Vienna at a Glance

Vienna is a historically grown city with roots back to at least Roman times. It is the capital of Austria and is the second largest city in all German speaking countries. Vienna has around 1,9 million inhabitants which accounts to almost a quarter of Austria’s population. The rise of Vienna certainly started with the Habsburg Empire from the 13th century onwards. With the second half of the 19th century Vienna grew tremendously. With the removal of the two city walls more and more parts (outer districts) surrounding the inner city were added to the city.

Today, Vienna consists of 23 districts from the 1st being the center of the city to the 23rd, called Liesing, at the border to Lower Austria. Essentially, the layout is logical. From the city center the districts 2 – 9 make up the inner districts and are arranged clock-wise when facing north. The border to the outer districts is marked by the so-called Guertel which used to be the second city wall. The districts 10 – 23 are then located outside the Guertel.

Only two districts of Vienna, the 21st and 22nd, are located across the Danube to its north. The starting point in Vienna is always the center with St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansplatz). When moving from the center odd number of houses are always on the left side of the street. Number 1 always starts at the house of a street closest to the city center. The area codes of all the 23 districts always start with a 1 and are 4 digits long with the 2nd and 3rd digit combined indicating the number of the district, e.g. 1010 is the 1st district or 1210 the 21st.

Vienna’s 23 districts are:

With its 1,9 million inhabitants Vienna enjoys high standards of living, a well developed public sector (health care, public transport, etc.).

For ten consecutive years Vienna has ranked on top of the list of Mercer’s Quality of Life Survey. Vienna often serves as an example for urban planners and is increasingly developing its smart city aspect.

Still, Vienna is rich in culture and its heritage. It houses one of the most important Operas in the world – the Vienna State Opera. Cultural events take place throughout the year – starting with the New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to the numerous public and free-of-charge festivals in summer. Those that want to relax from the vibrant chaos of the city can do so in its many parks from the largest, the Viennese Prater, to the Donauinsel.