2022 |archive-date=30 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130135809/https://www.statistik.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/11/20221130Bevoelkerungsprognose2022.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Largest cities=== {{Main|List of cities and towns in Austria}} {{Largest cities | country = Austria | stat_ref = [[Statistik Austria|Statistik Austria 1 January 2014]] | list_by_pop = <!-- link to the list of cities in the given country, if possible sorted by population --> | div_name = Federal state | div_link = <!-- the template will automatically create a link for "div_name of country" (e.g. Provinces of Chile), if this doesn't work you can use this field --> | city_1 = Vienna| div_1 = Vienna| pop_1 = 1,812,605 | img_1 = Maria-Theresien-Platz Wien Sept 2020 1.jpg | city_2 = Graz| div_2 = Styria| pop_2 = 269,997 | img_2 = Graz (35932179023).jpg | city_3 = Linz| div_3 = Upper Austria| pop_3 = 193,814 | img_3 = Blick ĂŒber Linz von der Franz-Josefs-Warte.jpg | city_4 = Salzburg| div_4 = Salzburg (federal state){{!}}Salzburg | pop_4 = 146,631 | img_4 = Hohensalzburg-mw02.jpg | city_5 = Innsbruck| div_5 = Tyrol (federal state){{!}}Tyrol| pop_5 = 124,579 | city_6 = Klagenfurt| div_6 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_6 = 96,640 | city_7 = Villach| div_7 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_7 = 60,004 | city_8 = Wels| div_8 = Upper Austria | pop_8 = 59,339 | city_9 = Sankt Pölten| div_9 = Lower Austria | pop_9 = 52,145 | city_10 = Dornbirn| div_10 = Vorarlberg | pop_10 = 46,883 | city_11 = Wiener Neustadt| div_11 = Lower Austria| pop_11 = 42,273 | city_12 = Steyr| div_12 = Upper Austria| pop_12 = 38,120 | city_13 = Feldkirch, Vorarlberg{{!}}Feldkirch| div_13 = Vorarlberg | pop_13 = 31,428 | city_14 = Bregenz| div_14 = Vorarlberg| pop_14 = 28,412 | city_15 = Leonding| div_16 = Lower Austria | pop_16 = 26,395 | city_16 = Klosterneuburg| div_15 = Upper Austria | pop_15 = 26,174 | city_17 = Baden bei Wien{{!}}Baden| div_17 = Lower Austria | pop_17 = 25,229 | city_18 = Wolfsberg, Carinthia{{!}}Wolfsberg| div_18 = Carinthia (state){{!}}Carinthia | pop_18 = 24,993 | city_19 = Leoben| div_19 = Styria | pop_19 = 24,466 | city_20 = Krems an der Donau{{!}}Krems| div_20 = Lower Austria | pop_20 = 24,085 }} ===Language=== {{Main|Languages of Austria}} [[File:Oesterreichisches Woerterbuch 43. Auflage Deckel.jpg|thumb|right|The school version of the 43rd edition of the ''[[Ăsterreichisches Wörterbuch]]'' for [[Austrian German|Austrian language]], 2018]] The official language of current Austrian state has been [[German language|German]] since 1920, based on article 8 of [[Federal Constitutional Law|its constitution the same year]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|title=Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz Art. 8 (Austrian Constitution)|date=2023-11-23|language=de|access-date=26 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111174337/https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Austrian German]] or Austrian (a variety of [[Standard High German]]) is usually written in Austria and Italian [[South Tyrol]], it has been standardized in Austria since the [[Ministry of Education, Science and Research]] published the ''[[Ăsterreichisches Wörterbuch]]'' in 1951, though used primarily just in education, publications, announcements, and websites. However, the ''de facto'' common spoken languages of Austria are not Austrian German taught in schools but [[Bavarian language|Bavarian]] and [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] dialects: Two [[Upper German]] local languages or collection of dialects with varying degrees of difficulty being understood by each other as well as by speakers of non-Austrian German dialects. Taken as a collective whole, [[German dialects|German languages or dialects]] are thus spoken natively by 88.6% of the population, which includes the 2.5% German-born citizens who reside in Austria, followed by Turkish (2.28%), Serbian (2.21%), Croatian (1.63%), English (0.73%), Hungarian (0.51%), Bosnian (0.43%), Polish (0.35%), Albanian (0.35%), Slovenian (0.31%), Czech (0.22%), Arabic (0.22%), and Romanian (0.21%).<ref name="Language">{{Cite web |title=Die Bevölkerung nach Umgangssprache, Staatsangehörigkeit und Geburtsland |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113171636/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_umgangssprache_staatsangehoerigkeit_und_geburtsland_022896.pdf |archive-date=13 November 2010 |access-date=17 November 2010 |publisher=Statistik Austria }}</ref> The Austrian federal states [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] and [[Styria]] are home to a significant indigenous [[Carinthian Slovenes|Slovene-speaking minority]] while in the easternmost federal state, [[Burgenland]] (formerly part of the Hungarian portion of [[Austria-Hungary]]), there are significant [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]- and [[Croatian language|Croatian]]-speaking minorities. [[Burgenland Croatian]], Hungarian, and [[Slovenian language|Slovene]] are also recognized as [[official language]]s beside German in parts of Carinthia and Burgenland.<ref name="demokratiewebstatt.at" /><ref name="Regional Languages of Austria" /> [[File:Oberwart - FelsĆĆr.JPG|thumb|Bilingual sign of [[Oberwart]] (in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] ''FelsĆĆr'') in [[Burgenland]]]] According to census information published by [[Statistik Austria]] for 2001<ref name="Language"/> there were a total of 710,926 foreign nationals living in Austria. Of these, the largest by far are 283,334 foreign nationals from the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|former Yugoslavia]] (of whom 135,336 speak Serbian; 105,487 Croatian; 31,591 Bosnianâi.e. 272,414 Austrian resident native speakers in total, plus 6,902 Slovenian and 4,018 [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] speakers). ===Ethnic groups=== Historically, before 1945, [[Austrians]] were regarded as ethnic [[Germans]] and viewed themselves as such, although this national identity was challenged by [[Austrian nationalism]] in the decades after the end of World War I and even more so after World War II.<ref name="Keyserlingk1990">{{Cite book |last=Keyserlingk |first=Robert H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7dhlsGPtyMC&pg=PA138 |title=Austria in World War II: An Anglo-American Dilemma |date=1 July 1990 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |isbn=978-0-7735-0800-2 |pages=138ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928052943/https://books.google.com/books?id=I7dhlsGPtyMC&pg=PA138 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Thaler2001">{{Cite book |last=Thaler |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NcjUA1kQk54C&pg=PA72 |title=The Ambivalence of Identity: The Austrian Experience of Nation-Building in a Modern Society |publisher=Purdue University Press |date=2001 |isbn=978-1-55753-201-5 |pages=72ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928131759/https://books.google.com/books?id=NcjUA1kQk54C&pg=PA72 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Wodak2009">{{Cite book |last=Wodak |first=Ruth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W5ccx_uVfg0C&pg=PA56 |title=The Discursive Construction of National Identity |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-7486-3734-8 |pages=56ff |access-date=13 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928100457/https://books.google.com/books?id=W5ccx_uVfg0C&pg=PA56 |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Austria was part of [[East Francia]] ([[Kingdom of Germany]]) and the [[Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation]] from 996 to 1806 and was part of the [[German Confederation]], a loose [[confederation]] of 39 predominantly German-speaking [[sovereign state]]s, from 1815 until the [[Austro-Prussian war]] in 1866, which resulted in the dissolution of the German Confederation and the creation of the [[North German Confederation]] led by Prussia and excluding Austria. In 1871, Germany was [[Unification of Germany|founded as a nation-state]], Austria [[German question|was not a part of it]]. After World War I and the breakup of the Austrian monarchy, politicians of the new republic declared its name to be "Deutschösterreich" ([[Republic of German-Austria]]) and that it was part of the [[Weimar Republic|German Republic]]. A unification of the two countries was forbidden by the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] as one of the conditions imposed by the victorious [[Allies of World War I]] upon the vanquished nation, to prevent the creation of a territorially extensive German state. In 1938, Austria became part of Nazi Germany. After the events of World War II and [[Nazism]], Austria declared independence from Germany on 27 April 1945 and [[Austrian nationalism|Austrian]] [[national identity]] has been popular in Austria since then, and nowadays Austrians do not consider themselves as Germans but as ethnic Austrians.