Economic and geographical position

The Republic of Austria - Austria is a state located in the center of Europe. The territory of the country is surrounded by land on all sides. The state borders: on the Czech Republic (in the north); with Slovakia (in the northeast); with Hungary (in the east); with Italy and Slovenia (in the south); with Switzerland and Liechtenstein (in the west) and with Germany (in the northwest).

Austria is a union state. It consists of:

• Lower and Upper Austria,
• Styria,
• Burgerland,
• Carinthia,
• Vorarlberg,
• Tyrol,
• Vein,
• Salzburg.

The territory of Austria is elongated in the form of a wedge. The total area of ​​the territory is 83.8 thousand square meters. km.

The main marinas of the country are located near Vienna and in Linz. Largest cities: Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg.

The geographical position favors the development of economic ties with neighboring states.

Austria is a crossroads for a number of trans-European traffic flows.

natural conditions

The natural features of Austria are largely predetermined by the presence of the mountain system of the Eastern Alps on the territory of the country. Mountain ranges occupy up to 70% of the entire territory of the country, most of which is represented by the Eastern Alps. The Eastern Alps are subdivided into: the Salzburg Alps and the North Tyrol Alps (in the north) and the Karnik and Zillertal Alps (in the south). High Taeurn is the most powerful mountain range in the country. Mount Grossglockner is the highest point in the country (3797 m).

Pasterze is the largest glacier in the Eastern Alps (more than 10 km long).

The Stubai, Ötztal and Zillertal Alps are a ridged granite-gneiss zone of mountains. Alpine landforms are pronounced here - steep-walled valleys and sharp ridges. To the south and north of the ridge zone stretch the Limestone Alps, in the northern regions passing into the Prealps, which descend to the Danube. The Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave is located in the Tennengebirge mountains. Prealps are ridged low mountains covered with forest.

On the left side of the Danube, there is a part of the old Bohemian massif - the southern spurs of the Shumava, up to 500 m high (in some places the height reaches 1000 m).

1/5 of the entire area of ​​the country is occupied by flat territories and hilly lowlands: the Danube part of Austria, part of the Middle Danube Plain. There are large areas of fertile land here.

The climate is moderate. In the western parts of the country, the influence of the Atlantic can be traced. In the eastern regions and in the mountains, the climate is more continental.

The climatic conditions of the plains are warm and humid. The average July temperature is +20º C. The winter is mild, the average January temperature is +1-5º C. The average annual rainfall is 700-900 mm.

For every 100m you climb, the average temperature drops by 0.5-0.6º C.

Snow is found at an altitude of 2500-2800 m. Summer in the mountains is windy, damp, cold, sleet often falls. In winter, huge layers of snow accumulate on the slopes of the mountains, which often form avalanches.

Remark 1

A characteristic feature of the mountainous regions of the country is the abundance of clean fresh water, which accumulates during the main part of the year in the form of glaciers and snows, and in summer flows down to the Danube and forms lake basins.

Natural resources

Water resources. The largest river in the country is the Danube. The most full-flowing river is in the summer (due to the melting of snow and ice in mountainous areas). The tributaries of the Danube - Salzach, Inn, Drava, Ends - carry a large hydropower potential. Some of these rivers are used for timber rafting. In the northern foothills of the Alps and in the Klagenfurt Basin (in the south), there are many deep lakes of glacial origin. The largest lake - Constance - belongs to Austria in part. The Krimml waterfalls are among the largest waterfalls in the world. Mineral springs - Bad Ischl, Baden.

forest resources. Forests occupy almost 2/3 of the country's territory. The forests are most common in the mountains. Mountain forests are the national wealth of Austria.

Minerals. The main minerals of the country are: oil and natural gas (Vienna Basin), brown coal (Upper Austria, Styria), magnesite (Feitsch, Styrian Alps). On the territory there are deposits of iron ore (Eisenerz region, Mount Erzberg; Carinthia, Huttenberg), lead-zinc ores (Klagenfurt, Bleiberg region, etc.), copper ores (Tirol, Mitterberg). Salt (Salzkammergut), marble, graphite, feldspar, granite, limestone, kaolin are mined in the country.

Recreational resources. The Austrian Alps are a popular destination for skiers. The most visited resorts of the provinces: Tyrol, Salzburg, Carinthia. Tourists visit Styria and Vorlarlberg. Resorts where you can combine relaxation and wellness procedures (at thermal springs): Bad Hofgastein, Bad Gastein in the Gastein Rahl region. Comfortable temperatures, clean air, beautiful landscapes attract mountain tourists and other vacationers.

Flora and fauna

The foothills and the lower regions of the slopes of the mountains are covered with broad-leaved tree species - beech, oak, hornbeam forests. Above are mixed beech-spruce and coniferous forests, mostly fir. Above 1200 m there are larch, spruce, cedar. The zone of subalpine meadows - matts - is located above the forest belt and is distinguished by an abundance of tall-grass representatives at first, and after - short-grass - alpine meadows - alms. In the belt of eternal snow and ice, you can find a stunted plant - silver edelweiss.

The vegetation cover of the plain-hilly territories of the country has been almost completely changed under the influence of the anthropogenic factor. Most of the land has been plowed up, leaving small oak and beech groves.

The fauna of Austria is Central European. In the highlands - typically alpine. Red deer, roe deer, elk, brown bear, mountain sheep, chamois, mountain goats, alpine marmot, mountain eagle, black grouse, capercaillie, partridges live in protected areas in forested mountain ranges.

On the plains there are hares, foxes, rodents. In the steppe region near Lake Neusiedler See, there is a purple heron.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Hosted at http://www.allbest.ru/

Economic and geographical characteristics of Austria

Introduction

The name of the country comes from the ancient German Ostarrichi - "eastern country". The name "Austria" is first mentioned in a document dated November 1, 996.

The Austrian flag is one of the oldest state symbols in the world. According to legend, in 1191, during one of the battles of the Third Crusade, the snow-white shirt of Leopold V of Austria was completely spattered with blood. When the duke took off his wide belt, a white stripe formed on his shirt. The combination of these colors became his banner, and in the future the flag of Austria.

The red color of the two stripes on the flag symbolizes the blood of patriots shed in the struggle for the freedom and independence of the Republic of Austria. White is a symbol of the Danube River, flowing from west to east.

1. Geographical position of the country

State in Central Europe. It borders on the Czech Republic (362 km) in the north, Slovakia (91 km) in the northeast, Hungary (366 km) in the east, Slovenia (330 km) and Italy (430 km) in the south. , in the west - with Liechtenstein (35 km) and Switzerland (164 km), in the north-west - with Germany (784 km).

Austria is mainly a mountainous country (70%): the average altitude is about 900 m. Most of Austria is occupied by the Eastern Alps, which in turn are subdivided into the North Tyrol Alps and the Salzburg Alps in the north; Zillertal and Karnik Alps in the south. The highest point is Mount Grossglockner (3797 meters), it also has one of the largest glaciers in Europe - Pasterze.

2. The territory of the country. Its characteristics

The area of ​​the country is 83,871 km².

Austria is divided into nine federal regions:

Vienna is the capital of Austria

Burgenland - capital: Eisenstadt

Carinthia - capital: Klagenfurt

Lower Austria - the capital of Sankt Pölten

Salzburg - capital: Salzburg

Styria - capital: Graz

Tyrol - capital: Innsbruck

Upper Austria - capital: Linz

Vorarlberg - capital: Bregenz

3. Nature of the country

3.1 Nature as a condition for tourism development

The Vienna Woods is one of the most striking sights in Austria, fanned by a lovely romantic halo. No wonder this marvelous corner of the earth was glorified in their immortal works by Johann Strauss and Franz Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart.

However, the green bushes of the Vienna Woods captivated not only musicians, poets and writers, royal persons also did not ignore him. Here the Empress of Austria, the wife of Franz Joseph, rested from the hustle and bustle of palace life; here the love tragedy of the heir to the throne Rudolf and his beloved Mary Vechera broke out. For 100 years now, historians have not been able to unravel the mystery of who killed this loving couple: perhaps the betrothed wife of Rudolph, perhaps the crown prince himself, jealous of his Mary for an ardent neighbor, and then took his own life. How to know?!

By the way, the Vienna Woods only miraculously survived to this day. The fact is that in the distant 19th century it could have been sold to a certain lumber merchant. In those days, after the devastating war with Prussia, the empty Austrian state treasury had to be urgently replenished.

Ancient centuries-old trees were not cut down solely due to chance. Namely: the former officer of His Imperial Majesty, Herr Scheffel, who showed enviable persistence. This man launched a real wave of protest in the press, founding the Movement to Save the Vienna Woods. It took two years for the forest to be left alone and thus preserved for posterity.

By the way, the Vienna Woods is no less than 1000 years old! At least that's what it says in the old charter in which he was first mentioned. This charter is kept in the famous Knights' Library of the Vienna City Hall.

So, in the northern part of the Vienna Woods, on the picturesque hills, just 10 km from Vienna, there is a small and very beautiful town of Stift Klosterneuburg. This ancient city is home to the most famous Augustinian monastery in Europe, built almost 900 years ago. Art connoisseurs will be amazed by the ancient enamel Verdunsky altar kept in the temple. Imagine, it was created by the artist Nicolus Verdeni in the 12th century!

More than interesting is the southern part of the Vienna Woods, namely the city of Mödling. Thanks to the magnificent landscapes, excellent restaurants and heurigers (the so-called wine cellars) and, of course, architectural monuments, this is a favorite place for the inhabitants of Vienna, not to mention tourists. From afar, the tower of the ancient Mödling fortress is visible, majestically rising on a hill. By the way, it offers a beautiful panorama of the surroundings. According to legend, robbers from the high road leading to Vienna once hid in this fortress, but by order of the emperor, the fortress was destroyed, and the robbers were left homeless. So the issue was simply solved by theft ...

Yes, on the outskirts of the town, in the town of Hinterbrühl, there is the largest cave lake on the continent - 6200 sq.m. On a hot summer day, it is pleasant to ride a boat on it, and in winter you can warm up a little, since the temperature in the mine is always 9 degrees Celsius. By the way, in the 90s of the last century, the adits of this mine became the natural scenery of the Bastille in the Hollywood version of The Three Musketeers.

The Vienna Woods is amazing! He concentrated in himself a lot of interesting things. Almost on the outskirts of Vienna in the town of Laxenburg, it is interesting to look at the imperial summer palace, the Blue Court, built in 1752. Here you will also find an English park and the pseudo-Gothic Franzensburg Castle standing in the middle of the lake with a rich collection of works of art collected by Emperor Franz Joseph. Moreover, you can get to the island only by ferry, which is operated by a friendly woman, always dressed in a naval tunic with an almost admiral's cap on her head.

