AUSTRIA CULTURE

THERE WERE PEOPLE ALONG THE DANUBE RIVER IN AUSTRIA AS LONG AS 50,000 YEARS BCE. CELTIC PEOPLE WERE UNDER ROMAN CONTROL DURING THE FIRST CENTURY.  SLAVS, GERMANS, HUANS, BOHEMIAN,  CHRISTIANITY WAS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.  AUSTRIANS HAVECALL THEIR COUNTRY OSTERREICH.  IN THE 10TH CENTURY THE GERMAN KING OTTOI NAMED IT OSTARICHE.  THE LATIN NAME APPEARED IN THE 12TH CENTURY.  AUSTRIA HAS BEEN IN THE 12TH CENTURY.  AUSTRIA HAS ALSO BEEN SUBJECTED TO CULTURAL INVASIONS.  CHRISTIANITY WAS THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.  AUSTRIANS CALL THEIR COUNTRY OSTERREICH.

IN THE 10TH CENTURY, THE GERMAN KING  OTTO I NAMED IT OSTARICHE.  THE LATIN NAME APPEARED IN THE 12TH CENTURY.  AUSTRIA HAS ALSO BEEN  SUBJECTED TO CULTURAL INVASIONS AS A SERVICE OF DIFFERENCES BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT GROUPS.  DURING THE MIDDLE AGES THERE WERE THERE WERE MANY GROUPS FROM EUROPE.

WITH COMMUNISM MANY PEOPLE FLED TO AUSTRIA FROM HUNGARY TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA.  THE AUSTRIANS ARE PROUD OF THEIR COUNTRY.  THIS COUNTRY HAS MANY MOUNTAINS . THE COUNTRY HAS 9 PROVINCES AND VIENNA IS THE RIVER PORT ON THE DANUBE.

THE ALPS ARE THE HIGHEST FEATURE IN AUSTRIA AT OVER 12,000 FEET.  THEY USUALLY ARE IMPASSABLE!  MANY INHABITANTS OF ALPINE VALLEYS WERE ISOLATED WERE ISOLATED AND DEVELOPED THEIR DISTINCT  DIALECTS , DRESS AND FOLKLORE, AND ARCHITECTURE.

BY 1998 THE POPULATION   COUNT WAS ABOUT 8 MILLION, 95% OF  WHOM ARE
AUSTRIAN.  MUCH OF THE POPULATION IS YOUNGER THAN TWENTY FIVE.OR OVER 65.  THERE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE IS GERMAN OR A DIALECT.  MY MOM SPOKE ONLY GERMAN UNTIL SHE WAS 6 YEARS OLD.  SOME FOLKS SPEAK SLOVAENIAN AND CROATIAN.
                 
SYMBOLISM OF A BLACK EAGLE IS ON THE COAT OF ARMS FOR THEIR NATIONAL EMBLEM.  IT HAS BROKEN SILVER CHAINS HAVING FROM ITS TALONS AS FREEDOM FROM NAZI CONTROL.
BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION AT THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE ITS LOCATION.  IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURYSLAVICS OVERRAN THE DANUBE AREA.  IN 1955 THEY WERE DEFEATED BY THE GERMANS AND MANY SETTLED THERE.  BY 1976 OTTO II GAVE THE AREA TO BAVARIAN NOBLEMAN AND AUSTRIA FLOURISHED ECONOMICALLY USUALLY UNDER 3000 YEARS.  THEY BUILT A GREAT FORTRESS AND MONASTERIES.  THE DANUBE WAS AN IMPORT TRADE ROUTE.

BY 1246 A ROMAN EMPEROR GOT CONTROL OF AUSTRIA FOR 640 YEARS.  THIS WAS CALLED HABSBURG DYNASTY WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL.  IT INCLUDED AUSTRIA AND PARTS OF ITALY, SPAIN, AND OTHER TERRITORIES.  BY 7TH CENTURY AUSTRIA WAS THE FORMOST STATE AND EUROPEAN COUNTRY.  THIS WAS A PERIOD OF WAR BETWEEN AUSTRIA AND GERMANY.  THE OTTOMANS LAUNCED TWO GREAT SIEGES OF VIENNA BOTH FAILED DURING HISTORY.

