Austria Travel Planning Essentials

In 976, Leopold I of Babenberg became count of the Eastern March and in 996, the Ostmark was first referred to as “Ostarrichi”. This name eventually became Österreich, which translates as the Eastern (Oster) realm (reich) or Austria, as it is known in English. In 1145, under Henry II, Duke of Austria, Vienna became the capital of the Babenberg dynasty, and Vienna became an important trading centre for the Crusaders on their way to the East.  In 1246, the last Babenberg died, and in 1273, Rudolf von Habsburg became the Holy Roman Emperor. Rudolf I’s success in the Battle of Marchfeld where he defeated King Ottakar II of Bohemia marked the beginning of the Habsburg dynasty, lasting over 600 years. Through key marriages, the Habsburgs expanded their influence across central Europe.

The French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the establishment of the Austrian Empire and in 1867, the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At its dominance, the Austro-Hungarian Empire comprised Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Croatia, and parts of present Poland, Romania, Italy, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, and Montenegro.

In 1914, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian throne, led to World War I.  After World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire ended with the formation of the First Republic of Austria.  In 1938, Austria was annexed (Anschluss) into the German Reich. At the end of WWII, Austria was liberated and controlled by the four Allied powers: the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union. The Austrian State Treaty was signed in May 1955, and on 26 October 1955, all occupation troops  left Austria, and Austria declared its permanent neutrality by an act of parliament, ensuring that modern Austria would align with neither NATO nor the Soviet bloc. This day is now Austria’s National Day, a public holiday.