Well, if you want to improve your health, welcome to the foothills of the Vienna Woods, where the resort of Baden is located. Its healing waters and the genuine atmosphere of Biedermeier palaces attract wealthy people from all over Europe. Here is the oldest and largest casino in Austria. The Hungarian composer Imre Kalman liked to spend his summers in Baden, as well as Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss and many other celebrities whose images can often be found on the narrow streets of the city. Four days spent in Baden and the young Russian Tsar Peter the Great.

3.2 Relief

1/4 of the surface is occupied by young fold-block and folded ridges of the Eastern Alps, combined into sublatitudinal chains. The axial zone of mountains with mountain-glacial landforms in the west rises above 3300-3500 m (Grossglockner peak, 3798 m), in the east up to 2400 m. The snow limit is on average at an altitude of 2500-2800 m. Pasterze, length 9 km). In the south and north, the axial chain of the Eastern Alps is bordered by lower ridges, which are distinguished by a large steepness of the slopes, strong dissection, and the development of karst. Along the northern periphery of the Alps, from the western border in the west to the Vienna Woods in the east, there are flysch lowlands. The Eastern Alps within Austria as a whole are characterized by large longitudinal valleys (with the rivers Inn, Salzach, Enns, etc.), and in the eastern foothills - hollows (Graz, Klagenfurt, etc.). In the east is the Styrian-Burgenland hilly plain, descending to the Vienna Basin, which is part of the Middle Danube Plain; in the north and northeast - hilly low mountains (400--900 m) Mühlviertel, Waldviertel, Weinviertel, etc., constituting the southern border of the crystalline Czech massif. Between this massif and the Eastern Alps there is a flat strip (Inviertel, etc.) with several tiers of terraces of the Danube.

Geological structure and minerals

Near the southern borders of the country, along the Gail River, the main fault extends, separating the inner (axial) zone of the Alps (Rhaetian Alps, High and Low Tauern, Styrian Alps, etc.) from the southern slope of the Alps. The latter includes, within Austria, the northern slope of the Carnic Alps, which is composed of Paleozoic and Triassic rocks. The inner zone of the Eastern Alps is composed of ancient crystalline schists and Paleozoic rocks thrust over Triassic-Jurassic metamorphosed brilliant schists and basic volcanic rocks that stand out among the older rocks in the Engadine and the High Tauern. To the north stretches a strip of Paleozoic shales and sandstones (graywackes), and then Triassic and Jurassic limestones, forming numerous eastern alpine covers that are thrust northward over the next strongly narrowed Cretaceous flysch zone. In the foothills on the territory of Austria there is a part of the Pre-Alpine marginal foredeep filled with Neogene molasses. On the left bank of the Danube, the Weinsberger Wald mountains are located, composed of Paleozoic granites and Precambrian schists, which make up the outskirts of the Bohemian massif. The eastern part is confined to the territory of young depressions of the Vienna Basin (the Lesser Hungarian depression and the Graz depression), filled with strata of Neogene deposits.

The most important minerals are: oil (23 million tons) and gas (20 billion cubic meters) (Vienna basin), magnesite (Styrian Alps - Faych), brown coal (Styria, Upper Austria); there are deposits of iron (mountain Erzberg, in the area of ​​Eizenerz) and lead-zinc (the area of ​​Klagenfurt - Bleiberg, etc.) ores, graphite, salts. Mineral springs - Baden, Bad Ischl. However, among the minerals of Austria, there are very few of those whose significance would go beyond the borders of the country. An exception is magnesite, which is used for the production of refractories and, to some extent, for the production of metallic magnesium from it.

Comparatively high-quality iron ores, but with a high metal content, are found in Styria (Erzberg) and a little in Carinthia (Hüttenberg). Non-ferrous metal ores are found in small quantities - lead-zinc in Carinthia (Bleyberg) and copper in Tyrol (Mitterberg). Of the chemical raw materials, only table salt (in the Salzkammergut) is of practical importance, and of other minerals, graphite and feldspar. There are significant reserves of building materials - granite, marble, limestone, kaolin, etc. There is practically no coal. There are no industrial reserves of aluminum ore and ores of alloying metals.

3.3 Climate

In Austria, two, and very different climatic zones, strongly dependent on altitude, converged at once. Humid weather prevails in the west, while the climate is continental in the south and east. Therefore, lovers of basking in the sun are best to go to Austria in May or June. Although the Austrians consider autumn to be the best time of the year, when there is no heat and the cold is still far away (they come only in January).

Summer is warm, sunny, the average temperature is +20ºC. As you climb up, the temperature at night can reach zero. Winter is mild in the plains and cold in the mountains, the temperature on the plains drops to -2ºC, and in the highlands to -14ºC. Precipitation throughout the country varies from 500 to 3000 mm per year, depending on the height and topography.

3.4 Waters of the oceans and land

The main territory of Austria is located in the Danube basin, the extreme west belongs to the Rhine basin. The Danube flows through Austria for 350 km. Its largest tributaries are the Inn (with the Salzach), the Enns, the Drava and the Morava. Mountain rivers are characterized by a steep fall, fast flow, and significant energy resources. They are characterized by an alpine runoff regime with a summer flood and a pronounced winter low water. There are about 580 lakes in Austria, mostly of glacial origin. They are especially numerous in the northern foothills of the Alps (Utter, Traun, etc.). On the border with Germany and Switzerland - a large Lake Constance (total - 538.5 km?), On the border with Hungary - Lake Neusiedler See (156.9 km, the Austrian part - 135 km). The mountainous part of Austria is distinguished by an abundance of clean fresh water, concentrated in addition to glaciers and rivers in numerous alpine lakes. In the hot summer months, rapid snowmelt begins in the mountains, which leads to large floods, including on the Danube, the level of which sometimes rises by 8-9 m. Alpine rivers also determine the regime of the Danube: it is especially abundant in summer, when lowland rivers usually become shallow. The tributaries of the Danube - Inn, Salzach, Enns, Drava - are fraught with large reserves of energy, but all of them are not navigable and are only partially used for timber rafting. There are many lakes in the country, especially in the northern foothills of the Alps and in the south, in the Klagenfurt Basin. They are of glacial origin, their pits are plowed by ancient glaciers; as a rule, lakes are deep, with cold, clear water.

3.5 Natural areas, flora and fauna

The Alps are a forest region. However, the modern picture of their soil and vegetation cover is exceptionally variegated. This is the result, on the one hand, of natural conditions and manifestations of altitudinal zonation; on the other hand, it is a consequence of a very profound change in natural conditions under the influence of man. The Alps are a classic example of altitudinal zonality in the oceanic sector of the temperate zone.

The Austrian flora is characterized by an oak-beech forest in the valleys, and at an altitude of more than 500 m - a beech-spruce mixed forest. Above 1200 m, spruce predominates, larch and cedar are found. Alpine meadows in the foothills. Vegetation zones on the territory of Austria replace one another in the following order: broad-leaved (oak, beech, ash) forests in the Danube valley (though very thinned) are replaced by a mixed forest of foothills. Above 2000 - 2200 m they are replaced by coniferous (mainly spruce-fir, partly pine) forests. Mountain forests are one of the national treasures of Austria. On the vegetation map of Central Europe, the Austrian Alps look like the only large green island. Among the small Western European states, only Finland and Sweden surpass Austria in forest area. There are especially many forests suitable for industrial exploitation in Upper (mountainous) Styria, for which it is called the “green heart of Austria”. Apparently, it is no coincidence that the color of the flag of the land of Styria, its folk costumes is green. During the German occupation of the Second World War, the Austrian forests suffered enormous damage. Above the forests and sparse dwarf shrubs - subalpine (matta) and alpine (alma) meadows.

The lower belt of the Alps, up to about 1000 m, is very diverse in climate and vegetation, its conditions are close to those of the neighboring plains. In the south, the influence of the Mediterranean is felt and subtropical types of soils and vegetation can be found. In the west, oak, chestnut and beech forests rise along the slopes on brown forest soils, in the north there are less heat-loving mixed forests on podzolic soils, and from the east the forest-steppe approaches the Alps. This lower belt, the most populated and which has significantly changed its natural vegetation cover, is called the cultural belt of the Alps.

At high altitude, climatic conditions become more uniform. Up to a height of approximately 1800-2200 m in a zone of moderate temperature and abundant rainfall, a belt of forests rises on mountain brown soils and podzolic soils. The composition of forests varies with height, as well as depending on the location and exposure of the slopes. In humid places, on the shady northern slopes, a beech forest is common, often with an admixture of spruce. The higher, dry and sunny slopes are covered with beautiful spruce and fir forests. In many areas of the forest reduced. On deforested slopes, soil erosion processes, avalanche activity and other phenomena that cause great damage are intensifying. As a result of the annual grazing of livestock in the subalpine belt, the modern upper limit of forests in the Alps is greatly reduced and almost nowhere depends on natural conditions.

Above the forest zone lies the subalpine belt, where the vegetation is shrubby with lush subalpine meadows and individual oppressed trees. The growth of trees is hindered by the short growing season, strong winds, and sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity. This belt is most favorable for the growth of herbs, which reach exceptional splendor and beauty. For the actual alpine belt at an altitude of up to 2500-3000 m, a complete absence of woody vegetation, the predominance of undersized, rarely growing perennial grasses and the spread of swamps are characteristic. It gradually passes into the belt of eternal snows and ices, where sometimes one can meet a typical representative of the flora of the Alps - undersized silvery edelweiss.

The environment in most of Austria is not yet under the same threat of pollution as in most other industrialized countries in Europe. First of all, this concerns the Alps with their sparse population and generally insignificant industry in relation to this vast territory.

The fauna of Austria is typical of Central Europe. In the highlands of the Eastern Alps, the composition of the fauna is typically alpine. There are more wild animals in the Alps than in the neighboring densely populated areas of Europe. This is especially true of the mountain ranges, where many animals find refuge, forced out by man from the plains and low-mountain regions. Many animals of the Alps spend the winter in the forest belt, and in the summer they rise to graze in the high mountain meadows; others live permanently in one zone or another.

But the extermination of forests, the plowing of open spaces led to the complete or partial extermination of some previously widespread species of the animal world of Austria. In the forest zone, mainly in nature reserves (High Tauern, Grossglockner, and others), animal species rare in Europe have been preserved: red deer, elk, roe deer, brown bear, wild boar, and mountain eagle. In the highlands - alpine marmot, chamois, ibex. In the steppe region near Lake Neusiedler See, there is a purple heron.

In mountain forests, mainly in reserves, ungulates live - red deer, chamois, mountain sheep, mountain goats, and from birds - capercaillie, black grouse, partridge. On the plains, where almost all the land is already cultivated, there are no large wild animals for a long time. But still there are foxes, hares, rodents.

