Page 132 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

130  A USTRIA REGION B Y REGION

Austria at a Glance

Situated at the heart of Europe, Austria is at once an
efficient, industrialized country and a dreamlike wonder­
land effusing cultural and natural charm. Beautiful
countryside abounds – from Neusiedler Lake in the east,
sur rounded by vast, flat steppes, to the three majestic
Alpine ranges that cut across the country. These glorious
settings provide stunning backdrops for the fairytale
castles, Benedictine abbeys and Baroque palaces that
form just a handful of Austria’s cultural highlights. And
Austria isn’t just a feast for the eyes; The Sound of Music
and the sounds of Mozart, Strauss and Haydn fill every The Mirabell Palace in Salzburg
corner of the country. Add world­renowned museums was built in the 17th century for
and cafés that hark to a time gone by, and you have a Salome Alt, the mistress of Archbishop
country that offers an experience like no other. Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau. The Gmünd
magnificent stairway is adorned
with sculptures by Raphael Donner.
Hollabrunn
Innsbruck, with its
picturesque Old Town LOWER AUSTRIA
and church spires rising AND BURGENLAND Stockerau
against the majestic (see pp132–59)
backdrop of the snow- Linz VIENNA
covered Alps, is the UPPER Wels Melk St Pölten (see pp54–127)
capital of Tyrol, the
AUSTRIA
picture-postcard (see pp190–213) Steyr Baden bei
province most popular Wien
with visitors.
Eisenstadt
Wiener Neustadt
Mitterbach
Salzburg
Lofer
Wörgl Oberpullendorf
Bregenz
Reutte Radstadt Leoben
Zell am See
Schwaz
STYRIA
TYROL AND SALZBURGER LAND (Ssee pp160–89)
VORARLBERG Innsbruck (see pp214–37) Murau
Bludenz (see pp238–67)
Graz
CARINTHIA
Lienz AND EAST TYROL Wolfsberg
(see pp268–85) Leibnitz
Klagenfurt
Villach

Houses in Bregenz, capital of
Vorarlberg province, are decorated Schloss Bruck in Lienz, in East
with early heraldic paintings and Tyrol, was built in 1252–77 for the
the figures of saints. Görz family. Today, it is home to a
museum with a fine collection of
19th- and 20th-century Austrian
art and folklore items.
Charming view of Hallstatt, one of Austria’s most picturesque villages

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