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2008 |title=Ăsterreicher fĂŒhlen sich heute als Nation |url=http://derstandard.at/3261105 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010231817/http://derstandard.at/3261105 |archive-date=10 October 2012 |access-date=25 March 2013 |publisher=Derstandard.at }}</ref> Austrians today may be described either as a [[nationality]] or as a homogeneous [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] [[ethnic group]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minahan |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |title=One Europe, many nations: a historical dictionary of European national groups |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-313-30984-7 |page=769 |access-date=25 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321014815/http://books.google.com/books?id=NwvoM-ZFoAgC |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> that is closely related to neighbouring [[Germans]], [[Liechtensteiners]], and [[German-speaking Switzerland|German-speaking]] [[Swiss people|Swiss]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cole |first=Jeffrey |title=Ethnic groups of Europe |pages=23 |author-link=Jeffrey Cole}}</ref> Today 91.1% of the population are regarded as ethnic Austrians.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria â people and society â ethnic groups |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |access-date=29 May 2013 |publisher=CIA â The world fact book |archive-date=10 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110074413/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:COB data Austria.PNG|upright=1.25|thumb|The birthplaces of foreign-born naturalised residents of Austria]] The [[Turks in Austria|Turks]] are the largest single immigrant group in Austria,<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples â Austria: Turks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429011430/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,488edfe22,49749d5cc,0.html |date=29 April 2011 }}. Minority Rights Group International, ''World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples â Austria: Turks, 2008.'' Online. UNHCR Refworld</ref> closely followed by the [[Serbs in Austria|Serbs]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=BeÄ: BoĆŸiÄ na gastarbajterski naÄin | Evropa | Deutsche Welle | 07.01.2010 |url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5096611,00.html?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104161123/http://www.dw.de/be%C4%8D-bo%C5%BEi%C4%87-na-gastarbajterski-na%C4%8Din/a-5096611-1?maca=ser-TB_ser_politka1-3157-html-cb |archive-date=4 November 2013 |access-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=Dw-world.de }}</ref> Serbs form one of the largest ethnic groups in Austria, numbering around 300,000 people.<ref>{{Cite news |last=PaliÄ |first=Svetlana |date=17 July 2011 |title=Äetiri miliona Srba naĆĄlo uhlebljenje u inostranstvu |work=Blic |url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026114845/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/266353/Cetiri-miliona-Srba-naslo-uhlebljenje-u-inostranstvu |archive-date=26 October 2015 |quote=Austriji (300.000) }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2008 |title=Serben-Demo eskaliert in Wien |work=20 Minuten |publisher=[[20 Minuten|20 Minuten Online]] |url=http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093 |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223062706/http://www.20min.ch/news/ausland/story/23772093 |archive-date=23 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2010 |title=Srbi u Austriji traĆŸe status nacionalne manjine |url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109205055/http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Politika/209899/Srbi-u-Austriji-traze-status-nacionalne-manjine |archive-date=9 January 2015 |access-date=28 April 2016 |publisher=Blic |quote="Srba u Austriji ima oko 300.000, po brojnosti su drugi odmah iza Austrijanaca i viĆĄe ih je od Slovenaca, MaÄara i GradiĆĄtanskih Hrvata zajedno, koji po drĆŸavnom ugovoru iz 1955. godine imaju status nacionalne manjine u Austriji", navodi se u saopĆĄtenju. }}</ref> Historically, Serbian immigrants moved to Austria during the time of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], when [[Vojvodina]] was under Imperial control. Following [[World War II]] the number of Serbs expanded again, and today the community is very large. The Austrian Serbian Society was founded in 1936. Today, Serbs in Austria are mainly found in [[Vienna]], [[Salzburg]], and [[Graz]]. Of the remaining number of Austria's people who are of non-Austrian descent, many come from surrounding countries, especially from the former [[Eastern Bloc|East Bloc]] nations. [[foreign worker|Guest workers]] ''(Gastarbeiter)'' and their descendants, as well as refugees from the [[Yugoslav wars]] and other conflicts, also form an important [[minority group]] in Austria. Since 1994 the [[Romani people]] and [[Sinti]] have been an officially recognised ethnic minority in Austria. An estimated 13,000 to 40,000 [[Slovenes]] in the Austrian federal state [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]] (the [[Carinthian Slovenes]]) as well as [[Croats]] (around 30,000)<ref>{{Cite web |title=HKDC Geschichte â Frame |url=http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706090820/http://www.croates.at/haupt/gesch_fr.htm |archive-date=6 July 2011 |access-date=21 November 2008 |publisher=Croates.at}}</ref> and [[Hungarians]] in Burgenland were recognised as a minority and have had special rights following the Austrian State Treaty ({{Lang|de|Staatsvertrag}}) of 1955.<ref name="johnson 153"/> The Slovenes in the Austrian federal state [[Styria]] (estimated at a number between 1,600 and 5,000) are not recognised as a minority and do not have special rights, although the State Treaty of 27 July 1955 states otherwise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Treaty (with annexes and maps) for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria. Signed at Vienna, on 15 May 1955 - dipublico.org |url=https://www.dipublico.org/100823/state-treaty-with-annexes-and-maps-for-the-re-establish%c2%adment-of-an-independent-and-democratic-austria-signed-at-vienna-on-15-may-1955 |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=www.dipublico.org |language=es |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416090109/https://www.dipublico.org/100823/state-treaty-with-annexes-and-maps-for-the-re-establish%c2%adment-of-an-independent-and-democratic-austria-signed-at-vienna-on-15-may-1955/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Religion=== {{Main|Religion in Austria}} {{Pie chart |thumb = right |caption = Religion in Austria (2021)<ref name="Religion2021">{{Cite web |title=Religionszugehörigkeit 2021: drei Viertel bekennen sich zu einer Religion |trans-title=2021 religious affiliation: three fourths profess a religion |url=https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804235308/https://www.statistik.gv.at/fileadmin/announcement/2022/05/20220525Religionszugehoerigkeit2021.pdf |archive-date=4 August 2022 |type=with comparative data from the censuses from 1951 to 2021}}</ref> |label1 = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] |value1 = 55.2 |color1 = DarkOrchid |label2 = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] |value2 = 4.9 |color2 = Orchid |label3 = [[Protestantism]] |value3 = 3.8 |color3 = DodgerBlue |label4 = [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholicism]] |value4 = 0.1 |color4 = DeepSkyBlue |label5 = [[List of Christian denominations|Other Christians]] |value5 = 4.2 |color5 = LightBlue |label6 = [[Islam in Austria|Islam]] |value6 = 8.3 |color6 = Green |label7 = [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhism]] |value7 = 0.3 |color7 = Orange |label8 = [[Hinduism in Austria|Hinduism]] |value8 = 0.1 |color8 = Yellow |label9 = [[History of the Jews in Austria|Judaism]] |value9 = 0.1 |color9 = #0D98BA |label10 = Other religions |value10 = 0.7 |color10 = #C40234 |label11 = [[Irreligion|Unaffiliated]] |value11 = 22.4 |color11 = Beige }} Austria was historically a strongly Roman Catholic country as the centre of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], which championed Roman Catholicism.