4. Population of the country

4.1 Characteristics of the country's population

The population of Austria is 8.404 million people (2011), in the largest cities: Vienna (1,539,848 people), Graz (237,810 people), Linz (203,044 people), Salzburg (143,978 people), Innsbruck (118,112 people). The average population density of the country is about 94 people per sq. km.

4.2 Peoples, races, confessions

According to the census, the largest ethnic group, the German-speaking Austrians, make up 88.6% of the country's population.

In addition, there are 6 recognized national minorities: Croats, Slovenes, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Gypsies (a total of about 300 thousand people). In Carinthia, in the south of the country, many Slovenes traditionally live, in Burgenland - Croats and Hungarians, and Czechs and Slovaks have long settled in Vienna. Many Austrian citizens consider themselves not only Austrians, but, by origin from one province or another, also Styrians, Tyroleans, etc.

5. History of the country

1st century BC e. - the conquest by the Romans of the Celtic tribes of the Boii, Taurisks and Ozeriats inhabiting the territory of today's Austria and the entry of this territory into the provinces of Noricum (formed in 15 BC) and Pannonia (formed in 10 AD, then divided into Upper Pannonia, which included part of present-day Austria, and Lower Pannonia). The border between the provinces ran west of the town of Vindobona (Vienna), located in Pannonia.

VI-VIII centuries - migration to this region of the Bavarian and Slavic tribes

· 788 - the territory was included in the empire of Charlemagne.

803 - creation of the Avar brand by Charlemagne

· 976 -- change of name to Vostochny Mark

1156 - Austria separated from Bavaria into an independent duchy of the German Reich, subordinate to the emperor

1276 - the beginning of the reign of the Habsburgs, who in 1438-1806 were kings, and then emperors of the Holy Roman Empire

· 1284 - Spanish king Alfonso X the Wise calls this country - Austria, "which, they say, is now called Astarrica."

1359 - under Rudolph IV (reigned 1358-1365), the rulers of Austria receive the title of archdukes

1526 - annexation of Croatia and the Czech Republic to Austria

1529 - Turks unsuccessfully besiege Vienna

1683 - the second siege of Vienna by the Turks and the complete defeat of the Turkish army by the Polish-Austrian-German troops

1687 - annexation of Hungary and Transylvania

1713 - Restoration of control over Italy and the Spanish Netherlands

· 1740-1748 - War of the Austrian Succession; Maria Theresa cedes Silesia to Prussia

· 1772 -- Annexation of Galicia

1792-1795 - wars with France

1804 - Franz J receives the hereditary title of Emperor of Austria

· 1804--1867 -- Austrian Empire

1805 - Battle of Austerlitz

1806 - Holy Roman Emperor becomes Emperor of Austria

1866 -- Austro-Prussian War

· 1867--1918 -- Austria-Hungary

The Republic of Austria was formed in November 1918 after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Then the German Austrian Republic was proclaimed, which was to become part of Germany. However, after the conclusion of the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1919, Austria was forbidden to reunite with Germany, and the Republic of Austria became an independent state.

1934 -- Austrian Civil War

1938 -- Accession to the Third Reich

After World War II, Austria temporarily lost its independence, being divided into four occupation zones between France, the USA, Great Britain and the USSR. Vienna, the capital of Austria, was also divided into 4 zones between the victorious powers, although it was in the Soviet occupation zone.

Negotiations on the restoration of independence began in 1947, but it was not until 1955 that Austria again became a fully independent state under the State Treaty of May 15, 1955. In October of the same year, a law was passed on the permanent neutrality of Austria, which it still observes.

· 1995 -- membership in the European Union

2000 - Wolfgang Schüssel takes over as chancellor

· 2004 - Heinz Fischer becomes president. In 2010, he was re-elected for a second term.

2008 - Werner Faymann (Social Democratic Party) becomes chancellor

· June 29, 2009 - Werner Faymann (Chancellor of Austria) consulted with the main political parties in Austria on the so-called "Austrian Conversations": management reform, school reform.

6. Country culture

6.1 Language as a component of culture

The main official language is German. The spoken and official language of the Austrians differs significantly from the official German language of Germany. Spoken Austrian dialects are close to the Bavarian dialect of Germany and the German language of Switzerland.

98% of the Austrian population speaks German. English is the second leading language, English is spoken fluently by the majority of the population, as well as by most people working in the tourism industry.

6.2 Religion in tourism

The largest religious organization in Austria is the Roman Catholic Church. The state supports the Church: there is a 1% church tax in the country, which all citizens of the country are required to pay. The Roman Catholic Church in 2000 had 5,651,479 adherents (72.1% of the population). The second largest is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetian Confession (ECAiGI), which unites two churches autonomous from each other (Lutherans and Reformed). Lutherans and Reformed finally received the right to freely practice their faiths only in 1781, and fully equalized in rights with the Catholics - a century later.

According to the own data of the relevant organizations in Austria, there are 299 communities of Jehovah's Witnesses with 33,099 who attended their meetings of Witnesses in 2010 (of which 20,577 were baptized according to the rite of Jehovah's Witnesses), 5,000 Greek Catholics (2000), 3,889 Mormons (2000) , 47 Seventh-day Adventist congregations with 3596 believers, 19 Baptist congregations with 1130 active members (2010; total number of Baptists 1.5-2 times more), 8 Mennonite congregations with 360 believers.

6.3 Art as a component of culture

The overwhelming majority of works that are usually attributed to Austrian literature are written in German, although, of course, authors who wrote in other languages ​​also lived in the territory of the Holy Roman and Austro-Hungarian empires. Frau Ava in the early Middle Ages was the first poet to write in German. Minnesang and the heroic epic are usually classified as German medieval literature. The representative of romanticism, which was also influenced by Biedermeier and classicism, in Austrian literature in the first half of the 19th century was Franz Grillparzer. Realism and naturalism in the literature of Austria is represented by the names of Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Ferdinand von Saar, Ludwig Anzengruber and Peter Rosegger. Austrian literature truly reached the world level at the beginning of the 20th century. Among the most famous writers of this period are Franz Kafka, Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth.

Austrian literature can only boast of a Nobel laureate. She became Elfrida Jelinek in 2004.

Austrian visual art gained worldwide fame at the turn of the 20th century, when Vienna, partly due to the activities of the Vienna Secession, became one of the main centers of Jugendstil. Three of the greatest Austrian artists of this period - Gustav Klimt (modern, Jugendstil), Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka (expressionism), each of whom opened a new direction in the visual arts. In the second half of the 20th century, the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism (close to Surrealism) appeared. Its founder was Albert Paris Gutersloh, and one of the most prominent representatives was Edgar Jene. Contemporary artists include Gottfried Helnwein and Arnulf Reiner. The work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser with his abstract decorative works is widely known. Hundertwasser also made a significant contribution to architecture, decorating many of the most mundane buildings in bright colors.

Austria is the home of many famous composers such as Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, Franz Schubert, Anton Bruckner, Johann Strauss Sr., Johann Strauss Jr. and Gustav Mahler. Also known are members of the second Viennese school, such as Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg. Most of Mozart's career was spent in Vienna. Composer Ludwig van Beethoven spent most of his life in Vienna.

The current national anthem of Austria was written by Mozart and chosen after World War II, replacing the previous anthem written by Joseph Haydn.

Austria is also the birthplace of a notable jazz musician, keyboardist Josef Zawinul. The pop and rock musician Falco, who was world famous in the 1980s, was also an Austrian. He was glorified by the song "Rock Me Amadeus", dedicated to Mozart. Drummer Thomas Lang was born in Vienna in 1967. He has collaborated with artists such as Geri Halliwell and Robbie Williams.

Ballet art in Austria originated in the 16th century, when court performances with dances were arranged. The first dance masters at the Viennese court were the Italians F. Legnano and C. Negri, as well as C. Beccaria, S. and D. Ventura. Equestrian ballets, masquerades were staged, dances were included in drama and opera performances. At the same time, itinerant troupes developed the traditions of folk dance. From the middle of the 17th century, composer J. Schmelzer wrote music for many dance performances. In the 1670s professional dancers appeared in the Viennese court troupe, headed by the composer A. Draghi.

The main ballet school has been operating at the Vienna State Opera (since the 1760s). Luka also had her own school. In Laxenburg under the arm. R. Hladek operates a branch of the dance school of E. Jacques-Dalcroze.

Among the researchers of ballet are F. Derra de Moroda, the author of books and textbooks on dance (in 1952-67 she had her own school); among the critics are G. Brunner, L. G. Schüller, A. Oberhauser.

From the 11th-12th centuries, mysteries and liturgical dramas were staged in Austrian monasteries and abbeys. The Austrian theater begins to take shape in the 16th century from the time of the formation of the multinational Austrian state. In the 16th century, countless itinerant theater troupes move around Austria, performing comic skits, acrobatic and dance numbers.

In the 17th century, the art of Italy had a great influence on the Austrian theater. At the beginning of the 18th century, in 1712, the first stationary theater was created in Vienna. The experience of the German folk theater and Italian comedy was used for staging performances, fixing the principle of improvisation on the stage.

The history of the circus in Austria begins earlier, with the artistic families of the Schnellers and Picards, hereditary artists, comedians and riders. In the 30s of the XX century, Ene Schneller founded his own circus, in which his children grow up and receive a profession. During the Second World War, the circus business had to be abandoned, but with the reign of peace, the troupe again began to travel around the country. However, the circus did not last long: soon the government confiscated their modest property from the family, leaving the Schnellers with only a couple of wagons and two horses. Pikard is reborn in 1989. Under the direction of Erne Schneller.

The most famous museums of the country are Cultural and Historical (Vienna), Artistic and Historical, Natural History, Historical Museum of Vienna, Albertina Museum. There are numerous house-museums associated with the life and work of great people - the house-museums of W. Mozart, L. Beethoven, J. Haydn, F. Schubert, J. Strauss, J. Kalman.

6.4. Traditions and folk art as a component of culture.

Vienna is not only the capital of Austria, but also the recognized capital of the waltz, and the Viennese Ball is one of the most famous events in the social life of Europe. This is an annual event that begins on December 31st and continues through Lent. The ball season opens on New Year's Eve at the Vienna Hofburg Palace, where the Imperial Ball takes place.

About 300 balls are held in the city during the season. Representatives of almost every profession arrange their annual ball: chimney sweeps, journalists, pharmacists, florists, cabbies, coffee sellers, musicians and students. Each ball has its own name and traditions. But the most important ball in all of Europe is the Vienna Opera Ball, which is usually held in mid-February in the building of the Vienna State Opera (hence the name of the ball).

