flagAUS.BMP (11478 bytes)Austria <Österreich>flagAUS.BMP (11478 bytes)

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How does one describe a country so wonderful, without actually having visited there?  Photos, maps, books?  Yes, these are all helpful.  But the best means has come about with a longtime correspondence with the people ... Elfi, Robert, Gertrud ... all have added to my growth as a human being, and helped achieve an enlightened view of the country and its history, and especially the current way life is being lived.   Only through these wonderful people and Internet e-mail (as well as snail-mail) can an understanding be achieved of a different lifestyle with the myriad views offered.  In the process, the Austrian version of the German language comes into play.  Learning German is not among the 10 easiest projects in the world, but an interesting one just the same.  So join with me in the adventure called "Austria."  ~~ CDH

Perhaps someday I will be able to provide a first hand view, by traveling to <Österreich>.  Now if I could just figure out how to get DJ across an ocean without travelling by Swissair or the latest version of the Titanic Q~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l

euro 1.gif (2418 bytes) euro coin rotate.gif (132778 bytes)  Here's a peek at a coin that is just one of the new Euro monetary units being established as "coin of the realm" not only in Austria, but in many European nations.

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St. Stephen's Cathedral, one of the most beautiful sights in Vienna (Wien). Two links of interest:

The Cathedral, and the sounds of the bells:

"Let the Pummerin Toll" ... takes a while to load, but interesting. Go get a nice cup of cinnamon spiced coffee while you're waiting.

Strauss johann2.gif (45833 bytes) Strauss II signature.gif (2046 bytes) Background music this month: Tales from the Vienna Woods" Op. 325 ~ Johann Strauss II, 1825-1899.

Johann Strauss the Younger, the most famous and enduringly successful of nineteenth-century light-music composers, was born in Vienna on 25 October 1825. His father, Johann Strauss the Elder, was by that time well on his way to becoming Europe's uncrowned king of dance music; indeed, it was only with Strauss senior's untimely death in 1849 that the younger man could advance his own musical standing in his native Vienna.

Building upon the firm musical foundations laid by his father (1804-49) and Joseph Lanner (1801-43), Johann II (along with his brothers Josef and Eduard) developed the classical Viennese Waltz to the point where it became as much a feature of the concert hall as the dance floor. With his abundantly tuneful waltzes, polkas, quadrilles and marches, Johann II captivated not only Vienna but also the whole of Europe and America for more than half a century. The thrice-married 'Waltz King' was persuaded to compose operetta, not by Offenbach (as often stated), but by his first wife, the singer Jetty Treffz. Strauss completed sixteen stage works, of which Die Fledermaus (1874) and The Gypsy Baron (1885) remain the most popular, besides more than five hundred orchestral compositions - including the most famous of all waltzes, The Blue Danube (1867). Johann Strauss II died in Vienna on 3 June 1899.

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For an interesting link, here is one to the Strauss Family, including a picture of thelavish home built outside Vienna and completed in 1878, as well as history and many other photos.
LINKS OF INTEREST
Vienna Tourist Board ~ Information about the city.
Information Site ~ Historical and cultural information, ideas for travelers such as the best routes to discover Austria, and a comprehensive beer guide to educate all quaffers of "Bud Lite" ~~ Seriously (not that Austrian beer isn't serious), the site's author plans a Student Connection soon, where English-speaking students can get data for school essays.
Austria has many Castles. Here is a page with just one of them, along with the legend of it's Knight.
Maps/details about Austrian Parks ~ In German.
The Austrian Parliament ~ English/German.
TU~University of Technology Vienna ~ Institute of Information Systems.
More Universities in Austria ~ Listings in German, but many have translations in English.
Vienna online ~ news
Der Standard online ~ a leading newspaper.
Die Presse: newspaper online

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"Sisi"

  

Empress Elisabeth

"Sisi" as she was known, was murdered 100 years ago, Sept. 10, 1898. A sad but interesting story, beautiful photos.

Austria is a country that is oriented to more than great music. However, look at this information frommusikkollege.gif (19590 bytes) a comprehensive presentation in texts, pictures, sounds and videos. English and German, heavily cookie-driven (back to itself), but worth it.

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"Beethoven and Mozart" ~ title to this painting that appears in a children's book published in 1919. Do you know the artist/date of this painting? Please e-mail us.

Austria WEATHER (Wettervorbersage)

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AustriaCoat of Arms.gif (3472 bytes)Comments, suggestions?

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A total of Hit Counter virtual tourists have visited this site.

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Fraktur typography; you've seen the type, here's some data  ~  Here are parts of two pages from "Der Anfang" a book for understanding and using German, by Harold von Hofe of the University of Southern California, published 1958.

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Revised: Jan. 29, 1999