Overview
Under the resilient Habsburg dynasty, which spanned six centuries, Vienna commanded an empire of more than 40 million people that blossomed from the Balkans across Europe and the Atlantic to Spanish America. Although today Austria is smaller than Maine, the capital is clearly heir to this era: Vienna prefers white tie and tails to T-shirts, and the opera to most everything else.Vienna has long been known for its cultural and educational institutions. During the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it was the musical capital of the world and the home of many famous composers, including Hadyn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler, and Berg. Franz von Suppé supplied early models for Viennese operetta, and Johann Strauss the Younger brought the form to a high romantic level. Today, Vienna remains a city of strong musical heritage and is the seat of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, and the music conservatory.
Vienna is also a city of numerous museums and art galleries, including the Kunsthistorisches (Museum of Art History), and outstanding schools and scientific organizations. The University of Vienna is known throughout the world, particularly for its medical school, and has a large percentage of foreign students.
Yet Vienna remains a relaxed and remarkably comfortable city. Most attractions are easy to get to on the city’s highly efficient underground railway system, and the world-famous coffeehouses allow visitors to unwind over schlag-topped pastries between bouts of sightseeing. And though Vienna may seem straitlaced and gracefully aloof, it frequently lets its long-hair tradition down—and nowhere as freely as at the heuriger in Grinzing or in the "Bermuda Triangle" in mid-city.