The history of the Vienna Ball began in the first half of the 19th century, when balls were held during Shrove Tuesday (the period from January 1 to Lent). Their number reached 250 daily! Everyone danced: both aristocrats and ordinary people. At the end of the 19th century, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth gave the "Court Ball" exclusively for high society. However, in 1899, after the death of his wife, Emperor Franz Joseph, experiencing the loss, canceled the ball. The tradition was revived a few years later, when in 1921 the Court Ball was replaced by the Opera Ball. The Opera Ball began its existence much earlier. At first it was held in the redoubt halls of the imperial palace, and when the building of the opera house was built in 1869, the ball moved there. The new ball had its own differences: firstly, the ladies had to wear masks, and secondly, they themselves invited gentlemen to dance. This created an atmosphere of mystery and play and brought immense popularity to the ball.

Since then, the rules have changed, but the holding of the ball always follows the established order. The ball opens with a polonaise, in which up to 200 couples participate. Couples are selected by a special committee, consisting of famous Viennese dance teachers. The main selection criterion is the ability to dance, namely, to perform a right-handed and left-handed turn. The committee also approves the costume requirements for participants.

There are a number of required elements here. The participant's hairstyle must be decorated with a crown (models change every year). An obligatory element of a ball gown is also a bunch of flowers. Men must be dressed in tailcoats or uniforms. After a polonaise performed by debutants, the ballet troupe of the Opera enters the floor. Then beginners dance again, who now demonstrate the ability to perform a left-sided waltz.

And only after that the main manager of the ball - the dance master - invites all the participants of the ball to the dance floor. This is how the main action begins, and everyone is immersed in the atmosphere of great music, dance rhythms, easy conversations and light receptions. The ball is attended by the European elite, celebrities, famous politicians and artists. The Viennese ball accepts up to five thousand participants. The event is served by about a thousand specialists - musicians, cooks, and even tailors and shoemakers.

October 26 is the main national holiday - the day of the adoption of the law on permanent neutrality, formed in 1955.

In Austria in 1999, the largest truffle was found and listed in the Guinness Book of Records - very rare delicacy mushrooms and, as a result, expensive mushrooms in Europe.

Austria is not only a country of mountains, but also a land of gourmets. Their neighbors - Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, and the Balkans - had a special influence on the development of Austrian cuisine. Confirming the reputation, Austrian gastronomy meets the highest standards. The key to success is quality, which is inextricably linked with the traditions of noble cuisine (“Hofküche”). In addition to the Wiener schnitzel and the Sacher cake, Austrian cuisine has many other dishes. Immerse yourself in the world of culinary delights and try one of the local delicacies: peasant bran bread, dumplings, fragrant country ham or tender pancakes. Traditional dishes are donuts filled with apricot marmalade or cream and apple strudel.

There is a bakery "Mehlspeisen" that bakes cream cakes and all kinds of pastries.

Food isn't everything, a good meal is followed by a good sip of wine. The highest quality of Austrian wines is recognized all over the world. And for those who do not like wine, they can complete their dinner with an excellent local tincture.

6.5 Popular culture

Over 20 daily newspapers are published in Austria. Their one-time circulation is approximately 3 million copies. Television and radio broadcasting is carried out by the state company ORF. The national news agency is the Austrian Press Agency (APA). Since January 1996, the Russian-language edition of the New Vienna Journal has been published in Vienna every month. Known for such Russian-language publications as the newspaper "Compatriot" - a monthly Russian-language newspaper that publishes detailed information about the life of the Russian-speaking diaspora in Austria.

The newspaper "Arguments and Facts Europe" is the leading Russian weekly newspaper and the absolute leader among the Russian press abroad. "AiF" in Austria is published in Russian, has regional applications, a wide correspondent network and representative offices abroad.

7. Political conditions for the development of tourism

Austria is a federal state uniting nine independent states. The current constitution was adopted in 1920 and reintroduced in 1945.

The head of state is the Federal President, who is elected for 6 years. The government is headed by the Federal Chancellor. Members of the government are appointed by the president.

The Austrian Parliament is a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung), which consists of the Federal Council and the National Council. Geographically located in Vienna. Parliament can be dissolved either by presidential decree or by a vote of no confidence in the lower house of parliament.

Federal Council -- Bundesrat (64 seats). The deputies are elected by the Landtags, the parliaments of the states. The lands are represented by a different number of deputies (from 3 to 12) depending on the population. The term of office of a deputy of the Bundesrat is 4 or 6 years, depending on the term of office of the Landtag that elected them.

National Council -- Nationalrat (183 seats). Deputies are elected according to the proportional-list system. The term of office is 5 years.

The Constitutional Court of Austria is the world's first separate constitutional court (1920). It is formed by the president on the proposal of the government and both chambers. It also has the authority to resolve a dispute between the lands (or the lands and the federal center), as well as to impeach senior officials.

Since October 26, 1955, Austria's foreign policy has been built taking into account the international legal status of permanent neutrality. Neutrality made it possible to expand the country's foreign policy opportunities and room for maneuver. During the Cold War, neutral Austria played the role of a "bridge" between West and East. Although Austrian neutrality was conceived along the lines of Swiss neutrality, it developed in practice. During the reign of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, he was the basis of the almost "pacifist" foreign policy of Vienna. Since the late 1980s, neutrality began to adapt to the new international conditions, and in 1995 Austria became a member of the European Union. Its foreign policy began to lose independence and increasingly "dissolve" in the general course of the EU. In the late 1990s, many Austrian politicians raised the question of the abolition of neutrality and the expediency of the country's membership in NATO. However, the country's population and opposition parties were skeptical of these ideas. At present, official Vienna proceeds from the fact that neutrality should not be a frozen institution, but must be adapted to changing conditions. However, as before, the Austrian Federal Constitutional Neutrality Act of 26/10/1955 is the law in force. According to its norms, Austria will not take part in any wars, will not allow the presence of any foreign troops on its territory, will not enter into any military treaty.

8. Economy and infrastructure of the country. Tourism as a branch of the economy. Its impact on the country's economy

Austria is one of the leaders among the EU countries in terms of quality of life, the volume of GDP in current prices in 2010 amounted to 284 billion euros. GDP per capita in 2010 amounted to 33.85 thousand euros. GDP production per 1 employed in 2010 (labor productivity) - 77.6 thousand euros.

The Austrian economy is distinguished by a relatively low level of inflation (in 2002 - 1.8%) and unemployment (in 2000 - 3.7% of the working population, in 2002 - 4.3%). The consumer price index in 2002 compared to 1996 was 108.8, while in the EU as a whole it was 110.8.

Approximately 2.2% of GDP is produced in agriculture and forestry, 32.3% in industry, energy and construction, 65.5% in services, trade, transport and communications, banking and insurance systems . One third of the volume of industrial production falls on the public sector of the economy.

Advantages: wide production base. Strong industry, especially chemical and petrochemical, electrical engineering, textile industry, woodworking. Qualified workforce. Tourism as an important source of currency.

Weaknesses: almost no natural resources. Dependence on imported raw materials, primarily oil and gas. Delayed transition to increased competition and deregulation.

Austria is a country of traditional active, cultural and "green" tourism. Tourism is an important part of the Austrian economy, accounting for almost 9% of the Austrian gross domestic product.

Today, tourism is the main source of income for Austria, covering the traditionally negative trade balance. The dynamics of tourism development, spending on it and the balance of the tourist balance has common features with those in Switzerland: in 1964-1990, tourism spending grew at a faster pace and increased 28 times, tourism revenues increased 11 times, a positive balance of tourism - 6 times.

During the post-war decades, the tourist surplus has been the most important source for covering the trade deficit for Austria. But in the 1970s and 1980s, financial receipts from tourism tended to fall.

The development of tourism in Austria is caused by the following factors: the presence of rich recreational resources; developed infrastructure; economic and political stability; lack of significant own raw materials and fuel resources; trade deficit; good geographical position.

Austria has fully adopted the euro, like many other European countries. The euro replaced the Austrian schilling, which has been issued since 1924. Austria is one of the 12 richest countries in the world, with a very high standard of living. February 28, 2002 went down in history as the day when national banknotes were withdrawn from circulation in most EU countries.

There are exchange offices at every airport and railway station. However, keep in mind that they are open from 08.00 to 22.00. Banks are open from Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 15.00. Break from 12.00 to 13.30. On Thursday banks are open from 8.00 to 17.30. Break at the same time. In large cities, special exchange offices are open to tourists. You can always see them by the sign of the Exchange. Credit cards - Eurocard, Master - Card, Visa.

It is forbidden to export items of historical or artistic value without special permission. Persons over 17 years old can import 200 pcs. cigarettes or 500 cigars or 250 g of tobacco, as well as 2.25 liters of wine or 3 liters of beer and an additional 1 liter of other spirits. In addition to the items listed above, other goods may be imported for a total of $200 per person. It is advisable to declare the import of cash over 10,000 US dollars.

10-15% of the restaurant bill (if the service is not included in the price), in other cases, including in a taxi - 5-10%. The services of porters at the station and at the airport are paid at fixed rates, the porter at the hotel - 10 shillings per piece of luggage.

9. Student's assessment of the current state and prospects for the development of tourism in the country

austria natural religion culture economy

Austria is a country of alpine peaks, mountain lakes, meadows and cool forests. The great composers Mozart, Schubert, Haydn, Brahms, Gluck, Mahler and the world-renowned waltz king Strauss drew inspiration from this extraordinary country.

Austria has long been famous for its ski resorts. From now on, Austria and skiing are inseparable concepts, therefore it is in this country that great skiers have been brought up.

Winter Austria from time immemorial has become a favorite vacation spot for many. There are resorts for the most sophisticated taste - from fashionable and prestigious to youth-sports, from popular all over the world to little-known, from crowded to secluded.

All ski resorts in Austria are famous for their excellent conditions for sports, both in winter and in summer. After all, it is in the summer, at the most fertile time of the year, that you can see how the steep ski slopes turn into the famous alpine meadows with fragrant herbs and the most delicate wild flowers.

In addition, the resorts of Austria are also amazing opportunities for treatment, exciting excursions and just a relaxing holiday. The cordiality and hospitality of the Austrians are wonderfully combined with the pedantic ability to organize impeccable guest service.

The Austrian Alps are a snow-white paradise for skiers. Steep slopes of alpine peaks immersed in emerald forests, glaciers dotted with river valleys and high-speed descents (a skier's dream!), Mesmerizing beauty of transparent lakes with purest water, hilly plateaus and endless valleys.

And Austria is also traditional villages, taverns with national flavor and excellent cuisine, charming mountain houses that keep the charm of antiquity, slopes with impeccably equipped slopes, picturesque slopes - for every taste and skill, complex lift systems and, of course, His Majesty the service - as always, at the highest level, successfully attracting tourists from all over the world.

Austria is definitely a country of year-round recreation. Despite the fact that many associate Austria with winter tourism, sightseeing, cultural and historical sites of the country with the richest traditions and glorious musical taste can be easily combined with any time of the year.

