VIENNA , AUSTRIA

Vienna is the capital of Austria and is the former residence of the Holy Roman emperors; after 1806, it was the home of the emperors of Austria. Originally a Celtic settlement, Vienna became an important Roman military and commercial centre. Emperor Marcus Aurelius resided there in 180 A. D. Vienna is one of the great historic cities of the world, and is a melting pot of the Germanic, Slavic, Italian, and Hungarian people and cultures. It has been occupied by the Magyars, who gained possession of Vienna in the early 10^th century; the Magyars were driven out by Leopold I of Babenberg, the first margrave of the Ostmark. The city was made the official residence of the house of Habsburg in 1282. The city was occupied in 1485 – 90 by Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and was besieged by the Turks in 1529 and 1683. During the early 18^th century, anew circle of fortifications was built around the city, and many magnificent buildings were erected. Napoleon occupied the city in 1805 and 1809. During the Revolution of 1848, revolutionists in Vienna forced Metternich to resign, but they were eventually suppressed by Windischgraz. The modern city dates from Francis Joseph’s reign, from 1848 – 1916. On March 15. , 1938, Hitler’s forces entered Vienna, and Austria was annexed to Germany. During World War II, the city suffered considerable damage, and the Jewish population, estimated at 115.000 in 1938, was reduced to 6,000 by the end of the war. The Russian army entered Vienna in April 1945, and Vienna and Austria were divided into four occupation zones by the allies. Vienna became headquarters of the international Atomic Energy Agency in 1957; President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev met in the city in 1961, and the United States and the Soviet Union held disarmament talks there in 1970 and 1971. Vienna is a great cultural centre – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert lived in Vienna and immortalized the city, as did Brahms, Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Arnold Schönberg. Writers Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Franz Werfel, and the “father” of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud, also lived and worked there. The Schönbrunn Palace, built by Empress Maria Theresia, the parliament buildings, the palace of justice, the Burgtheater, the Musikverein containing the conservatory of music, the Academy of Art, and the famous Vienna opera house are there.