A WOMAN  BECAME THE RULER IN AUSTRIAS HISTORY IN 1740,  MORIA THERESA.  AUSTRIA BECAME A MODERN STATE.  SHE INTRODUCED PUBLIC EDUCATION.   THE AUSTRIAN CULTURAL LIFE THRIVED DURING THIS PERIOD.

NAPOLEAN BONAPART'S POWERFUL RULE ENDED .  THE HOLY PONAMEMPIRE AND WEAKENED AUSTRIA.  FROM 1792 TO 1814 THE FRENCH TRIED TO  OCCUPY AUSTRIA BUT FAILED.  BY 1848 EVEN AFTER EMPEROR FRANZJOSEPH WAS DEFEATED BY PRUSSIANS, HUNGARY REMAINED A GREAT POWER.  IN 1938 NAZI GERMAN TROOPS OCCUPYIED AUSTRIA AND ANNEXED IT AS PART OF GERMANY.  HITLER ENLISTED AUSTRIAN SOLDIERS.  IN THE GERMANY ARMY UNTIL WORLD WAR II IN 1945.  AFTER THE WAR ALLIED FORCES OCCUPIED AUSTRIA AND DIVIDED IT INTO 4 ZONES.   BY 1945 THEY NULLIFIED THE NAZI OCCUPATION AND RESTABLISHED AUSTRIA AS INDEPENDENT AND BY 1955 IT WAS A NUETRAL NATION. 

AFTER THE ATTROCITIES OF GERMAN WAR , AUSTRIA DID NOT WANT TO BE PART OF GERMANY. 
SINCE 1945 AUSTRIA HAS MANY IMMIGRANTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.  WHILE AUSTRIA IS INDUSTIALIZED, TRADITIONAL METHODS AND CUSTOMS ARE IN HIGH  ESTEEM.

VIENNA ACHIEVED IT'S MODERN LOOK AFTER 1850'S WITH THE RISE OF THE PROSPEROUS MIDDLE CLASS.

AUSTRIAN FOOD IS A LIGHT  BREAKFAST. AND THEN THEY HAVE A SNACK.  THEN THEIR MAIN MEAL IS LUNCH.  THEY HAVE MANY COFFEE HOUSES AND THESE ARE SOCIAL GATHERING PLACES.  THEIR DINNER IS A SANDWICH OR SMOKED FISH.

ONLY 20% OF THEIR LAND IS SUITABLE FOR FARMING.  THEIR MAJOR CROP  ARE WHEAT AND OTHER SUGAR, BEETS, AND POTATOES.  THEY GROW OTHER VEGIS AND HAVE WINE GRAPES.  THEY BREED PIGS, SHEEP, DAIRY COWS AND MAKE WOOL AND CHEESE.  ABOUT 7% OF THE FOLKS LIVE ON FARMS.  SOME FAMILIES SERVE AS TOUR GUIDES FOR THE AREA.  THEY HAVE COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE PETROLEUM AND NATURAL GAS.  THEY HAVE LUMBER FROM NUMEROUS FORESTS FORESTS.  THEY HAVE CRAFTSMENSHIP.

TODAY GERMANY IS THER TRADING PARTNER  TRADITIONALLYAUSTRIAN SOCIETY HAD WELL DEFINED SOCIAL DISTINCTIONS AND DIFFERENT CLASSES TODAY THERE ARE MIDDLE CITIZENS THAN ANY OTHER GROUP.  

THEIR CITIES HAVE OLD WORLD CHARM AND MODERN CONVENIENCES.  IT HAS A LOW CRIME RATE AND AND THEIR MILITARY PARTICIPATE IN THE UNITED NATIONSPEACEKEEPING MISSIONS WITH OTHER NATIONS. THEY HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF LITERACY.  MOST AUSTRIANS GREET EACH OTHER WITH BY SHAKING HANDS  AND SAY6"GRUSS GOTT' OR 'GREET GOD'.THEY HAVE BUILT GREAT CHURCHES AND CATHEDALS IN AUSTRIA.  IN THE COUNTRY   THEY HAVE NUMEROUS SHRINES TO REST  AND PRAY ALONG THE STRREETS.  AUSTRIA HAS A HIGH SUICIDE RATE.

ABOUT99% OF PEOPLE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS.  PATIENTS MAY GO TO THEIR DOCTOR OF THEIR CHOICE.  AUSTRIA HAS PRODUCED A NUMBER OF NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS.

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