And yet, the most striking sights of Austria - the snow-covered streets of Salzburg and the sparkling spiers of the cathedrals and palaces of imperial Vienna - make the strongest impression.

Therefore, if you dream of traveling to Austria, but you are a little embarrassed by the winter season, then believe that it is impossible to think of a better moment to relax in this Alpine country.

Unsurpassed Vienna, proudly bearing the honorary title of the musical capital of not only Europe, but also the world, and the most famous cities and resorts of Austria are never as delightful as a snowy, but not too frosty winter, which is found, perhaps, only in the local, European latitudes .

Romantic Salzburg is especially beautiful at this time - the city where the famous Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born, spent his childhood and adolescence.

When you walk along the snow-sparkling streets of this town, you feel the haunting and completely indescribable smell of coffee and the freshest pastries, and with every cell you feel the presence and spirit of one of the greatest people in the world, whom all of Austria is proud of, you suddenly realize that miracles are on light still exist.

Because only in a real fairy tale can such a gloomy, but insanely romantic Hohensalzburg castle towering above the city, such narrow winding and thoroughly saturated with the spirit of the Middle Ages streets and such tiny coffee houses for a couple of tables where you will be served a cup of incredibly thick hot chocolate or a glass of traditional mulled wine.

You will feel that life is beautiful even when you think that you have such sights of Austria ahead of you, such as world-famous architectural masterpieces, historical monuments and Vienna's palaces immersed in luxury.

But here it all depends on you and your preferences, because for someone Vienna and shopping on the famous Ringstrasse boulevard are completely inseparable, and for someone the memory of the whole day spent in the baroque Hofburg is the most precious thing, where one of the most large-scale Viennese balls.

But Austria does not exist by music alone - do not forget about the skiing traditions of this small alpine country. Truly, ski resorts and cities, which are also no less significant sights of Austria, deserve a separate description. The famous Innsbruck, Selden, Tyrol, Bad Gastein, Kaprun - this is only a small part of the world-famous ski centers and complexes. Moreover, in each of the Austrian resorts you will find excellent conditions for skiing, developed infrastructure and exciting nightlife.

Almost all regions (the lands of Austria) will be of interest to people of all ages and hobbies. Whatever goal you pursue when going on vacation to Austria, be it cultural or sporting events, relaxation or acquaintance with the secrets of Austrian cuisine, be sure that the result will justify the wildest expectations, Austria and all its nine regions will simply not let you get bored!

Hosted on Allbest.ru

Similar Documents

Economic and geographical position, state structure and government of Austria. Official languages, major cities, population, religion. Monuments of architecture and natural attractions. Austrian cuisine, traditions and national rituals.

presentation, added 04/19/2016


Geographical position and nature, population, climate, flora and fauna, government, economic development trends, industry, social security system of Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and Austria.

term paper, added 07/10/2015


Geographical position and general characteristics of Croatia. Natural resources, climate and features of the country's relief. Culture, art, religion of Croatia. Political conditions and prospects for the development of tourism. Economic development and infrastructure of the country.

abstract, added 03/15/2012


Historical prerequisites for the political and economic development of Austria. Foreign policy of neutrality. Membership in international political organizations. Socio-economic problems of Austria: industry, agriculture and demography of the country.

thesis, added 06/01/2010


Economic and geographical position of Chile. Historical information, population and religion, natural conditions and resources, flora and fauna. General characteristics of the economy, industry, agriculture, transport, cities and ecology.

abstract, added 05/12/2004


Economic and geographical position of Japan. Natural conditions and resources. demographic problem. Religion of Japan. National features. Characteristics of the economy of the country. Foreign economic relations. Place of the country in the international division of labor.

term paper, added 03/06/2009


Geographical position of Estonia. Territory area, population (composition, number), language, religion, state symbols. Economics, structure of the land fund. Climate and natural resources. Participation in international organizations. Place of the country in the world.

abstract, added 05/14/2014


Description of the tourist attraction of Thailand, its geographical position. Religion and ethnic composition of the Thais. Language and national features. The climate of the country, the secrets of Thai cuisine. Overview of the country's resources, the state of industry and the economy.

presentation, added 03/22/2011


Geographical position and natural conditions of the Republic of Poland. Territory area, population, form of government. Natural, water, forest and land resources. Characteristics of the country's economy. Industries, the level of development of agriculture.

presentation, added 04/25/2014


The history of the discovery and exploration of the continent of Antarctica, the joint work of scientists to study it. Geographical position, area, ice and bed types of relief of Antarctica, features of the geological structure, climate, flora and fauna.

POPULATION: About 7.9 million people (1993). Austrians make up approximately 98% of the population. There are also Croats, Slovenes, Czechs, Hungarians.

GEOGRAPHY: Austria is located in the heart of Europe. In the north, the country borders with the Czech Republic, in the northeast with Slovakia, in the east with Hungary, in the south with Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland, in the west Austria borders on Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany. The total area of ​​the country is 83.8 thousand sq. km.

CLIMATE: Moderate, continental. The coldest winter month is January, the temperature drops to -2 C. The hottest are July and August, the temperature is about +20 C. Precipitation is from 600 to 1100 mm.

LANGUAGE: The official language is German.

CURRENCY: Austrian schilling (ATS). 1 shilling is equal to 100 groschen. Banknotes in circulation are 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 shillings.

RELIGION: 78% of the population are Catholics, 8% are Protestants, 2% are Muslims, and 12% are atheists.

POLITICAL STATUS: federal parliamentary republic with a presidential form of government.

TIME: 2 hours behind Moscow time.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS: first of all, the beauty of Vienna and the most famous ski resorts. There are picturesque villages in the Alps, excellent conditions for skiing, professional instructors. Vienna: symbol of the city - St. Stephen's Cathedral, Graben Street, St. Ruprecht's Church and Schönbrunn Castle, Vienna Amusement Park, Vatican Church, City Hall, Belvedere Palace, Music Society Collection, Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Graphics Museum - the Albertina Gallery, the main art museum of Austria - the Museum of the History of Art, the St. Bernard Chapel, the buildings of the Town Hall and the Parliament, in front of which stands the statue of Pallas Athena, the Burgtheater, the Staatsoper, the ancient Viennese parks Augarten and Prater. Very popular with tourists are the Vienna State Museum of Art, the Albertina Museum, the Vienna Woods, 70 km west of Vienna - the ruins of the Dürnstein fortress (XII century), the State Jewish Museum, 25 km southwest - the Cistercian monasteries in Heiligenkreuz. The pearl of Vienna is the former imperial court of the Hofburg (XIII century) with the "Schatzkammer" - one of the richest gold storerooms in the world, where the treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece, the highest order of Austria and Spain, are stored. One of the masterpieces of the collection is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, made in 962, and the Austrian imperial crown, which was crowned by the Habsburgs. Salzburg: Salzburg Lakes, Salzburg Cathedral (founded in the 8th century, rebuilt in 1611-1628), surrounded by three squares with a luxurious residence of prince-archbishops, a baroque museum, Salt Mountains, the house in which Mozart was born, Hellburn palaces with magnificent a park adorned with cracker fountains, and Mirabel, Geerfiedegasse, the Eisriesenwelt cave ("world of ice giants") in Tennengebirge, south of Salzburg. Styria and Carinthia attract with a huge number of medieval castles and majestic nature. Innsbruck: Ambras castle (XVI century), ski resort. Kitzbühel is a resort located in the Tyrolean Alps. Karnische is a well-known sports center and resort located in the very south of Austria. Saalbach and Hinterglemm are the most popular ski resorts. Lech on the Arlberg is a fashionable resort offering the highest service. Baden - a resort with healing hot sulfur springs, located 25 km south of Vienna, has long been popular with crowned heads and artists. The most popular ski resorts are Innsbruck, Kitzbühel, Badgasstein, Baden bei Wien, Seefeld, Otztal, Zillertal, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, St. Anton, Zell am See-Kaprun, Galtür, Gaschurn, Stubaital, St. Johann, Pitztal , Carinthia, Salzkammergut, St. Wolfgang, Hintertux.

ENTRY RULES: Austria is part of the Schengen area. To enter, you must have a passport, a visa obtained on the basis of an invitation, and a paid consular fee of 400 Austrian Schillings. Regardless of the type of invitation, the embassy issues a multi-visa - for multiple entries into the country during the period specified in the visa.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS: in Austria there are no restrictions on the import or export of foreign and local currency (export of national - no more than 50 thousand shillings). It is forbidden to export, without special permission, objects and things of historical and artistic value.