<ref name="Zulehner 2004 1">{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2004 |title=Religion in Austria |publisher=Taylor & Francis |last=Zulehner |first=Paul M. |editor-last=Bischof |editor-first=GĂŒnter |series=Contemporary Austrian Studies |volume=13 |page=1 |isbn=978-0-7658-0823-3 |contribution=Religion in Austria |editor-last2=Pelinka |editor-first2=Anton |editor-last3=Denz |editor-first3=Hermann |contribution-url=https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:925751.pdf |access-date=2 February 2023 |archive-date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312193055/https://services.phaidra.univie.ac.at/api/object/o:925751/download |url-status=live }}</ref> Although in the 16th century many Austrians converted to [[Protestantism|other denominations]] ([[Lutheranism]], in particular) as the [[Protestant Reformation]] (begun in 1517) spread across Europe, the Habsburgs enacted measures of [[Counter-Reformation]] as early as 1527 and harshly repressed Austrian evangelicalism; only a minority of Austrians remained Protestant.<ref name="Zulehner 2004 1"/> At least since the 1970s, a few decades after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy and the transformation of Austria into a [[federation|federal]] republic, there has been a continuous decline of Christianity (with the exception of Orthodox churches) and a proliferation of other religions, a process which has been particularly pronounced in [[Vienna]], with its large foreign and immigrant populations.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |date=2012 |title=Religion in Austria |publisher=Praesens Verlag |editor-last=Hödl |editor-first=Hans Gerald |volume=2 |pages=219, 230 |isbn=978-3-7069-0763-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107224637/https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2022 |last2=Berghammer |first2=Caroline |last1=PotanÄokovĂĄ |first1=Michaela |contribution=Urban Faith: Religious Change in Vienna and Austria, 1986â2013 |editor-last2=Pokorny |editor-first2=Lukas |contribution-url=https://www.wirel-project.at/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Potancokova_Berghammer_2014.pdf}}</ref> In 2001, about 74% of Austria's population were registered as Roman Catholic,<ref name="VolkszĂ€hlung">{{Cite web |title=Census 2001: Population 2001 according to religious affiliation and nationality |url=http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114090849/http://www.statistik.at/web_de/static/bevoelkerung_2001_nach_religionsbekenntnis_und_staatsangehoerigkeit_022894.pdf |archive-date=14 November 2007 |access-date=17 December 2007 |publisher=Statistik Austria |language=de }}</ref> while about 5% considered themselves [[Protestant]]s.<ref name="VolkszĂ€hlung"/> Austrian Christians, both Roman Catholic and Protestant,{{Efn|Tax is mandatory only for [[Lutherans]] and [[Reformed church|Reformed Christians]]}} are obliged to pay a mandatory membership fee (calculated by income â about 1%) to their churches; this payment is called the ''Kirchenbeitrag'' ("ecclesiastical contribution"). From the second half of the 20th century, the number of adherents and churchgoers has declined. Data for 2018 from the Austrian Roman Catholic Church list 5,050,000 members, or 56.9% of the total Austrian population, yet Sunday [[church attendance]] was only 605,828, or 7% of the total Austrian population in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Katholische Kirche Ăsterreichs, Statistik |url=http://www.katholisch.at/statistik |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314100023/http://www.katholisch.at/statistik |archive-date=14 March 2013 |access-date=12 February 2017 }}</ref> Additionally, the Lutheran church recorded a loss of 74,421 adherents between 2001 and 2016. The 2001 census reported that about 12% of the population declared themselves [[irreligion|without a religion]];<ref name="VolkszĂ€hlung"/> according to ecclesiastical information, this share had grown to 20% by 2015<ref name="Kista">[http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html Church data] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116063732/http://www.katholisch.at/site/kirche/article/102078.html |date=16 January 2013 }} retrieved 14 January 2015</ref> and further increased to 22.4% (1,997,700 people) in 2021.<ref name=Religion2021/> Of the remaining population, around 340,000 were registered as members of various Muslim communities in 2001, originating chiefly from [[Turkey]], [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]], and [[Kosovo]];<ref name="VolkszĂ€hlung"/> the number of Muslims doubled in the fifteen years to 2016, to 700,000,<ref>[http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt Zahl der Muslime in Ăsterreich seit 2001 verdoppelt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920155004/http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/religion/5263601/Zahl-der-Muslime-in-Oesterreich-seit-2001-verdoppelt |date=20 September 2017 }} diepresse.com, 4 August 2017.</ref> and reached 745,600 in 2021.<ref name=Religion2021/> In 2021, another 436,700 residents of Austria (mostly [[Serbs]]) were members of [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]es, 26,600 were [[Buddhism in Austria|Buddhists]], 10,100 were [[Hinduism in Austria|Hindus]], about 21,800 were active [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and 5,400 were [[Jews]].<ref name=Religion2021/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fast FactsâAustria |url=https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT |access-date=15 August 2022 |publisher=Jehovah's Witnesses (JW.ORG) |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518162403/https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/AT/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the [[Eurobarometer]] 2010,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology, page 204 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215001129/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2010 |access-date=21 February 2013 |edition=Fieldwork: JanâFeb 2010 }}</ref> * 44% of Austrian citizens "believe there is a God"; * 38% "believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and * 12% "do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, or life force". ===Education=== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}} {{Main|Education in Austria}} [[File:Melk - Stift (0).JPG|thumb|left|[[Stiftsgymnasium Melk]] is the oldest Austrian school.]] Education in Austria is entrusted partly to the [[Federal states of Austria|Austrian federal states]] and partly to the national government. School attendance is [[compulsory education|compulsory]] for nine years, i.e. usually to the age of fifteen. [[Pre-school]] education (called ''Kindergarten'' in Austrian German), free in most federal states, is provided for all children between the ages of three and six years and, whilst optional, is considered a normal part of a child's education due to its high takeup rate. Maximum class size is around 30, each class normally being cared for by one qualified teacher and one assistant. Primary education, or ''[[Volksschule]]'', lasts for four years, starting at age six. The maximum class size is 30, but may be as low as 15. It is generally expected that a class will be taught by one teacher for the