Vienna Travel Guide

Architectural beauty and elegant style...
Vienna - Austria’s legendary capital city - lives in the international imagination as the city of Strauss waltzes, the River Danube, Art Nouveau, Sigmund Freud, prancing white Lipizzaner horses, elegant caf?s and fine restaurants. Combine this with stunning architecture, all kinds of music, and some of Europe’s finest museums and you’ll discover a lively, attractive city that boasts something for everyone. The Vienna Boys’ Choir can still be heard at morning mass at the Hofburgkapelle during the summer months.

Vienna was the imperial seat of the Habsburg court from the 17th century and was one of the most powerful cities in the world, both culturally and politically, until World War I. Home to some of Europe’s greatest composers - Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Strauss, and Mahler - Vienna has music at its very soul. Make the most of the wide and varied programmes on offer. Take in an opera at the Staatsopera, one of the world's great opera venues. To really get the feel of the city, take a tour around the town on foot, tram, bicycle or fiacre, stopping from time to time for some of those beautiful cream-filled pastries for which Vienna is renowned. Although the tour covers only around 2.5 km, it could take you several days to complete, as there is so much to see and do on the way. It takes you through streets of great architectural interest and encompasses many different sights, including the Donnerbrunnen Fountain, the Loos Haus, the Michaelerkirche, and the Rathaus as well as some of the best museums in town.

Vienna boasts no fewer than 90 museums. Make sure to visit the fabulous Secession Building, designed by Josef Maria Olbrich, for its architectural beauty as well as for its contents. Check out the fabulous Art Nouveau collections, particularly the paintings of the movement’s most famous member, Gustav Klimt. The finest art museum in Vienna, if not the whole of Europe, however, is the Kunsthistorisches, which is worth a visit for its Rubens collection alone, although it also houses a stupendous collection of works by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. After the urban landscape of Vienna, the rolling hills and trails of the Wienerwald or the Prater woods nearby make for a refreshing break. Within easy reach of the city, start at Nussdorf and climb up to Kahlenberg, a walk that provides a bird’s eye view over one of Europe’s most stunning cities.

Travelling Information :
Insurance
The conference organizers cannot accept liability for personal injuries sustained, for loss of, or damage to, property belonging to conference participants (or their guests/accompanying persons), either during or as a result of the conference. Please cheque the validity of your own insurance.

Visa
Participants requiring a visa for entry to Austria are strongly advised to make their application in their home country at least three months before intended date of travel. For more information, please contact your nearest embassy or consulate of Austria or consult your travel agency.

Currency
The Austrian currency is EURO (and ATS). One USD equals approximately 1,07 EURO. (Exchange rate in July 1999.). See Currency Rates.

Bank and exchange
Facilities for cashing travellers' cheques are available at banks (opening Mon. – Fri. 8.00-12.30 and Mon., Tue., Wen. and Fri. 13.30 – 15.00 and Thu 13.30 – 17.30) and at most hotels. Banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Some foreign exchange offices at the airport, at the main railway station and in the centre (Kärntnerstrasse) are also open on weekends.

Electricity
The electric current in Austria is 220V (50 Hz). Plugs and sockets are the same as in the Continental countries of the European Union. British and American participants need plug adapters for electrical appliance

Holidays & Festivals :
Austria is a Roman Catholic country, so many of its holidays are related to the church calendar. Stores are dosed each Sunday. To help you avoid being caught without essentials because stores are officially closed, the following is a list (with explanations) of Austrian public holidays.

January 1: New Year's Day (Neujahr)
The traditional Vienna Philharmonic Concert, featuring the music of the Strausses, begins a 11 AM. If you want to attend, you must order tickets from a ticket agency at least a year in advance, or you can stay home and watch the live worldwide TV broadcast as you recover from the previous right's celebrating. Stores are closed.

January 6: Epiphany (Heilige Drei K?önige)
On Epiphany and preceding days, young people dressed as the Three Wise Men with a star bearer go from house to house to bring good tidings and news of Christ's birth. On behalf of local Roman Catholic parishes, they collect monetary donations for underdeveloped countries (but appreciate a small gift of cookies or chocolate). Usually they'll write C(aspar), B(althasar), M(elchior) and the year in chalk over the entrance of Roman Catholic homes. Stores are closed.

Carnival (Fasching)
Fasching in Austria begins on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the moment the new (Heuriger) wine becomes old (alt), and ends with Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). Girls might find ball gowns under the tree at Christmas. Vienna becomes our little-girl-dreams-come-true each year when the city's sumptuous palaces and hotels become the venues for throngs of beautifully dressed couples waltzing the night away. The ball season starts with the New Year's Eve Imperial Ball (Kaiserball) at the Hofburg and officially lasts until Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch). But in reality, you may attend a ball as early as November and as late as June. Almost every group or profession has one: Kaffeehaus owners, pastry chefs (Zuckerb?cker), lawyers, florists, doctors, criminal investigators and hunters. Even schools and Kindergartens have balls. The Opera Ball in February is the pinnacle of the Vienna ball seasons, so tickets are at a premium, both in availability and price. A complete brochure listing all of Vienna's balls in available in mid-November at the Vienna Tourist Board.

Lent (Fastenzeit)
Though neither Maundy Thursday (Gr?ndonnerstag) nor Good Friday (Karfreitag) are public holidays, stores and offices may close early. Rosenmontag is really more a German holiday than Austrian, but you may see store clerks wearing funny hats. Good Friday is a serious day of fasting for most Roman Catholics. During the last two weeks of the Lenten (Fastenzeit) season, Easter markets (Osterm?rkte) appear in many districts throughout the city (see Holiday Markets section of Food chapter). You will find a huge veriety of hand-blown decorated eggs, wooden toys and other handicrafts. On Palm Sunday, priests bless decorated pussy willow branches (Palmkatzerl, Palmk?tzchen), symbols of rebirth and renewal, which are placed in special corners of people's homes.