INFORMATION PHONE: throughout Austria 1611

»
Plan. 1. Business card 2. EGP of Austria 3. Historical reference. 4. Economy of the country. 5. Nature 1) Relief 2) Climate 3) Natural resources 4) Minerals 5) Fauna 6) Environment 6. Population. 1) Ethnic composition 2) Demographic situation 3) Population distribution structure 4) Religion 5) Education 6) Mass media 7) National holidays 8) Taxation. 7. Economy. 8. Geography of foreign economic relations Political and economic situation in Austria. Austria - a small country located in the center of Europe, consists of 9 federal states: Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Burgerland, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Vienna and Salzburg. The city of Vienna - the capital of Austria - is administratively equated with the lands. The division of the country into lands has developed historically: almost every land is a former independent feudal possession. In fact, modern Austria is a centralized state. Austria has no access to the sea. Here, on an area of ​​84 thousand square meters. km is home to about 11 million people, i.e. less than in Greater London. The geographical position of Austria contributes to its communication with other European countries, of which it directly borders on seven: in the east - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, in the west - Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein. This provides Austria with favorable transport and geographical conditions for mutually beneficial trade with neighboring countries. The territory of Austria is elongated in the form of a wedge, strongly narrowed in the west and expanded in the east. This configuration of the country resembles, according to some, a bunch of grapes. The largest cities are Vienna, Graz, Linz and Salzburg. The position in the center of Europe makes Austria the crossroads of a number of trans-European meridional routes (from the Scandinavian countries and the states of central Europe through the Brenner and Semmering Alpine passes to Italy and other countries). Serving the transit traffic of goods and passengers gives Austria certain income in foreign currency. In addition, as it is easy to establish on a physical map, the state borders of Austria for the most part coincide with natural boundaries - mountain ranges or rivers. Only with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (for a short distance) do they pass on almost flat terrain. When our compatriot, on his way to Austria by train, crosses the Czech-Austrian border in the northeastern corner of the country, he is somewhat disappointed. Where is Alpine Austria? All around, as far as the eye can see, is a flat, treeless plowed plain, like a table. In some places, green islands of orchards and vineyards flash, brick houses and lonely trees on the borders and along the roads. Plains and rolling lowlands extend far south from here along the entire border with Hungary and occupy 20% of the territory. But having reached Vienna, we find ourselves in a natural environment more typical of Austria: mountains, the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald) - the northeastern outpost of the mighty Alps and the elevated, hilly, wide and open Danube valley, rising noticeably in a westerly direction. If you climb one of the peaks of the Vienna Woods, for example, Kahlenberg (“Bald Mountain”), then far to the north and northwest in a blue haze beyond the Danube you can see low, ridged, forested, granite ridges of Sumava, only some of the peaks of which rise somewhat above 700 meters. This ancient hill occupies 1/10 of the country's territory. Undoubtedly, the Alps are the dominant landscape in Austria, they (together with the foothills) occupy 70% of the country's area. This is the Eastern Alps. So it is customary to call the part of the Alpine mountain system lying to the east of the Upper Rhine valley, along which the state border with Switzerland passes here. What is the difference between the Eastern Alps and the Western Alps? To the east of the Rhine fault, the Alpine ranges take on a latitudinal direction, begin to diverge as if like a fan and decline. The Eastern Alps are wider and lower than the Western Alps, they are more accessible. There are fewer glaciers here, and the largest ones are about half as long as in Switzerland. In the Eastern Alps there are more meadows and especially forests, and the Eastern Alps are much richer in minerals than the Western ones. If you cross the Alps from north to south, it is easy to see that the geological structure and composition of the rocks composing them are located symmetrically with respect to the axial zone. This zone is the highest and most powerful group of ridges covered with glaciers and snows, among which stand out the High Tauern with the highest point of the country - the two-headed peak Glosglockner (“Big Zvonar”), reaching 3997 m; Ötztal, Stubai, Zillerthai Alps. All of them, together with the ridges adjacent to the west and east, are composed of solid crystalline rocks - granites, gneisses, crystalline schists. The largest glacier - Pasterze - has a length of about 10 km and an area of ​​​​32 km 2. To the north and south of the axial zone lie ridges composed of solid sedimentary rocks, mainly limestone and dolomite: the Lichtal Alps, Karwendel, Dachstein, Hochshvat and other ridges of the Northern The limestone Alps up to the aforementioned Vienna Woods in the extreme northeast. In contrast to the peaked peaks of crystalline ridges, limestone mountains are giant blocks with more or less flat, slightly inclined surfaces and almost sheer or even overhanging slopes. The years are mostly bare, there are sinkholes, caves and other forms of karst relief formed by melted rainwater in soluble limestones and dolomites. The peripheral zone of the Alps is formed by low, soft-shaped peaks and slopes of the Prealps, composed of loose sedimentary rocks. And within Austria, this zone is well expressed in the north, and in the south it is absent. One of the features of the Alps is that they are dissected by deep and wide transverse valleys, due to which the deep parts of the Alps are relatively easily accessible, and low convenient passes make it possible to cross the country from north to south without much difficulty in a number of places. Thus, the famous Brenner Pass has a height of 1371 m, and the Semmering Pass - 985 m. It is no coincidence that railways have long been laid through the Alpine passes, and some of them without tunnels. Historical reference. In ancient times and in the early Middle Ages, many different tribes passed through the lands of modern Austria, located at the crossroads of important trade routes, the main of which was the Danube route. Some of them left their mark on the ethnogenesis of the Austrian people; a noticeable influence on the formation of the Austrian ethnic community was exerted by the Celts, who settled here in the 5th-6th centuries BC. The conquest of Austrian lands by the Romans, which began in the 2nd century BC, led to the gradual Romanization of the local Celtic population. Administratively, these lands were included in different Roman provinces: Pannonia - in the east, Noricum - in the center, Rezia - in the West. Of great importance for the history of Austria was the settlement of its lands in the centuries by Germanic (Bavars, Alemans) and Slavic (mainly Slovenes) tribes. On the basis of the predominantly Germanic tribes of the Bavarians and Alemans, who merged with some Slavic and with the remnants of the Celtic and other tribes of the early Middle Ages, an Austrian ethnic community was formed. In the 7th-8th centuries, the lands of present-day Austria did not yet constitute a single whole, but were part of various European states: the western and northern (with a German population) - in the Bavarian Duchy, the eastern (with a Slavic population) - in the Slavic state Carantania. At the end of the 8th century, both of these states were included in the Frankish Empire of Charlemagne, and after its partition in 843, they became part of the German East Frankish kingdom. In the 7th-10th centuries, the lands of modern Austria were subjected to devastating raids by nomads, first by the Bavarians (VIII century), and then by the Hungarians (IX-X centuries). In the second half of the 10th century, on the territory of modern Upper and Lower Austria, the Bavarian Eastern Mark was formed, which became known as Ostarrichi (Austria). It was she who subsequently became the core of the Austrian state. In the XII century, Austria, like many other European states, became part of the "Holy Roman Empire". In the 15th century, almost all of its modern lands were included in the Austrian state, with the exception of Salzburg and Burgenland. However, this political association was still unstable, its borders often changed, and the regions that were part of the state were interconnected only by dynastic ties. In the XII-XV centuries, Austria was one of the economically prosperous countries in Europe. The development of feudalism in Austria was distinguished by some peculiarities. Until the 15th century, the feudal dependence of the peasants was much weaker in it than in neighboring countries; the enslavement of the peasants took place here more slowly because of the long population movements and the raids of the nomads. In the mountain pastoral regions, especially in Tyrol, a free peasantry remained, united in rural communities. In the 15th century, Austria became not only the economic, but also the political center of the "Holy Roman Empire", and its dukes - the Habsburgs - became emperors. Against the backdrop of a general economic and political upsurge, the culture of medieval Austrian cities also flourished, primarily Vienna, then Graz and Linz. The foundation in 1365 of the University of Vienna was of great importance. In the 16th century, Austria led the struggle of the countries of southeastern Europe against the Turkish invasion. Taking advantage of the weakening of the Czech Republic and Hungary in the wars with the Turks, Austria included most of their territories in its possessions, starting from that time to turn into a multinational state. During this period, the country's economy is becoming stronger and developing. In the mining industry (extraction of iron and lead ores in Tyrol, Styria, Upper Austria), the emergence of capitalist relations began already in the 16th century. The first manufactories also appeared in the production of velvet, silk, and luxury goods. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, the Austrian Habsburgs continued to expand their possessions: the entire territory of Hungary, almost all of Croatia and Slavia, the Southern Netherlands, some regions of Italy, a number of Polish and Ukrainian lands were annexed to Austria. In terms of area, Austria began to occupy the second place in Europe after Russia. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, feudal-absolutist Austria was a stronghold of Catholic reaction in Europe. She was the initiator of the intervention against revolutionary France, and later participated in all anti-French coalitions, led the struggle against the revolutionary movement in Europe. The defeat of Napoleonic France in the European wars of the early 19th century further strengthened Austria's external position. By decision of the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815. she was not only returned the lands conquered by Napoleon, but also given the region of Northern Italy in exchange for the southern Netherlands. In the second half of the 19th century, Austria lost its hegemony in European affairs. The struggle with Prussia for supremacy among the German states ended with the defeat of Austria in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. The creation of the union of German states (1867) took place under the auspices of Prussia and without the participation of Austria. In 1867 Austria became the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. The Austrian and Hungarian ruling classes entered into an alliance for the exploitation and suppression of the resistance of other peoples. At the end of the 19th century - the beginning of the 20th century, changes took place in the foreign policy of Austria: not having achieved hegemony among the German states that were united by Prussia in 1871, Austria launched an offensive in the Balkans, which led to an aggravation of relations with Russia and rapprochement with Germany. In 1882, the so-called Tripartite Alliance was concluded between Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy, which acted in the First World War of 1914 against the Entente countries. In 1918, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy broke up into three states - Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary: in addition, part of its lands became part of Romania, Yugoslavia and Poland. In 1938, Nazi German troops occupied Austria. The entire economy of the country was subordinated to the military needs of Germany. Austria participated in World War II as part of Germany. In March 1945, Soviet troops crossed the Austrian border. On April 13 they entered Vienna and shortly thereafter the Soviet Army and allied forces liberated the entire country. After the defeat of Nazi Germany, under an agreement between the USSR, the USA, England and France, the entire territory of Austria was temporarily divided into 4 zones of occupation. On the initiative of the Soviet Union, in 1955 the State Treaty on the Restoration of an Independent and Democratic Austria was signed and the occupation ended. In the same year, the Austrian parliament passed a law on the permanent neutrality of Austria. A country's economy. Austria is one of the most developed countries in Europe. In recent years, the country's economy has been developing at an accelerated pace. The largest foreign investor is Germany (about 30% of investments). The volume of industrial production increased in 1995 by 4.6% and reached 334.5 billion shillings. The leading industries are mechanical engineering, metallurgy, as well as chemical, pulp and paper, mining, textile and food industries. One third of the volume of industrial production falls on the state sector of the economy. Austria has a productive agriculture. Almost all types of agricultural products necessary to provide for the population are produced. The most important branch of agriculture is animal husbandry. Foreign tourism is one of the most profitable sectors of the Austrian economy. Annual receipts from foreign tourism are over 170 billion shillings. Austria trades with more than 150 countries worldwide. About 65% of exports and 68% of imports come from the countries of the European Union. The main trading partners are Germany (40%), Italy, Switzerland. Russia accounts for only 1.5%. The country's gold and foreign exchange reserves in 1994 amounted to 218 billion shillings. In terms of per capita income, Austria ranks 9th in the world. The rise in prices for consumer goods in 1995 amounted to 2.3%. The unemployment rate was 6.5%. NATURE. 