entire four years and the stable bond between teacher and pupil is considered important for a child's well-being. The [[The three Rs|3Rs]] (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) dominate lesson time, with less time allotted to project work than in the UK. Children work individually and all members of a class follow the same plan of work. There is no [[Streaming (education)|streaming]]. Standard attendance times are 8 am to 12 pm or 1 pm, with hourly five- or ten-minute breaks. Children are given homework daily from the first year. Historically there has been no lunch hour, with children returning home to eat. However, due to a rise in the number of mothers in work, primary schools are increasingly offering pre-lesson and afternoon care. [[File:Wien - UniversitĂ€t (3).JPG|thumb|The [[University of Vienna]]]] [[File:Wien 02 Campus WU a.jpg|thumb| The campus of the [[Vienna University of Economics and Business]]]] Secondary education consists of two main types of schools, attendance at which is based on a pupil's ability as determined by grades from the primary school. The [[Gymnasium (school)|''Gymnasium'']] caters for the more able children, in the final year of which the [[Matura]] examination is taken, which is a requirement for access to university. The [[Hauptschule]] prepares pupils for vocational education but also for various types of further education ([[Höhere Technische Lehranstalt]] HTL = institution of higher technical education; HAK = commercial academy; HBLA = institution of higher education for economic business; etc.). Attendance at one of these further education institutes also leads to the [[Matura]]. Some schools aim to combine the education available at the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule, and are known as ''Gesamtschulen''. In addition, a recognition of the importance of learning English has led some Gymnasiums to offer a bilingual stream, in which pupils deemed able in languages follow a modified curriculum, a portion of the lesson time being conducted in English. As at primary school, lessons at Gymnasium begin at 8 am and continue with short intervals until lunchtime or early afternoon, with children returning home to a late lunch. Older pupils often attend further lessons after a break for lunch, generally eaten at school. As at primary level, all pupils follow the same plan of work. Great emphasis is placed on homework and frequent testing. Satisfactory marks in the end-of-the-year report ("Zeugnis") are a prerequisite for moving up ("aufsteigen") to the next class. Pupils who do not meet the required standard re-sit their tests at the end of the summer holidays; those whose marks are still not satisfactory are required to re-sit the year ("sitzenbleiben"). It is not uncommon for a pupil to re-sit more than one year of school. After completing the first two years, pupils choose between one of two strands, known as "Gymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on arts) or "Realgymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on science). Whilst many schools offer both strands, some do not, and as a result, some children move schools for a second time at age 12. At age 14, pupils may choose to remain in one of these two strands, or to change to a vocational course, possibly with a further change of school. [[File:Vorplatz JKU Bibliothek.jpg|thumb|The campus of [[Johannes Kepler University Linz|JKU]] University of [[Linz]]]] The Austrian university system had been open to any student who passed the [[Matura]] examination until recently. A 2006 bill allowed the introduction of entrance exams for studies such as Medicine. In 2001, an obligatory tuition fee ("''Studienbeitrag''") of âŹ363.36 per term was introduced for all public universities. Since 2008, for all EU students the studies have been free of charge, as long as a certain time-limit is not exceeded (the expected duration of the study plus usually two terms tolerance).<ref name="Tuition">{{Cite web |date=1 January 2009 |title=Studying in Austria: Tuition Fee |url=http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/148/Seite.1480000.html#tuition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501221940/http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/148/Seite.1480000.html#tuition |archive-date=1 May 2009 |access-date=18 June 2009 |website=Help.gv.at }}</ref> When the time-limit is exceeded, the fee of around âŹ363.36 per term is charged. Some further exceptions to the fee apply, e.g. for students with a year's salary of more than about âŹ5000. In all cases, an obligatory fee of âŹ20.20 is charged for the student union and insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HĂHE DES ĂH-BEITRAGES? |url=https://www.oeh.ac.at/service/oeh-beitrag |access-date=3 March 2020 |website=www.oeh.ac.at |language=de |archive-date=3 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303080024/https://www.oeh.ac.at/service/oeh-beitrag |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Health=== {{Main|Healthcare in Austria}} [[File:Life expectancy in Austria.svg|alt=Life Expectancy in Austria over time|thumb|Life Expectancy in Austria over time]] Even though Austria has a 0.9 health index and a [[life expectancy]] of 81 years,<ref>{{Cite web |title=STC Health Index |url=https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=globalresidenceindex.com |language=en |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225747/https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the country still faces numerous problems when it comes to health, one example being that 2 in 5 Austrians have a [[chronic condition]]. Cancer is a big problem in the country, as about 21,500 people died of this condition in 2019, having lung cancer as the primary cause of cancer deaths, probably linked to several risk factors in the country's population, as it is estimated that 40% of deaths in the country are caused by smoking, dietary risks, alcohol, low physical activity, and air pollution. One of the most costly health services in the EU is located in Austria. In 2019, health spending per capita ranked third in the EU. Health-related [[Out-of-pocket expense|out-of-pocket expenditures]] are higher than the EU average.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |title=State of Health in the EU; Companion Report 2021 |date=2022 |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |isbn=978-92-76-45885-2}}</ref> ==== Medical personnel ==== With 5.2 physician per 1,000 inhabitants Austria has among the highest physician density in [[OECD]] countries. Overall, the country has 271 hospitals with a total of 45,596 physicians (data from 2017), about 54% of which work (also or primarily) in hospitals. Although Austria has the second highest physician rate in the [[European Union|EU]], a large share of physicians is tropical to retirement age (55 years and older), and may thus be at a higher risk of developing severe conditions in specimen of [[COVID-19 pandemic in Austria|COVID-19]] infection. The number of nurses in Austria has been subject to debate in recent years with regard to definitions of qualifications and their interpretation in cross-country comparisons. A new mandatory health professional's registry was set up in 2018. However, for the elapsing of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, compulsory registration has been suspended. This implies that professional activities in long-term superintendency are moreover possible without registration until the end of the pandemic by late spring 2022 (Transition without the pandemic is still to be defined).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Austria: Health System Personnel |url=https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel |access-date=5 September 2022 |website=World Health Systems Facts |language=en-US |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905225748/https://healthsystemsfacts.org/national-health-systems/the-mixed-beveridge-bismarck-model/austria/austria-health-system-personnel/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ==Culture== {{Main|Culture of Austria}} ===Music=== <!---Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini biographies.