Easter (Ostern)
Easter is observed both Sunday and Monday in Austria. Beautiful music is performed in the churches. Many stores and offices are closed from midafternoon Good Friday until the following Tuesday, though these customs are changing. Austrian schools are closed Monday and Tuesday.

May 1: Labor Day (Tag der Arbeit)
There are parades at the Rathausplatz and Ringstrasse, which is closed to traffic. Stores are closed.

Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt)
Christi Himmelfahrt ist always on a Thursday and nine days prior to Pentecoust/Whitsun. Stores are closed.

Mother's Day (Muttertag)
This always occurs on the second Sunday in May. Reserve early for a restaurant!

Pentecoust/Whitsun (Pfingsten)
This holiday is 50 days after Easter. Stores closed Monday. Austrian schools are also closed Tuesday. On Whitmonday, the Whitsun Kings in Arbesthal, southeast of Vienna, wear hazelnut branches in homage to
spring.

Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam)
This is the second Thursday after Whitsunday. The procession on the Ringstrasse in the center of Vienna is famous. The emperor used to march behind the bishop and the Host, which was encased in a precious shrine called a monstrance and carried to the Graben. This memento of the more ornate pageantry of the past can now be seen in the Treasury. Processions are held in every church, churchyard or lake in every parish from St. Stephan's Cathedral (Stephansdom) to the tiny chapel in Salmannsdorf. Stores are closed.

August 15: Assumption Day/Ascension (Mari?himmelfahrt)
This day is in commemoration of the Virgin Mary's ascension into Heaven. Stores are closed.

October 26: Austrian National Day (Nationalfeiertag)
This holiday commemorates the day in 1955 when the last WWII troops left Austria. It has become a patriotic "fitness day", as many people all over Austria take long walks. The Parlament building and all national museums are open and visits are free to the public. Stores are closed.

November 1 & 2: All Saints' Day & All Souls' Day (Allerheiligen und Allerseelen)
All stores and schools are closed; on the second, only schools are closed. Austrians visit the graves of loved ones to light candles and lay wreaths or dried-flower arrangements. Additional public-transportation routes are provided to the cemeteries.

November 11: St. Martin's Day (Martinstag)
This is not a public holiday. It ist the beginning of Fasching, when traditional meals of roast goose (Martinigansl) are eaten. Children may make paper or wood lanterns, parade with them and sing.

Advent
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The rich Austrian Advent traditions include the special magic of the Advent Christmas Markets (Christkindlm?rkte), which may open as early as the middle of November. While the large and colorful market at City Hall (Rathaus) is the best known, other markets are also well worth a visit (see Holiday Markets section of Food chapter). For a complete list and more information about Advent markets in Vienna, ask for the annual "Wiener Adventzauber" pamphlet (in English and German) at the Vienna Tourist Board. Also be sure to see the annual nativity scene/cr?che (Krippen) display at St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche), just off the Graben. Each year more than 150 families lend their handmade Krippen for the exhibit. Go early. The display ends December 15, when the Krippen are returned to the families.

December 4: St. Barbara's Day (Barbaratag)
This is not a public holiday. Branches of cherry and apple trees are cut and placed in water to bloom by Christmas. This custom orginated from a story about St. Barbara, who brought sustenance to the poor against her father's wishes. One day he caught her leaving home with an apronful of food, but when he asked her to show him what she was hiding, she discovered her burden had turned into cherry blossoms. Today, the blossoms are a symbol of the hope and the sense of anticipation associated with Christmas.

December 6: St. Nikolaus Day (Nikolaustag)
This is not an official holiday, but the day when white-robed St. Nikolaus and his mischievous evil-spirit companion, Krampus, wander the streets. They usually reward Austrian children for the prvious year's behavior.

December 8: Immaculate Conception (Mari?ä Empfängnis)
Though this is an offical holiday, stores are open.

December 24: Christmas Eve (Heiliger Abend)
Stores close in the afternoon and don't reopen until December 27. Christmas is celebrated with a festive meal and distribution of presents provided by the Christ child (Christkind). While Santa Claus (Weihnachtsmann) has taken over as gift giver in some homes, many families maintain the old tradition. Theaters, cinemas and concert halls are closed, but there is a Christmas concert at City Hall (Rathaus) in the early afternoon. Roman Catholics celebrate the day with midnight Mass, the culmination of which is the singing of "Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht").

December 25: Christmas Day (Christtag)
This is a holy day for resting, going to church and visiting family. Traditionally, friends and relatives are invited to eat roast goose.

December 26: St. Stephen's Day (Stefanitag)

December 31: New Year's Eve (Silvester)
Most stores close early in the afternoon. The heartiest of Viennes celebrants gather at Stephansplatz and wait for the church bell to ring. (Watch out for people opening shaken champagner bottles and tossing them, or firecrackers, or placing firecrackers in loose garments.) Fireworks are traditional and may be bought by anyone over 18. Also part of the festivities are performances of "Die Fledermaus" at the opera houses. (If you are interested in attending, order tickets very early. Sometimes a few may be found at the last minute, but, as is always the case, at extraordinary prices.) The Kaiserball is held at the Hofburg palace. Outside on the streets is a bigger party with snacks, drinks, music and cabaret under festive tents throughout the city. It is customary to give relatives and friends good-luck charms for the New Year, which are usually marzipan pigs, clovers, chimney sweeps and mushrooms sold at stands at the New Year's markets that appear a day or so before at the Rathaus, Schottenkirche and Stephansplatz.