1. Relief. The main thing that determines the natural features of almost the entire territory of Austria is the Alps. Their white-headed peaks are visible in the country from everywhere. Almost ½ of the country is occupied by the Eastern Alps, which are lower and wider than the Western ones. The border between them coincides with the western border of Austria and runs along the valley of the upper Rhine. The Eastern Alps have fewer glaciers and more forests and meadows than the Western Alps. The highest point in Austria - Mount Grossglockner in the High Tauern - does not reach 4 thousand meters. (3797 m). From the highest peaks flows the largest glacier of the Eastern Alps - Pasierze - over 10 km long. Other peaks of the crested granite-gneiss zone of the mountains - the Ötztal, Stubai, Zillertal Alps - are also covered with snow and ice. In this crystalline zone, the so-called alpine landforms are most pronounced - sharp ridges, steeply walled valleys plowed by glaciers. To the north and south of the ridge zone is the famous ice - Eisriesenwelt (world of ice giants) in the Tennengebirge mountains, south of Salzburg. The very names of the mountain ranges speak of the inhospitability and wildness of these places: Totes-Gebirge (meter-high mountains), Hellen-Gebirge (hellish mountains), etc. The limestone Alps to the north pass into the Pre-Alps, descending in steps to the Danube. These are low ridged mountains, overgrown with forests, in some places their slopes are plowed up, and wide sunny valleys are quite densely populated. If it is appropriate to compare the geologically young Alps with the Caucasus, then the mountains lying on the other, left side of the Danube, resemble the Urals. These are the southern spurs of the Šumava, part of the ancient Bohemian massif, almost to the base, destroyed by time. The height of this border hill is only 500 meters and only in a few places does it reach 1000 meters. Areas with a calm relief, flat or hilly lowlands occupy only about 1/5 of the country's area. This is, first of all, the Danube part of Austria and the adjacent western outskirts of the Middle Danube Plain. The overwhelming majority of the population lives here and the "center of gravity" of the whole country is located. 2. Climate. Large relief contrasts - from lowlands to snowy mountains - determine the vertical zonality of the climate, soils, and vegetation. Austria has vast areas of fertile land, a warm and rather humid (700-900 mm of precipitation per year) "grape" climate. Everything is in this word: a rather warm, long summer with an average July temperature of + 20 degrees and a warm sunny autumn. On the plains and foothills, a relatively mild winter with an average January temperature of 1-5 degrees. However, a large alpine part of the country is "deprived" of heat. With the rise for every 100 meters, the temperature drops by 0.5 - 0.6 degrees. The snow line is located at an altitude of 2500-2800 meters. Summer in the high mountains is cold, damp, windy, and sleet often falls. In winter, there is even more precipitation here: giant layers of snow accumulate on the slopes of the mountains, which often break off and rush down in avalanches for no apparent reason. crushing everything in its path. Rare winter does without casualties; dwellings, roads, power lines are destroyed... And sometimes in the middle of winter the snow suddenly disappears. So it was, for example, in the days of the "white" Olympics at the beginning of 1976 in the vicinity of Innsburg. Usually snow is "driven" by warm southerly winds - hair dryers. 3. Natural resources. The mountainous part of the country is distinguished by an abundance of clean fresh water. It accumulates in the form of snows and glaciers for most of the year, only to fall down to the Danube in summer in thousands of roaring streams, filling the lake basins along the way. Alpine rivers also determine the regime of the Danube: it is especially abounding in summer, when lowland rivers usually become shallow. The tributaries of the Danube - Inn, Salzach, Enns, Drava - contain large reserves of energy, but all of them are not navigable and are only partially used for timber rafting. There are many lakes in the country, especially in the northern foothills of the Alps and in the south, in the Klagenfurt Basin. They are of glacial origin, their pits are plowed by ancient glaciers; as a rule, lakes are deep, with cold, clear water. This type in the vast Lake Constance, partially owned by Austria. Vegetation zones on the territory of Austria replace one another in the following order: broad-leaved (oak, beech, ash) forests in the Danube valley (though very thinned) are replaced by a mixed forest of foothills. Above 2000 - 2200 m they are replaced by coniferous (mainly spruce-fir, partly pine) forests. Mountain forests are one of the national treasures of Austria. On a vegetation map of Central Europe, the Austrian Eastern Alps look like the only large green island. Among the small Western European states, only Finland and Sweden surpass Austria in forest area. There are especially many forests suitable for industrial exploitation in Upper (mountainous) Styria, for which it is called the “green heart of Austria”. Apparently, it is no coincidence that the color of the flag of the land of Styria, its folk costumes is green. During the German occupation of the Second World War, the Austrian forests suffered enormous damage. Above the forests and sparse dwarf shrubs - subalpine (matta) and alpine (alma) meadows. In the hot summer months, rapid snowmelt in the mountains begins, which leads to large floods, including on the Danube, the level of which sometimes rises by 8-9 m. Nevertheless, the Alps, as “moisture collectors”, are of inestimable importance for Austria: the full-flowing rivers flowing from them, especially the Inn, Enns, Salzach, Drava, serve as the richest sources of inexhaustible water energy. In addition, Austria has large reserves of clean fresh water, concentrated in addition to glaciers and rivers in numerous alpine lakes (the predominance of lakes in the Salzkammergut area). In addition to this, Austria owns the southeastern part of the large and deep Lake Constance on the western outskirts of the country and almost entirely the shallow lake Neusiedler See on its eastern outskirts. 4. Minerals. In Austria, the set of minerals is quite diverse, but among them there are very few of those whose value would go beyond the borders of the country. An exception is magnesite, which is used for the production of refractories and, to some extent, for the production of metallic magnesium from it. Magnesite occurs in the Styrian, Carinthian and Tyrolean Alps. There are very few energy resources. These are very modest deposits of oil (23 million tons) and natural gas (20 billion tons). cubic meters) in Lower and partly in Upper Austria. Even with the Austrian scale of production, these reserves, according to available forecasts, will be exhausted within two decades. The reserves of brown coal are somewhat larger (in Styria, Upper Austria and Burgenland), but it is of poor quality. Comparatively high-quality iron ores, but with a high metal content, are found in Styria (Erzberg) and a little in Carinthia (Hüttenberg). Non-ferrous metal ores are found in small quantities - lead-zinc in Carinthia (Bleyberg) and copper in Tyrol (Mitterberg). Of the chemical raw materials, only table salt (in the Salzkammergut) is of practical importance, and of other minerals, graphite and feldspar. 5. Fauna In mountain forests, mainly in reserves, ungulates live - red deer, chamois, mountain sheep, mountain goats. Of the birds - capercaillie, black grouse, partridge. On the plains, where almost all the land is already cultivated, there are no large wild animals for a long time. But still there are foxes, hares, rodents. 6. Environment The environment in most of Austria is not yet under the same threat of pollution as in most other industrialized countries in Europe. First of all, this concerns the Alps with their sparse population and generally insignificant industry in relation to this vast territory. The Austrian authorities, interested in attracting foreign tourists to the country, are taking some measures aimed at limiting environmental pollution, but not enough. The democratic public and scientific circles in Austria are sounding the alarm about the unacceptable degree of pollution of the Danube by industrial waste downstream of Vienna and the rivers Mura and Mürz. Nature reserves play an important role in the system of measures for nature protection. There are 12 of them in Austria with a total area of ​​0.5 million hectares. They are found in all natural areas - from the steppe surroundings of Lake Neusiedler See to the high Tauern. Most of the reserves are located in the Alps. POPULATION. 1. Ethnic composition. The population of Austria is relatively homogeneous in ethnic terms: about 97% of its population are Austrians. In addition, in Austria, in certain regions of Styria, Carinthia and Burgenland, small groups of Slovenes, Croats and Hungarians live, and in Vienna there are also Czechs and Jews. Many Austrian citizens consider themselves not only Austrians, but, by origin from one province or another, also Styrians, Tyroleans, etc. The Austrians speak the Austro-Bavarian dialects of the German language, which differ significantly from the literary one. Literary German is used mainly as a written or official language, as well as in conversations with foreigners. Under the influence of local dialects, his vocabulary and grammar also received some originality. 2. Demographic situation. One of the main features of the Austrian population is the cessation of its growth since the beginning of the 70s. This is explained by a large drop in the birth rate. If it were not for the marked increase in average life expectancy, which reached 75 years in 1990, the demographic situation would have been even more unfavorable. The fall in the birth rate is associated with the difficult financial situation of the majority of the Austrian population, as well as with the consequences of the Second World War. A small natural increase has been preserved even in the less developed western alpine lands, as well as in rural areas. Austrian experts predict that until the year 2000 the population in the country will not change significantly, but the reduction in the proportion of young people and the increase in the proportion of the elderly threatens to reduce labor resources. 3.Structure of population distribution The territory of the country is populated very unevenly. With an average density across the country of 90 people per square kilometer, it ranges from 150-200 or more people in the eastern regions adjacent to Vienna to 15-20 in the Alps. In most of the country's territory, the rural population lives in hamlets and individual yards - the lack of convenient land is affecting. Due to the difficult living conditions, the proportion of the Alpine population is constantly decreasing, there is an flight from the mountains - "bergflucht". Above 1000 m above sea level, 2% of the country's population lives permanently. 77% of the population lives in cities (with a population of over 2 thousand people), but Austria does not impress the traveler as an urban country. The fact is that more than a quarter of the townspeople are concentrated in the country's largest city - Vienna. Half of the entire urban population lives in small towns with a population of up to 100,000 people. Thus, large cities - with a population of 100 to 250 thousand are not typical for this country. There are only four of them Graz, Linz, Salzbkrg and Innsburg. The functions of these cities, not to mention Vienna, are diverse, which cannot be said about the mass of small cities, which for the most part are "unambiguous". They are dominated, as a rule, by one or two industries. The rapid growth in the number of urban residents is associated with an increase in the share of non-agricultural activities of the economically active population. In 1990, in industry, including construction and craft, its share was more than 41%, and in agriculture and forestry - about 12% (against 33% in 1960), in transport and communications - 7%. 4. Religion. According to an international survey of values ​​conducted in 1990-91, 44% of Austrians visit churches and other prayer houses once a month and more often (8th place out of 27 countries in Europe and North America). If we combine the data of these international studies in 1990-91 and 1995-97, then Austria will take 23rd place out of 59 countries in terms of church attendance once a week or more (30% of Austrians attended churches in 1990-91 with exactly this regularity). At the same time, during a survey in 1991, only 6.1% of Austrians said that they did not believe in God (another 8.3% believed in God, but did not believe in life after death). (on the territory of Austria, Christianity began to spread from the end. Religious organizations The largest religious organization is the Roman Catholic Church of the 3rd century). The state supports the Church: there is a 1% church tax in the country, which all citizens of the country are required to pay. The Roman Catholic Church in 2000 had 5,651,479 adherents (72.1% of the population). The second largest is the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg and Helvetian Confession (ECAiGI), which unites two churches autonomous from each other (Lutherans and Reformed). Lutherans and Reformed finally received the right to freely practice their faiths only in 1781, and fully equalized in rights with the Catholics - a century later. 5. Education. Universal compulsory education in Austria starts at the age of six and lasts for 9 years. Education in public schools and higher education - free of charge. There are 18 universities, 12 universities. The University of Vienna (founded in 1365) is the oldest existing university in the German-speaking countries. 6. Mass media. Over 20 daily newspapers are published in Austria. Of the one-time circulation is approximately 3 million copies. Television and radio broadcasting is carried out by the state company ERF. The national information agency is the Austrian Press Agency (APA). 