As the city of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and many other famous people, Vienna is not only the capital and the largest city of Austria, but it is also considered to be the cultural capital of Europe. Situated in the northeastern part of the country, Vienna has extended during the times, and nowadays its area covers both sides of the Danube with a population of about 2.0 million inhabitants. Being an old Celtic and Roman settlement, the name of Vienna has Celtic roots. It comes from the Celtic word “windo” which means fair or bright, but as there are other opinions too, this statement can be discussed. Due to its rich historical past and the relics kept of different architectural styles, both with its reputation to the City of Music and of Dreams, Vienna is well-known as one of the most popular tourist destinations. 

Vienna consists of 23 districts, that have their own names and, at the same time they are numbered from 1 to 23. So, the 1^st District is the center. This is the Old town of Vienna or Innere Stadt with the remarkable Ringstrasse or Ring Boulevard, built to replace the medieval city walls. All other districts are situated around the center in a way to present their own individual culture and style. 

As the capital of Austria, Vienna is the main financial center of the country and houses a large number of important international companies and organizations. Some of them are Vienna InternationalCenter, the United Nations offices, International Atomic Energy Agency, and some Civil War sites. Vienna is also the preferred destination for international conferences that take place regularly.

Vienna attracts over five million tourists a year and this number is growing from year to year. In comparison with 2011, the overnight stays in 2012 mark a new record – up to 7.5%. There are many places and historical buildings in Vienna which are worth visiting. All of them are concentrated in three distinct areas: Schönbrunn palace – this is a complex with an area of about 1.6 km² with the fabulous formal gardens – well-known in the time of Maria Theresia. It was the famous imperial summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty with more than 1400 rooms that only 40 are currently opened for tourists to visit. The name of the palace means “beautiful fountain” and this fountain still exists as a decorative element. The walls` paintings reveal many historical scenes like the death of Austria's most famous Emperor, Franz Josef, the arrival of Napoleon and his troops, the meeting between Kennedy and Krushchev in 1961….Hofburg palace – the former winter residence of the Habsburg dynasty which is now the official one of the President of Austria; Museumsquartier which occupies the 8^th place in the list of the largest cultural area in the world. 

The names of the most visited tourist attractions include:

1. Stephansdom or St.Stephen's Cathedral – this monument is a part of the world's cultural heritage and is considered to be the symbol of Vienna`s freedom. Its Gothic style and impressive architecture attract many visitors every year. 
2. Augarten palace – it is situated in the oldest Baroque garden in Vienna. Firstly, it was a summer residence to an aristocratic family, but after that – in 1780 Emperor Joseph II bought it and, today Palais Augarten is the seat of the Vienna Boys’ Choir.
3. Justizpalast or Justice Palace – situated in the central district, built during the period of six years /from 1875 to 1881/, in a neo-renaissance style, today this is thе Supreme Court and thе Federal Ministry оf Justice in Austria.
4. Belvedere palace – this is a complex of buildings in Baroque style and it was known as a summer residence to Prince Eugene of Savoy. The complex includes two palaces - The Lower Belvedere (Belvedere Unteres) and The Upper Belvedere (Belvedere Oberes), the Palace Stables and the Orangery.
5. Lainzer Tiergarten – this is a beautiful and green park whose area reaches 24.50 km². It represents a wildlife sanctuary created by Ferdinand I in 1561. 
6. The Prater – it`s a big park for entertainment and fun. It offers 250 attractions, restaurants, cafés, and bars. Undoubtedly, the most popular attraction here is the Giant Ferris Wheel followed by the largest chairplanes in the world. The visitors can try Ejection Seat, Turbo Boost Bungee Jump, trampolines, go-carts, motorboats, ghost houses, a flying carpet, shooting galleries a crazy house and maze, arcades, cinemas and merry-go-rounds, miniature golf, swings, and many others. There is the Prater Museum as a symbol of the past and the Planetarium as a symbol of development.

Having a big musical legacy, Vienna offers to its visitor's many theatre and opera houses, such as the Theater an der Wien, the Staatsoper /this is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world and one of the leading cultural institutions of the Austrian capital/ and the Volksoper. The tourists can enjoy the classical concerts that are performed at famous venues. One of them is Vienna`s Musikverein – the home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

In Vienna can be founded more than 100 art museums. Some of them are:

1. Leopold Museum – situated in the Museumsquarter, opened in 2001, dedicated to modern Austrian Art, this museum contains the collections of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
2. Albertina – situated in the 1^st district in Vienna, this museum is famous for its print room that contains approximately one million modern graphic works, architectural drawings and photographs, and approximately 65 000 drawings.
3. MUMOK or Museum of Modern Art – possesses a big collection of 7 000 contemporary artworks from famous people like Pablo Picasso, Wolf Vostell, Jasper Johns, and many others.
4. The Austrian TheatreMuseum – keep the history of Austrian theatre.

There are many other museums in Vienna that must be mentioned - the Technical Museum, the Burial Museum, the Military History Museum, the KunstHausWien, the Museum of Art Fakes, the Mozarthaus Vienna and the Sigmund Freud Museum and last but not least the group of Vienna Museum which includes all museums on the history of the city.

In addition to all of Vienna`s sights mentioned above, there are also the smaller places that have their own exceptional atmosphere and it is hard to be forgotten once they have been seen. Some of these places are:

1. Bellevue Heights – a museum connected to the life and works of Sigmund Freud, it is a place where he established his medical practice. It`s here that he conducted his surveys and wrote the book “The Interpretation of Dreams” which was the biggest success in your life. Just for this book, Freud was called the father of psychoanalysis, and Vienna has become the “City of Dreams”.
2. Wotruba Church – situated on the hill called Sankt Georgenberg, this church represents a completely different building in comparison with all other buildings in Vienna. It was created in 1976 by Fritz Wotruba – one of the most important Austrian sculptors. The architecture of the church is really exciting – it is made of 152 giant concrete blocks of different sizes, each with a weight between 2 and 140 tons, situated in the manner like Lego blocks. The main purpose of these asymmetrical blocks was just to disturb the environmental harmony.
3. Cemetery of the Nameless – this is one of the 55 cemeteries in Vienna which is the most impressive and extraordinary.

Vienna has a humid continental climate with four seasons and a temperature between -3°C and 26°C during the year. The summer is warm and sunny. In winter, the climate is mild in comparison to other European cities with average temperatures at about freezing point. The two other seasons – spring and autumn are fresh and mild with a daily temperature around 14°C - 17°C. The precipitations are moderated throughout the year in the manner that there is no dry season in Vienna.

Did you know? ..... 10 Interesting Facts about Vienna

1. Vienna is the only federal republic in Austria.
2. The German language was widely spoken in Vienna which ranged it at the first place of German-speaking city in the world until the beginning of the 20th century.
3. From 2009 to 2012 Vienna is on the top of the best cities for living in according to the annual "Quality of Living" survey.
4. This is the only capital city to produce its own wine.
5. Tiergarten Schönbrunn - the oldest zoological garden in the world is located in Vienna.
6. Zentralfriedhof, with its total size of 2.5 square kilometers, is the second-largest cemetery in Europe, and it is present in Vienna.
7. Imperial Treasury in Vienna possesses the largest emerald in the world.
8. The oldest Giant Wheel is the biggest attraction in the Prater - Vienna`s popular amusement park.
9. Each year Vienna is the house of more than 300 Balls.
10. Vienna`s city center is considered to be a World Heritage Site.