| Austrian City Breaks |
Austrian City Breaks
Reccommended Accommodation by City Breaks Guide:
Hotel Papageno
Hotel Aryan
ARCOTEL Hotels & Resorts GmbH
Radisson SAS Palais Hotel
K + K Hotel Maria Theresia
Settled in prehistoric times, the central European land that is now Austria was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts. After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which Austria was part, the area was invaded by Bavarians and Slavic Avars. Charlemagne conquered the area in 788 and encouraged colonization and Christianity. In 1252, Ottokar, king of Bohemia, gained possession, only to lose the territories to Rudolf of Hapsburg in 1278. Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling house, the Hapsburgs. Austria emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as the continent's dominant power. The Ausgleich of 1867 provided for a dual sovereignty, the empire of Austria and the kingdom of Hungary, under Franz Joseph I, who ruled until his death on Nov. 21, 1916. The Austrian-Hungarian minority rule of this immensely diverse empire, which included German, Czech, Romanian, Serbian, and many other lands, became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements. Today, Austria is one of the best destinations for a City Break, the beautiful, historical, cultural cities of Austria, together with the fantastic alpine scenery all add up to a fabulous City Break.
Vienna City Break
 
Vienna is located on the Danube, in the northeast part of Austria. It is the capital of Austria and has a population of over 1.5 million people, nearly one-quarter that of the entire country. Long been the seat of the Habsburg dynasty (Holy Roman emperors and, later, emperors of Austria), Vienna retains its imperial style, with grand boulevards and imposing architecture.
The heart of old Vienna is the Innere Stadt (Inner City), an area surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped wall that confined the city as late as the 1850s. In 1857, Emperor Francis Joseph decided to raze the wall and replace it with a boulevard, the Ringstraße (Ring Street). Along this beautiful boulevard a collection of buildings of varied styles. The University of Vienna (originally founded in 1365) was rebuilt in a neo-Italian Renaissance style; across the park is the City Hall, a neo-Flemish Gothic structure. The State Opera House (Stadtsoper) is reminiscent of early French Renaissance buildings.
Within the Innere Stadt is Saint Stephen's, a Gothic cathedral first built about 1135 and rebuilt, following a fire, during the 14th and 15th centuries. The oldest part of the Hofburg, the imperial palace of the Habsburgs, dates from the 13th century; the chapel (15th century) is now the home of the Vienna Boys Choir. As the strength of the empire grew, the Habsburgs moved to summer homes beyond the protection of the city walls. Schönbrunn Palace, in the southwest part of the city, dates from the late 17th century; the Belvedere, by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, from the early 18th century.
Vienna has one of Europe's richest musical heritages. Franz Josef Haydn began his career in the boys' choir of Saint Stephen's. Beethoven, Mozart, the Strauss family, Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Schoenberg, and Richard Strauss all lived and worked in Vienna. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra may be Europe's most respected symphonic company. Nearly 30 museums house extensive fine arts collections; these include the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Albertina, in the Hofburg.
Salzburg City Break
 
Salzburg, the capital city of the north central Austrian federal state of Salzburg, is situated near the foothills of the Alps and the border with Germany, about 270 km (170 miles) west of Vienna. The city's population is about 140000. Salzburg's name is derived from the area's rich salt deposits. Gold, silver, and copper are mined in the area.
Tourists visit Salzburg not only for the beautiful scenery of the surrounding Salzach Valley but also by the city's architectural and cultural assets. The town is dominated by the large and well-preserved fortress of Hohensalzburg (1077). The Abbey of Saint Peter and the Convent of Nonnberg, founded about 700 and remodeled in the 15th century, are also noteworthy.
Salzburg's present architectural splendor is largely the result of extensive building by the prince-archbishops and wealthy burghers of the 16th-18th centuries. These buildings show such an Italianate influence that Salzburg has been called the "German Rome." Above all, the city is known for its musical heritage. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and composed in Salzburg. His birth place is in the well known Getreidegasse. The annual Salzburg Festival of music, attracts travelers from many countries to performances of chamber music, drama, and opera.
An international convention center and six museums also attract many visitors.
Other interesting sights not mentioned above include the rococo Schloss Leopoldskron (1736), the Mirabellgarten is probably one of the most beautiful gardens in the world and Hellbrunn Palace, in the vicinity of Salzburg, with its fascinating water games.
Innsbruck City Break
 
