Vienna

Vienna The history of the nowadays 1.7 million inhabitants counting metropolis Vienna, which is situated on the point of intersection of the Danube, the Pannonic Lowland and the spur of the Alps (Wienerwald), can be traced back even to the Palaeolithic Age. Since the Neolithic Age, the Vienna basin seems to have been colonized continuously. During the 1st century, an original Celtic settlement is extended by the Romans to a military camp with an attached civic settlement. The name Vindobona itself is probably of Celtic origin.

Since 1130, the city is situated on the territory of the Babenberg margravate Ostarrichi and since 1156 it is then their residence. The further rise is connected with the hostage-taking of the English king Richard Lionheart (1192) by the Babenberg Leopold V. With the ransom (10 tons of silver) the city of Vienna is extended by city walls and by a mint. In 1221 Vienna obtains a municipal law and as a staple town the city is now one of the most important towns in the Empire.

After the end of the Babenberg reign over the Austrian countries, the Habsburgs in 1278 established themselves as the new rulers. About 1280 Jans the Enikel writes his famous „Fürstenbuch“, the first history of Vienna, in which the earliest mentioning of the Austrian colours red-white-red can be found. In 1365, the nave of St. Stephan’s cathedral is completed and Vienna gets its own university, due to Rudolf IV. (the Donator). In 1438, after the election of Duke Albrecht V. to the German king (Albrecht II.), Vienna even becomes the residential city of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1421, all Jews of Vienna who refused being baptized, 92 men and 120 women, were burned at the stake. In 1469, Vienna finally receives an episcopal throne and St. Stephan is now a cathedral. The city walls are now expanded and the number of towers is increased, while the number of the city gates (Kärntner-, Widmer-, Schotten-, Werder-, Rotenturm- und Stubentor) remains unchanged.

In this state Vienna presents itself to the attacking Turks in 1529. After their retreat, the Viennese at once start with the construction of new fortification facilities, which contain 12 bastions connected by walls. In front of them there are v-shaped ravelins and the so called Glacis, which should guarantee the defenders a free field of fire. Inside the city walls prevails a lack of room and the houses therefore get floors. During their second attempt to conquer the city, the Turkish aggressors dig tunnels towards Vienna, they work with mines to destroy the walls, but an attacking Polish-Austrian army stops the seizure of the city.

The following building activities also included hygienic measures, a result of the big epidemic problems with the plague. Canalisation and street cleaning, the first house numbers and the first postal system indicate the recovery of the town, which around 1790 counts about 200,000 inhabitants. The title of a “conference city” is given to Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars, when Europa was reorganized.

The industrial development strengthened the middle class, but they did not find any appropriate opportunity to articulate their political wishes. During March 1848 their claims for a constitution also reached Vienna. The city also grows, 34 former suburbs are incorporated, followed by a division into districts. Starting in 1858, the city walls are torn down and replaced by the monumental “Ring”. This boulevard in its historicism style bestows the city with a new image. Among the performing architects are August Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll (Opera house), Gottfried Semper und Carl Hasenauer (Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Natural History, New Castle, Burgtheater), Theophil Hansen (Parliament), Friedrich Schmidt (Town hall), Heinrich Ferstel (University, Votiv Church) and many others.

The World Exposition 1873 within The Prater is in fact a commercial disaster but the infrastructural provisions which were made like Danube-regulation and bridge building and a traffic planning of course have remained. About 1900, Vienna is bursting through the magic number of 1 million inhabitants, and in 1916 there are already 2.2 million people – a growth resulting from the refugee flows, because since 1914 there is war. In 1918 the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy breaks into pieces. Vienna is now the capital and federal state of a territorially severely minimized Republic of Austria, which is characterized by poverty, starvation and unemployment.

The „Red Vienna“ under the social democrats is characterized by their council housing, which is financed by means of a housing tax. The July Revolt in 1927, the breakdown of the biggest bank (Creditanstalt) und the so called “cut out of the parliament” lead to a three day civil war in Vienna in 1934.

After the suppression of the social democrats, the weakened republic becomes fascistic and 1938 part of the Third Reich. As of 1944, Vienna is heavily attacked by allied bomber formations, and in springtime 1945 the town is set free by the Red Army. The occupation forces (USA, Soviet Union, France, Great Britain) are controlling Vienna till 1955 (“Four in a Jeep”). By the Austrian Independence Treaty from 15.May 1955 Austria regains its sovereignty and declares itself as perpetual neutral. Vienna again succeeds in becoming a conference city and seat of international organisations (UNO-City).

New chances and challenges arise from the Wende in 1989. Vienna again moves from the fringe to the centre of an economic region, which understands itself as central European and which again discovers its common historic and cultural heritage.

Vienna is an important location of schools and universities (9 public and 5 private universities), the leading scientific libraries in Vienna are the Austrian National Library, the University Library of Vienna and the Viennese Library in the Town Hall. Important other libraries are attached to the University of Economics, the University of Technology and the University of Medicine. The Stiftskaserne (barracks) accommodates the Austrian Military Library as well as the biggest Office and Administration Library in Austria. The 41 Viennese public libraries are known as the Büchereien Wien, among them the new Central Library at the Urban-Loritz-Platz.

Sources:
http://www.wien-vienna.at/geschichte.php ;http://www.wien.gv.at/kultur/archiv/geschichte/ ; http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wien
Image source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rathaus_Vienna_June_2006_165.jpg