Table of Contents
Austria Today 5
1 Geography
The Austrian Alps
Crossing the Alps
An Alpine city
Climate
Forests and meadows
Fauna
The Danube
Provinces and cities 11
2 History
The Celts and Romans
Invasions and the Holy Roman Empire
The first royal family
The Hapsburg Empire
The empire ends
Austria in World War II
After the war
Refugees and xenophobia 23
3 Government
The constitution
The right to vote
The federal government
Political parties 37
4 Economy
Economic changes
Industry
Forestry and agriculture
Tourism 45
5 Environment
Conservation
Wildlife protection
National parks
Energy
The impact of global warming 53
6 Austrians
Regional differences
Burgenlanders
Styrians
Tyroleans
Carinthians
People of Vorarlberg
The Viennese 61
7 Lifestyle
Social partnership
The coffeehouse
The Heuriger
Life in the countryside
Education
Social security
The Austrian life cycle
Traditional dress 73
8 Religion
Choice of religion
Roman Catholicism
Other religions 83
9 Language
Austrian German
German compounds
Minority languages 91
10 Arts
Vienna's musical heritage
The waltz
Twentieth-century music
Educating new musicians
Art and architecture 97
11 Leisure
Skiing
Other sports 111
12 Festivals
Winter fun
Spring celebrations
Summertime
Autumn days
Christmas 117
13 Food
Mealtimes
Where to eat
Pastries and desserts
Viennese coffee
Regional food
The importance of food 125
Map of Austria 133
About the Economy 135
About the Culture 137
Timeline 138
Glossary 140
For Further Information 141
Bibliography 142
Index 143
