Austria is a mountainous country in the heart of Europe. It is also the country of waltzes, winter sports and long-term political, social and economic stability. Thanks to the powerful Habsburg dynasty, who ruled over half a millennium, the history and culture of this country are interconnected not only with other Central European countries but with the whole of Europe.

Austria is a popular tourist destination. It offers the Danube lowlands and mountain peaks of the Alps with many typical picturesque and groomed villages at the foothills. It boasts a consistently high level of local cuisine and service. Vienna and Salzburg belong among the unique cultural and historical centres of Austria.

Many artist and scientists who achieved world fame lived in or came from Austria. To name but a few were the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, writer Stefan Zweig, actress Romi Schneider, car designer Ferdinand Porsche and glass cutter Daniel Swarovski. Austria gave the world the chocolate delicacy Sacher cake and Wiener Schnitzel, but also psychoanalysis, the discovery of blood types and slow motion film technology.