The Inn valley has always been very important for its geographical and trafficable favourable position. First settlements date back to the Bronze Age. When the Roman Empire expanded to the North, the valley became an important military transportation route. They built a fortified road stop, Veldidena, which is now Innsbruck's district of Wilten. With the settlements of the Bajuwaren, the area turned Bavarian and was later given to the Bishops of Brixen, who lost more and more control of the area to the native Tyrolean counts. In the year 1187 the name "Innsbrucke", which means Bridge over the River Inn, is first mentioned. Soon they built out Innsbruck as the center of their domain.
In the 15th century the emperor Maximilian I made the city to his center of his new administration-, culture- and finance politics. He erected the "Goldene Dachl" in the core of Innsbruck's now historic center, a renaissance oriole, decorated with gold painted copper shingles. In 1665 Empress Maria Theresia built the Triumph Gate and expanded the "Hofburg", the residence of the Habsburgs in Innsbruck.
Nowadays the architecture of this period still characterises the cityscape.
In 1805 Napoleon's armies defeated Austria and Tyrol was given to the Bavarians. The Tyrolean resistance fighter Andreas Hofer managed to free Tyrol from the German and French troops for a while an in 1814 it was returned to the Austrians. Andreas Hofer is a Tyrolean National hero and a large painted round panorama picture, the "Rundgemälde", was dedicated to his fight on the Mount Isle.
Nowadays Innsbruck, with its 150.000 inhabitants, is, because of its favourable position in the Alps, an international center for winter sports and was the host of the Olympic Winter Games twice, in 1964 and 1976. It is also kind of an unofficial capital for snowboarding in Europe.
Graz City Break
 
Graz is the capital of Styria, a county in the southeast corner of Austria. The city is located in between rolling hills, to the north, east and west, only open to the south. The first settlements date back to 800 AD and through the medieval times, the Styrian landowners, took over the town and turned it into a flourishing trading center. Because of its easily fortified and nearly invulnerable Schlossberg in the city core, Graz has always been a very important strategic point. Throughout the reign of the Babenbergers and the Habsburgs the city was considered a second capital to Austria.
The city's architecture is dominated largely by the struggle of the Reformists and the Habsburgs' Counter Reformation. Protestant buildings like the Landhaus and many different palais encounter buildings like the old University, the Mausoleum and the Minoritenkirche, erected to represent Catholic believe. The Counter Reformation was very successful putting Protestants in a minority till today.
The most important building of baroque architecture in Graz is without doubt the Schloss Eggenburg. A very significant city mark is the romantic Uhrturm, a tower still using the original clockwork from 1712 and a popular first kiss area for many inhabitants. The fortress on the Schlossberg has big influence on the townscape of the city and contains the largest collection of early modern weaponry and suits of armour throughout Europe. In the 19th century Graz grew to a large city and many representative buildings like the Karl-Franzens-University, the city hall and the opera house were erected.
Today Graz is the second largest city in Austria and home to about 230.000 people. It presents a great deal of cultural events, like the Styriade, an annual exhibition, dedicated to contemporary art, theatre and performances.
Linz City Break
 
Like most cities of Austria, the city of Linz is based on the Roman expansion to the North. The bending of the River Danube made this territory a strategic point and a small castle fortified it. The castle and its settlements where named Lentia. Linz was first mentioned in 799 AD, when the Bavarians expanded to the South and this area grew more important. The settlement became influent as a point for trade and the execution of custom fees. Sold to Austrian Lords those fees were the main income for them. In the 15th century, Linz grew more and more important and was turned into kind of a capital, first in the Princedom of Austria, later during the Babenberger's Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. But although it was a very popular temporary residence to many Austrian Aristocrats throughout history, it was always overruled in importance by Vienna. Starting in the beginning of the 16th century the ideas of Reformation reached Linz and where happily welcomed. By 1542, the first protestant major was elected and the Landhaus was erected. In 1600 the Habsburgers initiated the Counter Reformation. By 1700 the cityscape was formed to this day, with Baroque buildings and the erecting of different monasteries. A wool fabrication plant was built, giving work to up to 50.000 people, making Linz to Austrian's main textile fabrication and trade center. With the industrialisation of the early 19th century Linz grew more and more to and industrial city, which made it an aim for above average air raids, during World War II. In 1966 it became a university city with the construction of the Johannes Kepler University.
Nowadays Linz is the second largest city in Austria and a very important location for industry. It is home to approximately 200.000 people and host to the annual Bruckner Festival and the Ars Electronica, a fair dedicated to technology and contemporary electronic art.
Bregenz City Break
 
The city of Bregenz is located at the Bodensee close to the four-border corner of Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The roots of this capital of Vorarlberg can be found in Roman times. Bregenz was then the military and trade base Brigantinum. Around 610 AD it was conquered and destroyed by the Allmanni. Up from 10th century Bregenz became the seat of the Uldarichinger count and started flourishing and extending in the 13th and 14th century. Bregenz was bought in two halves by the Habsburgs in 1451 and in 1523. From 18th to the 19th the traffic network was expanded enormously through railroad and steamship connections. In 1923 Bregenz became the capital of Vorarlberg and in 1945 it suffered severe damage by the French troops, when around 72 houses were destroyed.
Today Bregenz is home to around 27.097 people. With its location at the Bodensee and the Alps it has a bi-seasonal tourism with around 234.000 people from all around the world staying overnight. The economy is dominated by small businesses, especially textile industry.
The Upper town district is the oldest, with buildings form the 13th to 16th century. In this part of town you can still find parts of the original fortifying town walls. The Martin's Tower is the landmark of Bregenz, a building with a late Roman core and mainly baroque style architecture. The fresco in the chapel dates back to 1362. A further very impressive building is the gothic parish church of St. Gall, with a Roman-Romanesque foundation from before 1380 and a Baroque altar.
The cultural biggest event is the Bregenz Festival in the summer, with operas and plays, held on a stage build into the Bodensee.
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