Brief historical introduction to the city of Vienna and the country of Austria.

5th cent. BC

Celtic settlements are established in the area around modern-day Vienna. However, the Danube valley had already been inhabited for several thousand years. One proof of this is the fertility statute "Venus von Willendorf" which is about 25,000 years old.

12 AD

The Romans establish the military camp "Vindobona" on the southern banks of the Danube, exactly on the place where the center of Vienna is today.

213 AD

Vindobona becomes a Roman city.

5th cent. AD

With the collapse of the Western Empire, the Romans abandon Vindobona.

803

After the Avar wars (791-796), Emperor Charlemagne founds the "Ostmark" (Ost = east + Mark = borderland).

996

The name "Ostarriche" appears for the first time on a document. The German name for Austria is still "Österreich" (Ost = east + Reich = kingdom) today.

1156

Vienna becomes the city of residence of the Dukedom of Austria under the Babenberg dynasty.

1278

The army of the Bohemian King Ottokar II loses the battle of the Marchfeld against the troops of Rudolph I of Habsburg. From then on, Vienna becomes a possession of the Habsburg family. For 640 years, the city remains in the hands of the Habsburgs who make an indelible impact on it, starting with the construction of the Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral) and the foundation of the University of Vienna during the Middle Ages.

1477

Emperor Maximilian I marries Mary of Burgundy: the first example of "marriage diplomacy" used by the Habsburgs to gain territory.

1526

After the battle of Mohács, the Habsburgs inherit the crown of Hungary. Vienna becomes the center of Europe's largest empire.

1529

Vienna is besieged by the Turks for the first time, unsuccessfully.

1679

The plague causes around 100,000 victims in Vienna.

1683

Second Turkish siege of Vienna. The city is saved only after allied troops under the command of the Polish King Jan Sobieski defeat the Turks in the battle of the Kahlenberg near Vienna. In the following decades, the military leader Eugene of Savoy manages to drive the Turks back to the Balkans, eventually eliminating the Turkish threat on Vienna once and for all.

1740-1790

Under Empress Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, a policy of reforms and modernization is undertaken. Administration is centralized; school education becomes obligatory; Vienna’s main hospital is opened; and freedom of religion is established.

1815

The Congress of Vienna redraws the map of Europe after the Napoleonic wars. The following 33 years are marked by a very conservative and tight regime under Count Metternich.

1848

In 1848 the Viennese stage a revolt against the Habsburgs, but the imperial troops suppress the revolution. Nevertheless, the time of the old regime is up: the feeble Emperor Ferdinand abdicates and Count Metternich goes into exile. The 18-year-old Franz Joseph I becomes emperor.

1857

The city walls are dismantled and the "Ringstraße" (Ring = ring + Straße = street) is built, marked by the construction of grandiose buildings over the decades to come: the Rathaus (Rat = council + Haus = house), the Burgtheater (Burg = castle + Theater = theater), the Parlament, and the Staatsoper (Staat = state + Oper = opera) among others.

1866

After the lost battle of Königsgrätz against the Prussians, the Habsburgs redirect their ambitions for power towards the Balkans, thus laying the strategic pattern that leads to the First World War.

1867

Weakened by military defeats, Emperor Franz Josef I has to give in to demands to make Austria a constitutional monarchy. Through the "Ausgleich", an agreement with the Hungarians, the Austro-Hungarian Empire comes into existence.

~ 1900

The city of Vienna prospers under a relatively tolerant regime. Arts and sciences flourish. Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig, and many other intellectuals live and work in Vienna. The Austrian Art Nouveau movement, the "Viennese Secession", develops in the city.

1910

Vienna numbers more than 2 million inhabitants, including a large Jewish community that consists mainly of immigrants from the remote province of Galicia (today part of Poland and Ukraine).

1918

After the First World War, the Habsburg empire collapses and the much smaller Republic of Austria is proclaimed. Austria is a democratic state for 16 years. During this time an overwhelming majority comes to believe that Austria cannot survive alone and should be united with Germany, although this is prohibited by the 1918 peace treaty of St. Germain.

1922

Vienna becomes a "Bundesland" (Bundes = federal + Land = state) within the Federal Republic of Austria. The Social-democrats start an ambitious housing program.

1934

After a coup d’état by the "Austrofascists", a clerical-fascist dictatorship is established in Austria under the leadership of Engelbert Dollfuss.

1938

German troops enter the country with the strong support of many Austrians. On the Heldenplatz in Vienna, Hitler's proclamation of the so-called "Anschluss" (annexation) of Austria to the Third Reich is welcomed by enthusiastic applause.

1938-1945

During the Nazi rule, Vienna becomes a provincial capital in the German Reich and the vast majority of Vienna’s Jewish population is killed or forced to emigrate.

1945-1955

Vienna is placed under Allied administration; the first district of the city is governed jointly. The Austrian republic and large parts of the population deny responsibility for the atrocities committed under the Nazi regime. Austria is considered, and considers itself, as the "first victim of National-socialism".

1955

After the Austrian State Treaty, the Allies leave the country. Austria declares itself neutral.

1986

Only during the chancellorship of the Social-democrat Franz Vranitzky, Austria starts to face up to its Nazi past and accept responsibility for it. This process, however, is disturbed by the emergence of Jörg Haider's extreme-right Freedom Party.

1995

Austria becomes a member of the European Union.

1996

Austria celebrates the first millennium of its existence.

2000

After the Christian-democrats form a coalition with Mr. Haider’s Freedom Party to govern the country, Austria is put under close surveillance by its European partners.

2001

In an impressive landslide victory, the Social-democrats of Michael Häupl manage to regain the absolute majority in Vienna’s city council.

LearnPlus Guides > German Guide Index > Vienna Guide Index > History