15th May: Austria Independence Day

Austria Independence Day commemorates the Austrian State Treaty of 1955. 10 things you may not know about Austria:

1. Austria’s formal name is Republik Öesterreich (Republic of Austria), which literally means “Eastern Realm.”
2. Austria is home to the world's oldest zoo, Vienna’s Schönbrunn Tiergarten, founded in 1752 as an animal menagerie by Emperor Franz Stephan.
3. It is also home to the Eisriesenwelt Caves, also called “the world of the ice giants,” the largest accessible ice cave system in the world.
4. 62% of Austria is covered by the Austrian Alps. A tenth of the country is barren or unproductive because it is above the tree line or extremely Alpine.
5. The population of Austria is around 8.5 million. Over twice that number (20.8 million) visit per year. About a quarter of the population live in the capital, Vienna.
6. Austria has one of the oldest national Flags in the world, along with Denmark. The red white and red stripes are said to have originated from Duke Leopold V, who got soaked in Blood during a battle in the Crusades, but when he took his belt off, the tunic underneath was still white. The flag was first adopted in 1230.
7. Famous Austrians include Ferdinand Porsche, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Josef Madersperger (who invented the sewing machine), Adolph Hitler, Gregor Mendel (who established the basis of modern genetics), Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Liszt, Johann Strauss, Mahler, Marie Antoinette, Erwin Schrödinger and Sigmund Freud.
8. Viennese cafés claim to have invented the process of filtering Coffee after the second Turkish siege in 1683. If you prefer something stronger, there are 621 ha of vineyards within the city limits of Vienna. Vienna is one of only a few capital cities to have vineyards, the others being Paris, Prague, Bratislava, Warsaw and London. The most famous Austrian food is Weiner Schnitzel, cutlets of veal, pounded thin, dusted with egg and breadcrumbs, fried and served without sauce.
9. Austria’s highest point is the Großglockner at 12,461 feet (3,798 m); the lowest point is Hedwighof (Municipality Apetlon), at 114 m.
10. Austria is the only European Union nation that is not a member of NATO.