--> {{Main|Music of Austria}} [[File:Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]]] Austria's past as a European power and its cultural environment generated a broad contribution to various forms of art, most notably among them music.<ref name="b1">{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria/The-arts | title=Austria - Music, Art, Theater | Britannica | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=18 February 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218121104/https://www.britannica.com/place/Austria/The-arts | url-status=live }}</ref> Austria was the birthplace of many [[Music of Austria|famous composers]] such as [[Haydn|Joseph Haydn]],<ref name="jh">{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn | title=Joseph Haydn | Biography, Compositions, & Facts | Britannica | date=23 January 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=31 October 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031140949/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Haydn | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Michael Haydn]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Haydn | title=Michael Haydn | Austrian composer, symphonies, operas | Britannica | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=3 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703174909/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Haydn | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Franz Liszt]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Liszt | title=Franz Liszt | Biography, Music, Compositions, Famous Works, Children, & Facts | Britannica | date=16 February 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=27 November 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127063927/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Liszt | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Franz Schubert]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Schubert | title=Franz Schubert | Biography, Music, & Facts | Britannica | date=27 January 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=19 December 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219191403/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Schubert | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Anton Bruckner]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Bruckner | title=Anton Bruckner | Austrian Composer & Romantic Symphony Writer | Britannica | date=19 February 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=30 November 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130053255/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Bruckner | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Johann Strauss Sr.]], and [[Johann Strauss Jr.]], as well as members of the [[Second Viennese School]] such as [[Arnold Schoenberg]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Schoenberg | title=Arnold Schoenberg | Biography, Compositions, & Facts | Britannica | date=March 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=13 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613011146/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arnold-Schoenberg | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Anton Webern]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Webern | title=Anton Webern | Austrian Composer & 12-Tone Pioneer | Britannica | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=7 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307221042/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anton-Webern | url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Alban Berg]]. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart | title=Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Biography, Music, the Magic Flute, & Facts | Britannica | date=8 February 2024 | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=5 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705020322/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wolfgang-Amadeus-Mozart | url-status=live }}</ref> was born in [[Salzburg]], then an independent Church Principality of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], which later became part of Austria, and much of Mozart's career was spent in Vienna.<ref name="bv"/> Vienna was for a long time an important centre of musical innovation. 18th- and 19th-century composers were drawn to the city due to the patronage of the Habsburgs, and made Vienna the European capital of classical music. During the [[Baroque period]], Slavic and Hungarian folk forms influenced Austrian music.<ref name="bv">{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Vienna/Cultural-life | title=Vienna - Culture, Music, Art | Britannica | access-date=18 February 2024 | archive-date=18 February 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218121105/https://www.britannica.com/place/Vienna/Cultural-life | url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:StateOperaViennaNightBackside.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Vienna State Opera]]]] Vienna's status began its rise as a cultural centre in the early 16th century, and was focused around instruments, including the [[lute]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] spent the better part of his life in Vienna. Austria's current [[national anthem]], attributed to Mozart, was chosen after [[World War II]] to replace the [[Sei gesegnet ohne Ende|traditional Austrian anthem]] by Joseph Haydn.<ref name="bv"/><ref name="jh"/> Austrian [[Herbert von Karajan]] was principal conductor of the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] for 35 years. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, and he was a dominant figure in European classical music from the 1960s until his death.<ref name="NYT obit">{{Cite news |last=Rockwell |first=John |date=17 July 1989 |title=Herbert von Karajan Is Dead; Musical Perfectionist was 81 |pages=A1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/obituaries/herbert-von-karajan-is-dead-musical-perfectionist-was-81.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712135148/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/17/obituaries/herbert-von-karajan-is-dead-musical-perfectionist-was-81.html |archive-date=12 July 2018 }}</ref> ===Cinema and theatre=== <!---Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini biographies.--> {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}} [[File:Arnold Schwarzenegger by Gage Skidmore 4.jpg|thumb|175px|left|[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], a well-known Austrian and American actor and filmmaker.]] [[Sascha Kolowrat]] was an Austrian pioneer of filmmaking. [[Billy Wilder]], [[Fritz Lang]], [[Josef von Sternberg]], and [[Fred Zinnemann]] originally came from the Austrian Empire before establishing themselves as internationally relevant filmmakers. [[Willi Forst]], [[Ernst Marischka]], and [[Franz Antel]] enriched the popular cinema in German-speaking countries. [[Michael Haneke]] became internationally known for his disturbing cinematic studies, receiving a [[Golden Globe]] for his critically acclaimed film ''[[The White Ribbon]]'' (2010). The first Austrian director to receive an [[Academy Award]] was [[Stefan Ruzowitzky]]. A number of Austrian actors also pursued international careers, among them [[Peter Lorre]], [[Helmut Berger]], [[Curd JĂŒrgens]], [[Senta Berger]], [[Oskar Werner]], and [[Klaus Maria Brandauer]]. Most notably, [[Hedy Lamarr]] and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] became international movie stars in Hollywood. [[Christoph Waltz]] rose to fame with his performances in ''[[Inglourious Basterds]]'' and ''[[Django Unchained]]'', earning him the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] in 2010 and 2012. [[Max Reinhardt]] was a master of spectacular and astute theatre productions. [[Otto Schenk]] not only excelled as a stage actor, but also as an opera director. ===Science and philosophy=== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}} {{Further|Austrian School|Vienna circle|List of Austrian scientists}} [[File:Young Kurt Gödel as a student in 1925.jpg|thumb|[[Kurt Gödel]] as a student in 1925]] Austria was the cradle of numerous scientists with international reputation. Among them are [[Ludwig Boltzmann]], [[Ernst