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Vienna

Capital of AustriaAustria's capital sits on the Danube in the east of the country, at the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods, the north-eastern foothills of the Alps. Hungary is only about 50 km away.

Why it's the capital

In the 16th century the Habsburgs made Vienna the seat of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. When the Austrian Empire was formed in 1804, Vienna became its capital, and it has stayed the capital of every Austrian state that followed.

Fun facts

  1. The Romans called the city Vindobona, from a Celtic name meaning either "white place" or "place of Vindos".
  2. Schönbrunn Zoo, in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace, was founded in 1752 and is the oldest zoo in the world still in operation.
  3. Famous composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Johann Strauss II made their homes in Vienna.

Finding it on the globe

Austria is long and narrow from west to east. Vienna is near its eastern tip, on the Danube, close to the borders with Slovakia and Hungary.

Easy to mix up

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is only about 55 km east of Vienna, so it is easy to tap the wrong one of these two close capitals.

Sources: Wikipedia: Vienna, Wikipedia: Tiergarten Schönbrunn