Austrian National Day: That’s why we love Austria

A flyover over some of the nine federal states of Austria.

Starting in the West.
Vorarlberg- Montafon is valley that extends from the city of Bludenz to the Silvretta mountain range.

 Bregenz  The town of Bregenz is located on the Bodensee colse to the four-border corner of Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The roots of this capital of Vorarlberg can be found in Roman times.

Tirol- (Tyrol) is  a state in the West of Austria.  Innsbruck is its capital. The city is known for its university, especially the renown medicine faculty. Tyrol is popular for its famous ski resorts, which include Kitzbuehel, Ischgl, and St. Anton, but has no cities besides Innsbruck.

Goldenes Dachl (photo below). The Golden Roof was built in the early 15th century as the residence of the Tirol sovereigns. The Golden roof actually is the three story balcony on the central plaza at the heart of the old town. It was constructed for Emperor Maximilian I to serve as a royal box where he could sit in state and enjoy tournaments in the square below.

Christmas time in Innsbruck

Close to Innsbruck is Wattens where the headquarters of world famous Swarovski Crystal are located. Swarovski’s product range includes crystal glass sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor, and chandeliers.

Kalkkoegel

Mitteldorf

Kaernten (Carinthia)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state. Situated within the Eastern Alp it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.
Carinthia’s main industries are tourism, electronics, engineering, forestry and agriculture. The multinational corporations Philips and Siemens have large operations there.
Velden am Woerthersee is situated at the western shore of the Woerthersee lake and is one of the most popular summer holiday resorts of Austria.

 Maltatal waterfall: 395 ft

Blauer Dumpf

Steiermark- (Styria) located in the southeast is the second largest state in area. Graz is its capital.
Grazer Uhrturm (clock tower) functions as a recognizable icon for the city. A cafe and restaurants offer fantastic views over Graz.

Graz' famous son: Arnold Schwarzenegger. He recently was there to open the Schwarzenegger Museum in his birth house.

 Arnie with his son Patrick who followed him on his last trip.

 Steiermark (Styria) is also known for its beautiful vineyards and excellent wines.

 as well as for its Kuerbiskern-Oel (pumpkin seed oil)

Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria) - borders Bavaria and Czech Republic. It is the fourth largest by area and the third largest by population.
The capital Linz is an industrial city. The Voestalpine AG is a large steel concern, known for the LD- procedure for the production of steel and the former “Chemie Linz” chemical group. This has made Linz one of Austria’s most important economic centers.

Gmunden

Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria)- most famous citizen: Erich (no Sollboeck Museum so far!)
This is how it looked like when Erich left Gresten (name of his hometown)

 Wachau is an austrian valley with a landscape of high visibility formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk

and Krems.

It is 40 km (25mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries, castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages,

and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the Wachau valley.

Hope you enjoyed our short trip to Austria so far. See you for more tomorrow.