Portal:Austria

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Flag Austria coat of arms official.svg
Location of Austria within Europe

Austria is one of Europe's leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Czech Republic and Germany, to the south by Slovenia and Italy, to the west by Liechtenstein and Switzerland, and to the east by Hungary and Slovakia. Its capital city is Vienna.

The origins of modern Austria date back to the ninth century, when the countryside of upper and lower Austria became increasingly populated. The name of Austria Ostarrîchi is first documented in an official document from 996. Since then this word has developed into the German word Österreich.

Austria's political system is that of a federal, parliamentary representative democracy consisting of nine states. It is one of six European countries that have declared permanent neutrality and one of the few countries that includes the concept of everlasting neutrality in their constitution.

Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and joined the European Union in 1995. It also a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, whose headquarters is based in Vienna. Template:/box-footer

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Hallstatt is a village in the Salzkammergut, a region in Upper Austria. It is located near the Hallstätter See. At the 2001 census it had 946 inhabitants.

Salt was a valuable resource, so the region was historically very wealthy. It is possible to tour the world's first known salt mine, located above downtown Hallstatt.

The village also gave its name to the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Salzkammergut and Dachstein. Hallstatt is a popular tourist attraction owing to its small-town appeal and can be toured on foot in ten minutes.

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Grimming mountain in Styria

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File:Ghega-lithografie-kriehuber-1851.jpg
Carl Ritter von Ghega (1851)

Ritter Carl von Ghega (January 10, 1802 – March 14, 1860) was the designer of the Semmering Railway from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag.

He began his engineering career with road and hydraulic engineering in Venice. Among other things he contributed to the building of the road over Cortina d'Ampezzo to Toblach. From 1836 to 1840 he was a construction supervisor for the railway track from Brno to Břeclav, the so called Emperor Ferdinand North Railway. During this time, in 1836 and 37 he studied also the railways in England and other European countries. In 1842, entrusted with the entire planning of the future state railway, he made a study trip to North America.

After his return to the state railway he began with the planning of the railway line to the south, from Mürzzuschlag to Graz and Trieste. The crossing of the Semmering was not believed possible, but as early as 1844 he submitted a plan for the crossing of the Semmering. Construction of the Semmeringbahn was begun in 1848, and in 1851, before its completion in 1854, he was knighted by the emperor.

The Semmering Railway today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Wikinews Austria portal
Read and edit Wikinews

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  • ... that the first record showing the name "Austria" is from 996 where it is written as Ostarrîchi, referring to the territory of the Babenberg March?
  • ... that Austria currently produces more than half of its electricity by hydropower?

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Europe European Union Austria-Hungary Vienna Tyrol


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