Austria is one of the major countries that share the Alps Mountains. It is a beautiful country because of its landscape and rich cultural heritage.
There is a lot of general knowledge about Austria, but there are untold stories about Austria that will surprise you. Do you know that wedding tradition in Austria where brides are kidnapped from their wedding ceremony? Keep reading to know why and uncover more fascinating historic, geographic, cultural, and religious facts about Austria.
1. Austria is derived from the German word Österreich meaning ‘Eastern realm’.
2. Austria was the first country to issue a postcard.
3. Austria houses the oldest zoo in the world and is known as the Schönbrunn Zoo, Vienna. It is also known as Vienna zoo.
4. The largest ice cave in the world is the Eisriesenwelt cave located in Werfen, Austria.
5. With a whopping height of 12,431 feet, the Großglockner Mountain is the highest mountain in Austria.
6. The national flag of Austria is one of the oldest in the world dating back to 1191.
7. Austria is one of the 6 European countries not in NATO.
8. The Austrian National Library is one of the most beautiful and largest libraries in the world.
9. Austrians say it is bad luck not to look into the eyes of the person you are cheering with. It is also said that it brings 7 years of bad sex.
10. There is a wedding tradition in Austria where brides are kidnapped from their wedding ceremony and it is called ‘Stealing the bride’. This signifies the new home the bride is to enter.
11. In Austria, every child over 14 years can choose a religion of their own.
12. Austria has one of the highest standards of living.
13. The Austrian bred ‘Red Bull’ is the highest-selling energy drink in the World.
14. In Austria, every male over 18 years is mandated to join the military for some months.
15. Working hours per week in Austria is an average of 38 hours/week which is one of the highest in Europe.
16. A number of good things come from Austria, for example, the founder of the sports car company, Ferdinand Porshe is from Austria.
17. Austria is one of the world’s first countries to establish national organic farming regulations.
18. Austria is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.
19. Sigmund Freud an Austrian originated the idea of psychoanalysis. According to collinsdictionary.com, psychoanalysis is a method of studying the mind and treating psychiatric and emotional disorders based on revealing and investigating the role of the unconscious mind
20. Temperature in Austria can go as low as -11°C in January during winter. The snow can also cover about 10 feet.
21. Austria is home to great classical composers including Amadeus Mozart.
22. Austrians do not like the movie “The Sound of Music” because of stereotypes and historical inaccuracies.
23. Despite the small land area of Austria which is about 83,871 km², it borders about 8 countries including Germany, Italy, and Switzerland among others.
24. The National Library of Armenia houses about 2 million books which is one of the reasons why it is among the largest libraries in the world.
25. Despite the popular belief that croissants are not Austrian, they originated in Austria.
26. The oldest known Natural human mummy in Europe was found in the Ötztal Alps which is located on the border of Austria and Italy. This mummy, Ötzal as it is named is believed to have lived between 3350 and 3105 BC.
27. The Waltz dance originated in Austria.
28. Known for discovering genetics through an experiment with pea plants is an Austrian monk, Gregor Mendel.
29. After Emperor Francis II dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, Austria was formed it was called the Austrian Empire but was also a part of the German Confederation.
30. A governor in Austria is called a Landeshauptmann.
31. About 5% of Austria’s revenue is attributed to tourism.
32. The World’s largest emerald the Emerald Unguentarium is on display in the Imperial Treasury, in Vienna, Austria. This emerald weighs about 7,525 carats.
33. Austria has a total of 13 mountains that exceed 3,000 meters and about 34 that exceed 2,000 meters.
34. Arnold Schwarzenegger a former governor of California and a Hollywood actor was originally an Austrian citizen.
35. Coffee breaks are very important and highly acknowledged in Austria.
36. A regular guest in Austria is referred to as a ‘stamgast’.
37. The oldest restaurant in Europe is the St. Peter Stifts Kilinarium in Salzburg, Austria. It was founded around 803 CE.
38. Baroness Bertha von Suttner, an Austro-Hungarian is among the very first women to have won a Nobel Prize. She won hers in 1905.
39. In Austria, a church tax is paid by members of Catholic or Protestant churches.
40. Austria was originally known as Ostarrichi now known as sterreich.
41. There are 10 countries through which the 2nd longest river in Europe runs. These countries include Austria, Croatia, Romania, and Ukraine among others.
42. The discoverer of the Doppler Effect, Christian Andreas Doppler is an Austrian.
43. Austria has a total of 22 Nobel prize winners.
44. Austria is very famous for its castles, buildings, palaces, and other architectural buildings. Some of them include Castle Liechtenstein and Burg Hohenwerfen among others.
45. The popular Austrian movie The Sound of Music is a real-life story.
46. Despite football being the national sport of Austria, the people love Alpine skiing.
47. Austria is made of the Alps Mountains which cover about 62% of the country’s land area.
48. In Austria, the retirement for women is 60 years while that for men is 65 years after which they start collecting a pension.
49. The oldest restaurant in Austria is the Griechenbeisl restaurant in Vienna which dates back to 1447.
50. Austria was one of the first countries to have adopted the euro as its official currency which was adopted on 1st January 1999. Before they began using the euro, their currency was the shilling.
51. There is an Austrian tradition that dictates that cone of goodies should be given to children on their first day of school.
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