Vienna

Vienna is the capital of Republic of Austria. It is a cultural, political and economic centre and is the 10th largest city by population in the European Union. The city centre was designated in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Site in 2001. Major tourist attractions include the imperial palaces of the Hofburg and Schönbrunn - it is also home to Tiergarten Schönbrunn and the world's oldest zoo, and the Riesenrad in the Prater. Hofburg Imperial Palace is a palace, which has housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history, for example the Habsburg dynasty. Now it serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and it is one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna.

Schönbrunn Zoo is the world's oldest and baroque zoo. Schönbrunn zoo was greatly honored by being entrusted with the care of a pair of Chinese Great Pandas in 2003. Schönbrunn zoo is proud of its tropical piece of Borneo and presents colorful orchids, mangrove woods, miniature rice plantations and even tropical storms complete with hard rain, lights, thunder and fog. The Prater is Vienna's most popular funfair. The Prater is situated near the city centre and it is ideal for walking, cycling, jogging or doing sports, relax in an expansive area of parks, forest land and fields. You can find there also the Krieau harness racing track, the Prater Stadium, the Stadionbad or a public swimming pool. The Wiener Riesenrad or Riesenrad is a Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park in Leopoldstadt. Riesenrad is the largest Ferris wheel in Vienna. The Riesenrad is now one of Vienna's most popular tourist attractions and symbols.

Vienna is a cultural haven with a district full of art museums, a dance center and a children's museum and theater. The most popular museums are Albertina, Belvedere, Leopold Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum or the Technisches Museum Wien. The Albertina is a museum, which houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with drawings and the old master prints and also houses temporary exhibitions. The Burg Theater (Court Theatre) is the Austrian National Theatre and one of the most important German language theatres in the world. Music lovers can attend Vienna State Opera concerts and view the homes of composers like Mozart and Haydn. The Vienna Opera House has a world-wide reputation for its first-class opera performances and is also known because of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Vienna is the best known with its balls. There are over 200 significant balls during a year. Balls are held in the many beautiful palaces in Vienna. Vienna is well known for Wiener schnitzel and also has a long tradition of cakes and desserts. In winter, small street stands sell traditional Maroni (hot chestnuts) and potato fritters. I think that Vienna is very interesting and beautiful place for visiting and seeing.

ninika