Vienna

Vienna. The first thought to many minds is the sausages. You know the ones I’m talking about; they are about the size of your thumb and come in a can for around 75 cents. I remember my grandfather eating them as a snack on saltine crackers, and I enjoy them as a guilty pleasure with Mississippi State jalapeno cheese. While yes, the sausages are called vienna sausages, I mean the city of Vienna, or as the Germans call it Wien.

Vienna is the capital of Austria, and in years past the seat of power of the House of Hapsburg. Although the Hapsburgs no longer rule Austria nor control the historical land of the empire, Vienna is still one of Europe’s great capitals. The modern day Viennese has roots to the many different cultures the Hapsburgs once ruled, although they are a few generations removed from the last Emperor. Today’s Vienna still retains its old world charm while sustaining life it’s many residents.

At the height of the Hapsburg’s power in Europe, their empire and influence covered much of modern-day Eastern Europe including Austria, Bavaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy, Yugoslavia, Ukraine, and many more. The empire was truly a cultural melting pot with a multitude of languages spoken by the subjects. The Hapsburgs were huge supporters of the arts and for this reason, Vienna is known the world over for its music and culture. The big classical composers most known to the masses today lived and worked in Vienna, during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although not Viennese by birth, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Ludwig van Beethoven all three were residents during their life.

Vienna today is still a cultural capital of Europe and visitors can take in much of the old world charm the city presents. The Hapsburgs may no longer rule, but their influence can still be felt to this day.