Vienna is a real treasure trove when it comes to imperial architecture, music and high culture. Famous white Lipizzan horses make impressive feats while the Vienna Boys' Choir sings to melodies of Strauss and Mozart and elegantly dressed people eat their Wiener Schnitzel while queueing up for tickets in front of the Vienna Opera Ball in the Vienna State Opera. In the distance, you can hear happy yodeling Austrians dancing waltz in Lederhosen and Dirndeln out of pure joy that the hills are still alive.
This might be your idea of Austria and Vienna. And to some extent, you are right. But Vienna is much more than that.
Since the late eighties and early nineties she has evolved into a modern and hip city. Several quality of life studies place Vienna on top of the cities with the highest standard of living each year. About a hundred years ago, Vienna has been the 4th most populated city in the world and the capital of a huge empire in the heart of Europe. Two world wars and several finacial crises later, Vienna is now the - much too big - capital city of a tiny country with 9 million people, but retained its grandeur and imperial flair.