Travel to Austria

Linz is the third largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal province of Upper Austria, located by the Danube river. It is an industrial city that is focusing in tourism now. This city is famous for its annual Ars Electronica Festival, which is an international festival of Electronic Art. Another big spectacle is the Klangwolke (sound-cloud), which is a big cultural open air event with modern and traditional music, massive light show, held in September. Linz will become the “European Capital of Culture” in 2009, for its independent cultural development and an innovative culture and art scene.

This church is situated at the end of the Gstättengasse, which leads to the Ursulinenplatz. The church was built for the Ursuline Convent (1699-1705) after more than 200 people died in the Gstättengasse because of the Rock Fall of 1699. The convent has now been secularised and is home to some of the Salzburg Federal Diet’s departments and the House of Nature. The building itself was designed according to plans sketched by Fischer von Erlach and the baroque church’s pulpit was also designed by him.

Every building designed by the architect Hans Hollein seems a bit too manneristic and representative for the tasks of a modern building. There are discussions about this every time Hollein designs a building in Austria. A wonderful example of the dissension of representation, the fondness for big dimensions and the claims of users is the Science Faculty, constructed in the 1980’s and quickly dubbed ‘Hitler’s Palmhouse’. This can be reached in about half an hour from the city centre on foot. Extremely nice recreation area around the building.

This church is palced at the end of the Gstättengasse, which leads to the Ursulinenplatz. The church was built for the Ursuline Convent after more than 200 people died in the Gstättengasse because of the Rock Fall of 1699. The convent has now been secularised and is home to some of the Salzburg Federal Diet’s departments and the House of Nature. The building itself was designed according to plans sketched by Fischer von Erlach and the baroque church’s pulpit was also designed by him.

Located just to the south of Schlosspark Hellbrunn, Hellbrunn Zoo contains wide range of animals from all over the world. The main attraction are the wild vultures which are free to fly around but continually return to the zoo to be fed. Another star of the zoo is the cheetahs’ feeding time, whereby the cheetahs have to catch a piece of meat being propelled along the ground at a speed of 35 mph. On certain occasions the zoo is open after dark to enable visitors to observe the nocturnal animals .

The Museum der Moderne Salzburg Mönchsberg Art is a must visit if you are an art lover visiting Salzburg. The museum opened on  2004, and since then has presented contemporary art. The museum represents a sensitive dovetailing of the urban landscape.

The city of Salzburg is forever associated with its most famous profigy son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the house on Getreidegasse, in which Mozart was born on 27 January, 1756, is by far and away the city’s biggest crowd-puller. The mansion now converted in the Mozart Museum, provides visitors with an amazing insight into the life and times of one of the world’s greatest composers. Objects on display include Mozart’s violin’s, harpsichord and piano, as well as numerous other memorabilia.

The Uhrturm is not only pleasent to the eyes, but it is home to one of the oldest bells in the country. And, it doesn’t just stop at that. It serves a practical function. The hands of the clock work the other way round; the small hand shows the minutes and the big one the hours, making it much easier to read. The Uhrturm was constructed in 1560 and the bell rung to announce impending executions; later it indicated the closing hour for pubs and cafes.

Stadtpark is the City Park of Vienna, with a total surface area is 65,000 m², opened to the public in 1862. You can enjoy several monuments and sights at the park, like the Kursalon building, used for balls, concerts, clubbing and congresses; a gilded bronze monument of Johann Strauss II, one of the most photographed monuments in Vienna, the Meierei building, and a vast diversity of plant species.

The Burgtheater is the Austrian National Theater, located in Vienna, considered one of the most important German language theaters in the world. It was created in 1741 by the Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and 3 Mozart operas premiered there. The theater was largely destroyed in a bombing raid in 1945 and a month later, a fire burned it down, being restored from 1953 to 1955.