Mach]], [[Victor Franz Hess]], and [[Christian Doppler]], prominent scientists in the 19th century. In the 20th century, contributions by [[Lise Meitner]], [[Erwin Schrödinger]], and [[Wolfgang Pauli]] to nuclear research and [[quantum mechanics]] were key to these areas' development during the 1920s and 1930s. Prominent present-day [[quantum physics|quantum physicists]] are [[Anton Zeilinger]] and [[Peter Zoller]] renown for important developments in [[quantum optics]] and [[quantum information]]. In addition to [[physicist]]s, Austria was the birthplace of two of the most noteworthy philosophers of the 20th century, [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]] and [[Karl Popper]]. In addition to them, biologists [[Gregor Mendel]] and [[Konrad Lorenz]] as well as mathematician [[Kurt Gödel]] and engineers such as [[Ferdinand Porsche]] and [[Siegfried Marcus]] were Austrians. [[Bertha von Suttner]] became the first woman to be awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], and the first Austrian laureate. A focus of Austrian science has always been medicine and psychology, starting in [[medieval times]] with [[Paracelsus]]. Eminent physicians like [[Theodore Billroth]], [[Clemens von Pirquet]], and [[Anton Eiselsberg|Anton von Eiselsberg]] have built upon the achievements of the 19th-century Vienna School of Medicine. Austria was home to [[Sigmund Freud]], founder of [[psychoanalysis]], [[Alfred Adler]], founder of [[Individual psychology]], psychologists [[Paul Watzlawick]] and [[Hans Asperger]], and psychiatrist [[Viktor Frankl]]. Austria was ranked 18th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2023.<ref>{{Cite book |last=WIPO |title=Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |access-date=2023-10-23 |date=11 January 2024 |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |doi=10.34667/tind.46596 |isbn=978-92-805-3432-0 |language=en |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022042128/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2023/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=RTD â Item |url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898 |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=ec.europa.eu |archive-date=2 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902140715/https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 October 2013 |title=Global Innovation Index |url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930 |archive-date=2 September 2021 |access-date=2 September 2021 |website=INSEAD Knowledge |language=en}}</ref> The [[Austrian School]] of Economics, which is prominent as one of the main competitive directions for economic theory, is related to Austrian economists [[Carl Menger]], [[Joseph Schumpeter]], [[Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk]], [[Ludwig von Mises]], and [[Friedrich Hayek]]. Other noteworthy Austrian-born Ă©migrĂ©s include the management thinker [[Peter Drucker]], sociologist [[Paul Felix Lazarsfeld]], and scientist [[Gustav Nossal|Sir Gustav Nossal]]. ===Food and beverages=== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}} {{Main|Austrian cuisine}} [[File:2015 0731 Apfelstrudel VanillesoĂe EdelweisshĂŒtte Sölden.jpg|thumb|right|Apple strudel, served with vanilla sauce, in [[Tirol (state)|Tirol]] Austria]][[File:Wiener-Schnitzel02.jpg|thumb|right|''Wiener Schnitzel'', a traditional Austrian dish]] Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]. Austrian cuisine is mainly the tradition of Royal-Cuisine ("HofkĂŒche") delivered over centuries. It is famous for its well-balanced variations of beef and pork and countless variations of vegetables. There is also the "Mehlspeisen" tradition of bakeries, which created particular delicacies such as Sachertorte, "Krapfen" which are doughnuts usually filled with apricot jam or custard, and "Strudel" such as "[[Apfelstrudel]]" filled with apple, "Topfenstrudel" filled with a type of cheese curd called "topfen", and "[[Millirahmstrudel]]" (milk-cream strudel). In addition to native regional traditions, the cuisine has been influenced by [[Hungarian cuisine|Hungarian]], [[Czech Republic|Czech]], [[Polish cuisine|Polish]], [[Jewish cuisine|Jewish]], [[Italian cuisine|Italian]], [[Balkan]], and [[French cuisine|French]] cuisines, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed. The Austrian cuisine is therefore one of the most multicultural and transcultural in Europe. Typical Austrian dishes include [[Wiener Schnitzel]], Schweinsbraten, [[Kaiserschmarren]], [[Knödel]], [[Sachertorte]], and [[Tafelspitz]]. There are also KĂ€rntner Kasnudeln, which are pockets of dough filled with Topfen, potatoes, herbs and peppermint which are boiled and served with a butter sauce. Kasnudeln are traditionally served with a salad. [[Cantharellus|Eierschwammerl]] dishes are also popular. The sugar block dispenser [[Pez]] was invented in Austria, as well as [[Manner (confectionary)|Mannerschnitten]]. Austria is also famous for its [[Mozartkugel]]n and its coffee tradition. With over 8 kg per year it has the sixth highest per capita coffee consumption worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Lora |date=13 April 2018 |title=Coffee: Who grows, drinks and pays the most? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43742686 |url-status=live |access-date=13 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613115037/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-43742686 |archive-date=13 June 2018 }}</ref> Beer is sold in 0.2-litre (a ''Pfiff''), 0.3-litre (a ''Seidel'', ''kleines Bier'' or ''Glas Bier'') and 0.5-litre (a ''KrĂŒgerl'' or ''groĂes Bier'' or ''Halbe'') measures. At festivals one litre ''MaĂ'' and two-litre ''DoppelmaĂ'' in the [[Bavaria]]n style are also dispensed. The most popular types of beer are [[lager]] (known as ''MĂ€rzen'' in Austria), naturally cloudy ''Zwicklbier'' and [[wheat beer]]. At holidays like Christmas and Easter [[bock]] beer is also available. The most important wine-producing areas are in [[Lower Austria]], [[Burgenland]], [[Styria]], and Vienna. The [[GrĂŒner Veltliner]] grape provides some of Austria's most notable white wines<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gruner Veltliner Wine |url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-209-gruner-veltliner |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301165955/http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-209-gruner-veltliner |archive-date=1 March 2014 |access-date=2 June 2014 |publisher=Wine-Searcher }}</ref> and [[Zweigelt]] is the most widely planted red wine grape.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zweigelt Wine |url=http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-645-zweigelt |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207055743/http://www.wine-searcher.com/grape-645-zweigelt |archive-date=7 February 2014 |access-date=2 June 2014 |publisher=Wine-Searcher }}</ref> In [[Upper Austria]], Lower Austria, Styria, and [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]], ''Most'', a type of [[cider]] or [[perry]], is widely produced. A [[Schnapps]] of typically up to 60% alcohol or fruit [[brandy]] is drunk, which in Austria is made from a variety of fruits, for example [[apricot]]s and [[rowan]]berries. The produce of small private schnapps [[distillery|distilleries]], of which there are around 20,000 in Austria, is known as ''Selbstgebrannter'' or ''Hausbrand''. Local soft drinks such as [[Almdudler]] are very popular around the country as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. Another popular drink is the so-called "Spezi", a mix between Coca-Cola and the original formula of [[Fanta|Orange Fanta]] or the more locally renowned [[Frucade]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2019}} [[Red Bull]], the highest-selling energy drink in the world, was introduced by [[Dietrich Mateschitz]], an Austrian entrepreneur. ===Sports=== <!---Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. Caution should be taken to ensure that the section is not simply a listing of names or mini biographies.