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City of music, cafes,
waltzes, parks, pastries, and wine - that's Vienna. Vienna is a true
cosmopolitan center, where different tribes and nationalities have
for centuries fused their cultural identities to produce the
intriguing and often cynical Viennese.
From the time the Romans selected a Celtic settlement on the Danube
River as one of their most important central European forts, "Vindobona,"
the city we now know as Vienna, has played a vital role in European
history. Austria grew up around the city and developed into a mighty
empire. The capital became a showplace during the tumultuous reign
of the Habsburg dynasty, whose court was a dazzling spectacle.
The face of the city has changed time and again because of war,
siege, victory, defeat, the death of an empire, the birth of a
republic, foreign occupation, and the passage of time. Fortunately,
the Viennese character - a strict devotion to the good life - has
remained solid.
Music, art, literature, theater, architecture, education, food, and
drink are all part of Vienna's allure. |