7. National holidays. Ascension of Christ, Second Day of the Trinity, Feast of Corpus Christi, Assumption of the Virgin (15.8), National holiday of the Austrian Republic (26.10), Feast of All Saints (1.11): St. Virgin Mary (8.12), as well as Christmas (25 and 26.12). 8. Taxation. Austria, like most countries in Western Europe, has a rather complex, multi-level taxation system, with most of the taxes collected through the Federal Tax Service. Local taxes are not too significant. Austrian law divides all individuals and legal entities into taxpayers with unlimited and limited tax liability. Unlimited liability means that tax is paid on all income received both in the country and abroad. Such liability is borne by individuals with permanent residence in Austria, as well as companies whose registered office or headquarters are in Austria. Accordingly, limited tax liability is borne by individuals residing abroad, and corporations that do not have either governing bodies or a legal address in the country. In this case, certain types of income received in Austria are subject to taxation, for example, income from activities carried out through permanent establishments or branches. Main types of taxes: 1) on investments; 2) for income; 3) corporate; 4) for entrepreneurial activity; 5) on property; 6) from turnover (value added); 7) real estate; 8) for inheritance and gifts. Economy. 1. General information After the formation of Austria as an independent state in 1918, it experienced a severe economic and political crisis during the 1920s and 30s. Having lost its outlying possessions - the industrial Czech Republic and the agrarian territories of Hungary, as well as burdened with huge expenses for the maintenance of a numerous bureaucracy that previously ruled a huge empire, and now remained out of work, Austria could not adapt to new conditions for a long time. During the years of the Anschluss, German monopolies took control of thousands of Austrian enterprises and sought to establish the exploitation of Austria's natural resources in the interests of Germany. Numerous hydroelectric power stations, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, and chemical plants were built. After the Second World War, former German property passed into the hands of the state in Austria, which was in the interests of the Austrian people. At the present time the main enterprises of heavy industry and the banks have been nationalized in Austria. State-owned enterprises mainly produce electricity, iron and steel, aluminum, iron ore, brown coal, oil and natural gas are mined, oil is processed, nitrogen fertilizers, artificial fibers, and some engineering products are produced. Mainly enterprises of the light and food industries, as well as a group of industries related to the harvesting, processing and processing of wood, remained not nationalized. Serious positions in the Austrian economy is played by foreign capital. Entire industries are under its strong influence, and in some cases under control: electrical engineering, electronics, petrochemicals, magnesite, and the production of certain types of equipment. Foreign capital limits the economic independence of Austria, in particular, it hinders the development of the public sector. Austria is one of the economically developed countries with a relatively rapidly developing industry. Although the world economic crisis of 1974-1975 did not spare Austria either. but here it started a little later. The economic development of Austria is also favorably influenced by the fact that, as a neutral state, it has relatively small military expenditures. In the post-war period, the industrial development of Austria has made significant progress. Today, Austria belongs to the industrial countries, and although industry exceeds agriculture by about 7 times in terms of the cost of production, Austria provides its needs for basic agricultural products by 85% through its own production. Austria's dependence on the foreign market is reflected in the fact that it imports the missing energy raw materials and exports surplus manufactured products. The main industrial and agricultural region of the country is the Danube lands. Here, on 1/5 of the territory of Austria, there are its vital economic centers. The rest of the country, especially in the highlands of the Alps, is dominated by almost uninhabited areas, still little connected with the outside world and with each other. As in many Western European countries, Austrian industry is characterized by uneven development of individual sectors. Some key manufacturing industries are non-existent, such as the aircraft industry, while others are of minor importance, such as the automotive and electronics industries. 1. Mining,_heavy,_light_industry Due to the poverty of minerals, the mining industry plays an extremely insignificant role in the economy, with the exception of magnesite, which is of export importance. In these industries, Austria has excess capacity, and a significant part of their products are exported to Western European countries. 2. Fuel industry One of the weakest points of the Austrian economy is its fuel industry. Austria imports all the necessary coal, more than half of brown coal, about 4 oil, almost half of natural gas. From the beginning of the 1970s, imports of primary energy sources began to exceed their domestic production in terms of cost. Particularly high costs are associated with the transport of oil and gas. Oil and natural gas account for approximately 60% of all energy consumption, while solid fuels and hydropower account for 20% each. The country produces less than 2 million tons of oil per year, and its production is gradually declining. However, the oil is relatively shallow and of high quality. The main deposits are located northeast of Vienna. Near the capital, in the city of Schwechat, at the only large oil refinery, almost all oil refining is concentrated. From abroad (mainly from the Arab countries), it is received through the Trieste-Vienna oil pipeline, laid along the southeastern outskirts of Austria outside the Alps. Parallel to it, but in the opposite direction, a gas pipeline was laid from Russia, through which Russian gas goes to Austria and Italy. 3.Energy More than half of electricity is produced by numerous hydroelectric power plants, but the importance of hydropower is declining, and electricity generation at thermal power plants is growing faster. HPPs are mainly built on the alpine rivers in the west of the country, from where part of the electricity is transmitted to the eastern regions, part is exported and only a little is consumed locally. 4. Ferrous_metallurgy One of the most important branches of Austrian industry is ferrous metallurgy. Iron and steel smelting greatly exceeds the needs of the country, and most of the ferrous metal is exported. Most of the pig iron is smelted in Linz in Upper Austria, the rest in Leoben. Steel production is roughly equally distributed between Linz and the Styrian region. Austria is the birthplace of a new, more efficient technological steel smelting, namely oxygen-converter, which is increasingly replacing the open-hearth process. The needs of metallurgical plants for only 3 are covered by local ore. All alloying metals and metallurgical coke are imported from abroad. 5. Non-ferrous metallurgy In non-ferrous metallurgy, only the production of aluminum is important. The development of this industry in Austria, which does not have bauxite in its bowels, is associated with the use of cheap electricity from numerous hydroelectric power plants on the Inn River. Here, in Ranshofen, near Braunau, one of the largest aluminum plants in Western Europe was built. Other non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises do not even cover the domestic needs of the country. Only a small amount of copper and lead is smelted from local ore. 6. Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering, although it forms the core of the entire industry of Austria, is less developed than in other Western European countries, as a result of which Austria imports more engineering products than it exports. Machine-building enterprises are, as a rule, small: many of them employ no more than 50 people. Large quantities are produced of machines and apparatus for the light and food industries, some types of machine tools, and equipment for the mining industry. Locomotives, small sea vessels are also produced. The largest center of mechanical engineering is Vienna. 7. Timber industry complex. Austria is also characterized by a complex of industries, including timber harvesting, its processing and the production of pulp, paper and cardboard. The value of the timber industry complex goes far beyond the borders of the country. Forest products account for about a third of the country's total exports. Large areas of timber harvesting are carried out in the mountainous regions of Styria, mainly its primary processing is also carried out here. 8.AgricultureAgriculture is quite developed in Austria. At present, the yield of the main grain crops - wheat and barley - exceeds 35 centners per hectare, the productivity of dairy cows reaches 3 thousand kg of milk per year. More than 2 agricultural products are provided by animal husbandry. This is facilitated by the fact that natural meadows and pastures occupy more than half of the entire agricultural area. In addition, about a quarter of the arable land is occupied by fodder crops. And some of the feed is imported. All this makes it possible to keep 2.5 million heads of cattle. Recently, the production of meat and milk covers the entire solvent demand of the population. The cultivated area is small. There are lands cultivated intermittently. These are the so-called egarten (relogs). They are used alternately as arable land, then as a pasture. Egarten is characteristic of the Alpine regions. The main agricultural crops—wheat, barley, and sugar beets—are cultivated chiefly where the climate is warm and the soils are fertile—in the Danubian part of Austria and on its eastern flat-hilly outskirts. Rye, oats and potatoes are also sown here. But their crops are even more widespread - they are also found in the foothills of the Alps and in mountain valleys, on the Šumava plateau. Outside the mountainous areas, vegetable growing, fruit growing, and especially viticulture are widespread. Grapes are grown only in the warm regions of the northeastern and eastern outskirts of the country. 9. Transport The network of communications in Austria is quite dense, and not only on the plain, but also in the mountains, which is facilitated by the significant dissection of the Eastern Alps by deep transverse and longitudinal valleys. But, despite the deep dissection of the relief, they still had to go to the construction of numerous road engineering structures: tunnels, bridges, viaducts. There are over 10 tunnels in Austria, each more than a kilometer long. The longest is the Arlberg road tunnel, which has a length of 14 km. The construction of mountain railways and highways contributed to the development of forest, hydropower and other resources of mountain regions. The main modes of transport in Austria are rail and road. About 1 of the total length of railways is electrified. Electric tracts are located mainly in the mountainous part of the country, where cheap electricity from local hydroelectric power plants is used and where there are many steep slopes. The most important international directions are also electrified, including those to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and transalpine roads. In other directions, diesel traction prevails. From Vienna, as the largest railway junction, the most important highways radiate outward. The main one departs in a westerly direction, linking the Danube and Alpine lands. In the northwest direction from this trans-Austrian highway there are roads to the countries of the former Czechoslovakia and Germany. Of great importance is the Semmering Highway, which departs from Vienna to the southwest and connects the capital with Upper Styria and Italy. The main highways are connected by two high-altitude lines crossing the Alps from north to south (Linz - Leoben and Salzburg - Villach). Road transport successfully competes with rail transport in the transportation of both goods and especially passengers. Now only intercity buses carry twice as many passengers as railroads. Over the past decades, several sections of new highways such as motorways have been built, the most important of which is the Vienna-Salzburg highway. The pattern of the highway network is similar to that of the railways. The only navigable river in Austria is the Danube. It is navigable throughout the Austrian section, 350 km long. It is especially full of water in summer, when mountain snows and glaciers melt. However, river transport accounts for less than a tenth of the country's total cargo turnover. The largest port in Austria is Linz, where metallurgy consumes a huge amount of coal and coke, iron ore and other raw materials imported mainly by river. In terms of cargo turnover, Vienna is more than twice inferior to it. Geography of foreign economic relations. The Austrian economy cannot develop without close ties with foreign countries, and its import of goods and capital exceeds their export. But the services provided to foreign partners exceed the services received from them. First of all, we are talking about tourism, which plays an important role in the country's economy. Austria's foreign trade has a negative balance, that is, imports of its goods are worth more than exports. A significant place in the export of Austria is occupied by raw materials and semi-finished products: wood and products of its partial processing, ferrous metals, chemical products, and electricity. Some types of machinery and equipment, river vessels are exported from finished products. Food is exported in small quantities. Mostly finished products are imported, and first of all consumer goods, the import of machinery and equipment, cars, household and industrial electronics is of somewhat lesser importance. Oil, natural gas, coal and coke, ferrous and non-ferrous ores, and chemical raw materials are imported in large quantities. Food and taste products, products of tropical agriculture, and a lot of fodder are also imported. In general, more than 85% of Austria's foreign trade is oriented towards the world capitalist market. Germany occupies the first place both in exports and especially in imports of Austria. The policy of state neutrality pursued by Austria is a good basis for the further development of foreign economic relations with all countries of the world.