--> {{More citations needed section|date=December 2023}} {{Main|Sport in Austria}} [[File:Bergisel.jpg|thumb|[[Innsbruck]] hosted the [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics]], as well as the [[2012 Winter Youth Olympics]], the first in history.]] Due to the mountainous terrain, [[alpine skiing]] is a prominent sport in Austria and is extremely valuable in the promotion and economic growth of the country.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Horak |first1=Roman |last2=Spitaler |first2=Georg |date=2003 |title=Sport, Space and National Identity: Soccer and Skiing as Formative Forces: On the Austrian Example |journal=American Behavioral Scientist |volume=46 |issue=11 |pages=1508â1518 |doi=10.1177/0002764203046011004 |s2cid=144319167}}</ref> Similar sports such as [[snowboarding]] or [[ski-jumping]] are also widely popular. Austrian athletes such as [[Annemarie Moser-Pröll]], [[Franz Klammer]], [[Hermann Maier]], [[Toni Sailer]], [[Benjamin Raich]], [[Marlies Schild]], and [[Marcel Hirscher]] are widely regarded as some of the greatest alpine skiers of all time, [[Armin Kogler]], [[Andreas Felder]], [[Ernst Vettori]], [[Andreas Goldberger]], [[Andreas Widhölzl]], [[Thomas Morgenstern]], and [[Gregor Schlierenzauer]] as some of the greatest ski jumpers of all time. [[Bobsleigh]], [[luge]], and [[skeleton (sport)|skeleton]] are also popular events with a permanent track located in [[Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track|Igls]], which hosted bobsleigh and luge competitions for the [[1964 Winter Olympics|1964]] and [[1976 Winter Olympics]] held in [[Innsbruck]]. The [[2012 Winter Youth Olympics|first Winter Youth Olympics]] in 2012 were held in Innsbruck as well.<ref name="WYO2012">{{Cite web |date=12 December 2008 |title=YOG Innsbruck 2012: Relive the announcement |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2890 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216073505/http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2890 |archive-date=16 December 2008 |access-date=24 December 2008 |publisher=International Olympic Committee}}</ref> [[File:Fischer Sports franz-klammer 1976.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Ski racer [[Franz Klammer]] won a gold medal at the [[1976 Winter Olympics]] in [[Innsbruck]].]] Football in Austria is governed by the [[Austrian Football Association]].<ref name="Football">{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Ăsterreichischer FuĂballbund |url=http://www.oefb.at |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090628120811/http://www.oefb.at |archive-date=28 June 2009 |access-date=17 June 2009 |website=ĂFB |language=de}}</ref> Austria was among the most successful football playing nations on the European continent, placing 4th at the [[1934 FIFA World Cup]], 3rd at the [[1954 FIFA World Cup]] and 7th at the [[1978 FIFA World Cup]]. However, Austrian football has not been internationally successful since the mid 20th century. Austria co-hosted the [[2008 UEFA European Football Championship]] with Switzerland. The national Austrian football league is the [[Austrian Bundesliga]], which includes teams such as record-champions [[SK Rapid Wien]], [[FK Austria Wien]], [[FC Red Bull Salzburg|Red Bull Salzburg]], and [[Sturm Graz]]. Besides football, Austria also has professional national leagues for most major team sports, including the [[Austrian Hockey League]] for [[ice hockey]], [[Ăsterreichische Basketball Bundesliga]] for basketball and the [[Austrian Football League]] for American football. Horseback riding is also popular; the famed [[Spanish Riding School of Vienna]] is located in Vienna. [[Niki Lauda]] was a [[Formula One]] driver who was three times F1 World Champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984. He is currently the only driver to have been champion for both Ferrari and McLaren, the sport's two most successful constructors. Other known Austrian F1 drivers include [[Gerhard Berger]] and [[Jochen Rindt]]. Austria also hosts F1 races ([[Austrian Grand Prix]]); now held at the [[Red Bull Ring]], in the past also at the [[Ăsterreichring]] and the [[Zeltweg Airfield]]. [[Thomas Muster]] is a former [[tennis]] player and was one of the world's leading [[clay court]] players in the 1990s. He won the [[1995 French Open]] and in 1996 was ranked [[List of ATP number 1 ranked players|number 1]] in the [[ATP rankings|ATP ranking]]. [[2020 US Open (tennis)|2020 US Open]] winner [[Dominic Thiem]] is also another prominent tennis player having been as high as world number 3 and also been in the finals of the [[French Open]] and [[Australian Open]]. Other well known Austrian tennis players include [[Horst Skoff]] and [[JĂŒrgen Melzer]]. Sport played a significant role in developing national consciousness and boosting national self-confidence in the early years of the Second Republic after World War II, through events such as the [[Tour of Austria]] cycle race and through sporting successes such as the national football team's run to third at the 1954 World Cup and the performances of Toni Sailer and the rest of the "KitzbĂŒhel Miracle Team" in the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marschick |first=Matthias |date=Summer 2011 |title=Austrian Sport and the Challenges of Its Recent Historiography |journal=Journal of Sport History |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=189â198 |doi=10.5406/jsporthistory.38.2.189 |jstor=10.5406/jsporthistory.38.2.189 |s2cid=145300546}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Norden |first=Gilbert |date=Spring 2001 |title=Austrian Sport Museums |url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2001/JSH2801/JSH2801h.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Journal of Sport History |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=87â107 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114031850/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2001/JSH2801/JSH2801h.pdf |archive-date=14 January 2017 |access-date=3 January 2017 }}</ref> ==See also== {{Portal|Austria|Tyrol}} * [[Index of Austria-related articles]] * [[Outline of Austria]] {{Clear}} == Notes == {{Notelist}} ==References== {{reflist|refs= <ref name="demokratiewebstatt.at">{{cite web |title=Die verschiedenen Amtssprachen in Ăsterreich |url=https://www.demokratiewebstatt.at/thema/sprachen/amtssprachen-in-oesterreich/die-verschiedenen-amtssprachen-in-oesterreich |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524084441/https://www.demokratiewebstatt.at/thema/sprachen/amtssprachen-in-oesterreich/die-verschiedenen-amtssprachen-in-oesterreich |archive-date=24 May 2018 |access-date=23 May 2018 |website=DemokratieWEBstatt.at}}</ref> <ref name="Regional Languages of Austria">{{cite web |date=2013 |title=Regional Languages of Austria |url=http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018115726/http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Dokumentnummer=NOR40066723 |archive-date=18 October 2013 |access-date=27 July 2013 |publisher=Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes}}</ref> }} ===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last=Brook-Shepherd |first=Gordon |title=The Austrians: a thousand-year odyssey |date=1998 |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc |isbn=978-0-7867-0520-7 |location=New York}} * {{Cite book |last=Jelavich |first=Barbara |url=https://archive.org/details/modernaustria00barb |title=Modern Austria: empire and republic 1815â1986 |date=1987 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-31625-5 |location=Cambridge |url-access=registration}} * {{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Lonnie |title=Introducing Austria: a short history |date=1989 |publisher=Ariadne Press |isbn=978-0-929497-03-7 |location=Riverside, Calif.}} * Rathkolb, Oliver. ''The Paradoxical Republic: Austria, 1945â2005'' (Berghahn Books; 2010, 301 pages). Translation of 2005 study of paradoxical aspects of Austria's political culture and society. * {{Cite book |last=Thaler |first=Peter |title=The Ambivalence of Identity: The Austrian Experience of Nation-Building in a Modern Society |date=2001 |publisher=Purdue University Press |isbn=978-1-55753-201-5 |location=West Lafayette, Ind.}} {{Refend}} ==External links== {{Sister project links|voy=Austria|Austria}} {{Wikisource portal|Austria}} * [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/austria Austria]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. * [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44183/Austria Austria]. ''[[EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica]]''. * [https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/eur/ci/au Austria]. Information from the [[United States Department of State]]. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080821141923/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/austria.htm Austria] at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' * {{Curlie|Regional/Europe/Austria}} * [http://www.city-map.at Information on Austria]. Sorted by regions. Choose from 5 languages. * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17405422 Austria profile] from the [[BBC News]] * {{Wikiatlas|Austria}} * {{OSM relation|16239}} * [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=AT Key Development Forecasts for Austria] from [[International Futures]] ;Government * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060819212311/http://www.bundeskanzleramt.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?alias=english&init&init Federal Chancellery of Austria]. Official government portal. * [http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at AEIOU Austria Albums]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302093527/http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at |date=2 March 2009 }} (in German, English). * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070612234804/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-a/austria.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members] * [http://www.rechtsfreund.at/law-austria.htm Austrian Law]. Information on Austrian Law. ;Trade * [http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/Country/AUT/Year/2014/Summary World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Austria] ;Travel * [http://www.austria.info Austria.info]. Official homepage of the Austrian National Tourist Office. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110511190838/http://www.postrealism.com/austria.htm TourMyCountry.com]. Website on Austrian culture, cuisine and tourist attractions. * [http://www.europepictures.gm/europe/austria/photos Europe Pictures â Austria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102102118/http://europepictures.gm/europe/austria/photos |date=2 November 2012}} {{Austria topics}} {{Navboxes | title =Related articles | list = {{Sovereign states of Europe}} {{Member states of the European Union}} {{European Economic Area (EEA)}} {{Council of Europe}} }} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|47|20|N|13|20|E|type:country_region:AT|display=title}} [[Category:Austria]] [[Category:Countries and territories where German is an official language]] [[Category:Countries in Europe]] [[Category:Federal constitutional republics]] [[Category:Landlocked countries]] [[Category:Member states of the European Union]] [[Category:Member states of the Three Seas Initiative]] [[Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean]] [[Category:Member states of the United Nations]] [[Category:Nuclear-free zones]] [[Category:OECD members]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1955]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Templates used on this page: Austria (edit) Template:!! (edit) Template:!) (edit) Template:(! (edit) Template:Abbr (edit) Template:About (edit) Template:Ambox (edit) Template:As of (edit) Template:Austria topics (edit) Template:Authority control (edit) Template:Both (edit) Template:Br separated entries (edit) Template:Catalog lookup link (edit) Template:Category handler (edit) Template:Citation (edit) Template:Citation needed (edit) Template:Cite book (edit) Template:Cite encyclopedia (edit) Template:Cite journal (edit) Template:Cite news (edit) Template:Cite report (edit) Template:Cite web (edit) Template:Clear (edit) Template:Color (edit) Template:Color/styles.css (edit) Template:Convert (edit) Template:Convinfobox (edit) Template:Coord (edit) Template:Council of Europe (edit) Template:Country data Burgenland (edit) Template:Country data Carinthia (edit) Template:Country data Lower Austria (edit) Template:Country data Salzburg (edit) Template:Country data Styria (edit) Template:Country data Tyrol (edit) Template:Country data Upper Austria (edit) Template:Country data Vienna (edit) Template:Country data Vorarlberg (edit) Template:Country topics (edit) Template:Curlie (edit) Template:DMCA (edit) Template:DecreasePositive (edit) Template:Delink (edit) Template:Distinguish (edit) Template:Efn (edit) Template:Em dash (edit) Template:European Economic Area (EEA) (edit) Template:Fix (edit) Template:Flag icon (edit) Template:Flagicon (edit) Template:Further (edit) Template:Gloss (edit) Template:Greater color contrast ratio (edit) Template:Hlist (edit) Template:Hlist/styles.css (edit) Template:IPA (edit) Template:IPA-de (edit) Template:IPA audio link (edit) Template:IPAc-en (edit) Template:ISBN (edit) Template:ISO 3166 code (edit) Template:If empty (edit) Template:Image label (edit) Template:Increase (edit) Template:IncreaseNeutral (edit) Template:Infobox (edit) Template:Infobox country (edit) Template:Infobox country/imagetable (edit) Template:Infobox country/multirow (edit) Template:Infobox country/styles.css (edit) Template:Lang (edit) Template:Lang-bar (edit) Template:Lang-de-AT (edit) Template:Largest cities (edit) Template:Largest cities/styles.css (edit) Template:Legend (edit) Template:Legend/styles.css (edit) Template:Literal translation (edit) Template:MONTHNAME (edit) Template:MONTHNUMBER (edit) Template:Main (edit) Template:Main other (edit) Template:Map caption (edit) Template:Mdash (edit) Template:Member states of the European Union (edit) Template:More citations needed (edit) Template:More citations needed section (edit) Template:Multiple image (edit) Template:Multiple image/styles.css (edit) Template:Native name (edit) Template:Navboxes (edit) Template:Nobold (edit) Template:Nobold/styles.css (edit) Template:Notelist (edit) Template:Nowrap (edit) Template:OSM relation (edit) Template:Pie chart (edit) Template:Pie chart/slice (edit) Template:Plainlist/styles.css (edit) Template:Portal (edit) Template:Pp (edit) Template:Pp-move (edit) Template:Redirect (edit) Template:Refbegin (edit) Template:Refbegin/styles.css (edit) Template:Refend (edit) Template:Reflist (edit) Template:Reflist/styles.css (edit) Template:See also (edit) Template:Short description (edit) Template:Sister project (edit) Template:Sister project links (edit) Template:Small (edit) Template:Smaller (edit) Template:Sovereign states of Europe (edit) Template:Sp (edit) Template:States of Austria labeled map (edit) Template:Switcher (edit) Template:Template other (edit) Template:Thin space (edit) Template:Thinsp (edit) Template:Ublist (edit) Template:Unbulleted list (edit) Template:Unreferenced (edit) Template:Unreferenced section (edit) Template:Use dmy dates (edit) Template:Webarchive (edit) Template:Wikiatlas (edit) Template:Wikidata (edit) Template:Wikisource portal (edit) Template:Yesno (edit) Template:Yesno-no (edit) Template:Yesno-yes (edit) Module:Arguments (edit) Module:Catalog lookup link (edit) Module:Category handler (edit) Module:Category handler/data (view source) Module:Check for unknown parameters (edit) Module:Check isxn (edit) Module:Citation/CS1 (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (edit) Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (edit) Module:Color contrast (view source) Module:Convert (edit) Module:Convert/data (edit) Module:Convert/text (edit) Module:Delink (view source) Module:Distinguish (edit) Module:Format link (edit) Module:Hatnote (edit) Module:Hatnote/styles.css (edit) Module:Hatnote list (edit) Module:IPAc-en (edit) Module:IPAc-en/data (edit) Module:IPAc-en/phonemes (edit) Module:IPAc-en/pronunciation (edit) Module:If empty (edit) Module:Infobox (edit) Module:Infobox/styles.css (edit) Module:Labelled list hatnote (edit) Module:List (edit) Module:Multiple image (edit) Module:Portal (edit) Module:Portal/styles.css (edit) Module:Separated entries (edit) Module:String (edit) Module:TableTools (edit) Module:Unsubst (edit) Module:Wd (view source) Module:Yesno (edit) Discuss this page