Austria
The Venus of Willendorf, a 28,000-year-old limestone figurine, stands today in the Museum of Natural History Vienna. This artifact proves that human life existed in the area now known as Austria during the Paleolithic period. By the 6th century BC, Celtic tribes had established the Hallstatt culture here. The city of Hallstatt holds the oldest archaeological evidence of Celts anywhere in Europe. A Celtic Kingdom called Noricum covered most of modern Austria and parts of Slovenia until the Roman Empire conquered it in 16 BC. Rome transformed this territory into a province named Noricum that lasted until 476 AD. Other regions fell under Pannonia to the east and Raetia to the west. Carnuntum served as an important army camp and later capital for nearly 400 years. At its height, Carnuntum housed 50,000 people within its walls.
Leopold of Babenberg received the marchia Orientalis from Emperor Otto II in 976. This territory became known as Ostarrîchi in the first written record from 996. In 1156, the Privilegium Minus elevated Austria to duchy status. Frederick II died in 1246, ending the Babenberg line. Ottokar II of Bohemia took control of Austria, Styria, and Carinthia before his defeat at Dürnkrut in 1278. Rudolph I of Germany defeated him and began Habsburg rule. The Habsburgs accumulated provinces throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. Albert V became Holy Roman Emperor in 1438. Maximilian married Maria of Burgundy in 1477, acquiring most of the Netherlands. Philip the Fair wed Joanna the Mad in 1496, bringing Spain and its global territories under Habsburg control. By 1526, Bohemia and parts of Hungary came under Austrian rule after the Battle of Mohács. Suleiman the Magnificent launched the siege of Vienna in late September 1529. Snowfall ended that attack according to Ottoman historians. John III Sobieski commanded Polish forces defending Vienna during the Great Turkish War. The Treaty of Karlowitz formalized Austrian control over most of Hungary in 1699.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo on the 28th of June 1914 by Gavrilo Princip. This event triggered World War I and the eventual dissolution of Austria-Hungary. Over one million Austro-Hungarian soldiers died during the conflict. On the 11th of November 1918, Emperor Karl declared he would no longer participate in state business. German-Austria proclaimed itself a democratic republic on the 12th of November 1918. The Treaty of Saint-Germain forced the renaming of the state as Republic of Austria in 1919. Inflation devalued the Krone currency until autumn 1922 when an international loan stabilized the economy. The League of Nations supervised this financial rescue. The schilling replaced the Krone in 1925 at a rate of 10,000:1. Engelbert Dollfuss established an autocratic regime in 1933 using what he called self-switch-off of Parliament. Civil war erupted between February 12 and 15, 1934. Several Schutzbund members were executed in February 1934. Dollfuss was assassinated on the 25th of July 1934 during a Nazi coup attempt. Austrian Nazis took over the government on the 12th of March 1938 while German troops occupied the country. Adolf Hitler announced the Anschluss from Vienna's Heldenplatz two days later. A referendum held the 10th of April 1938 showed 99.73% approval among 4,484,475 voters. Mauthausen concentration camp operated throughout the war years killing hundreds of thousands.
Vienna fell to Soviet forces on the 13th of April 1945 during the Vienna offensive. Karl Renner declared Austria's secession from the Third Reich on the 27th of April 1945 with Red Army approval. The Federal Constitutional Law of 1920 became valid again on the 1st of May 1945. Approximately 70 mining and manufacturing companies were seized by the state under nationalization laws passed the 26th of July 1946. Peter Krauland directed these industries as Minister of Property Protection and Economic Planning. The Austrian State Treaty ended Allied occupation on the 15th of May 1955 after years of negotiations influenced by Cold War tensions. All occupation troops left by the 26th of October 1955 when Austria declared permanent neutrality through parliamentary act. This day now marks Austria's National Day public holiday. Kurt Waldheim served as UN Secretary-General before becoming President from 1986 to 1992. A referendum in 1994 gave two-thirds majority consent for EU membership effective the 1st of January 1995. The country joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1995 while maintaining its constitutional ban on foreign military bases.
The Central Eastern Alps constitute 62% of Austria's total area according to geographic surveys. Only about a quarter of the land lies below 300 meters elevation. Forest cover reached 47% of the total land area in 2020, equivalent to 3,899,150 hectares. Naturally regenerating forest covered 2,227,500 hectares while planted forests accounted for 1,671,500 hectares. Average winter temperatures range from minus 10 to 0 degrees Celsius. Summer highs can reach mid-20s with August 2013 recording the highest temperature ever measured. Climate change has caused temperature rises of almost 2 degrees Celsius since 1880. Glaciers are losing mass and snowfall patterns have shifted dramatically. Extreme precipitation events occur more frequently threatening electricity supply security through floods and landslides. The Austrian granite plateau covers 10% of the nation in central Bohemian Mass regions. Vienna basin makes up the remaining 4% of the country's diverse terrain.
Austria's population reached 9,200,931 in July 2025 according to Statistik Austria estimates. Vienna exceeds 2 million people representing about a quarter of the national total. Graz follows with 305,314 inhabitants while Linz has 213,557. At the beginning of 2024, 1.8 million foreign-born residents lived in Austria corresponding to 22.3% of the total population. The largest group comes from Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian speaking countries making up about 5.1% of Austria's total population. People born in Germany form the second largest group followed by those from Turkey and Romania. Approximately 25,000 Romani people constitute an officially recognized ethnic minority since 1994. Carinthian Slovenes number between 13,000 and 40,000 within the state of Carinthia. Serbs form one of the largest ethnic groups numbering around 300,000 people mainly found in Vienna, Salzburg, and Graz. The Austrian Serbian Society was founded in 1936. Total fertility rate dropped to 1.32 children per woman in 2023 below the replacement level of 2.1.
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Common questions
What is the oldest archaeological evidence of human life in Austria?
The Venus of Willendorf, a 28,000-year-old limestone figurine found in Austria, proves that human life existed in the area during the Paleolithic period. The city of Hallstatt holds the oldest archaeological evidence of Celts anywhere in Europe dating back to the 6th century BC.
When did the Habsburgs begin their rule over Austria and what territories did they acquire?
Rudolph I of Germany defeated Ottokar II at Dürnkrut in 1278 and began Habsburg rule over Austria. The Habsburgs accumulated provinces throughout the 14th and 15th centuries including most of the Netherlands through Maximilian's marriage to Maria of Burgundy in 1477 and Spain after Philip the Fair wed Joanna the Mad in 1496.
Who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and when did this event occur?
Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on the 28th of June 1914. This event triggered World War I and led to the eventual dissolution of Austria-Hungary with over one million Austro-Hungarian soldiers dying during the conflict.
What date marks Austria's National Day and how was it established?
Austria declares permanent neutrality through parliamentary act on the 26th of October 1955 which now marks Austria's National Day public holiday. All occupation troops left by this date following the Austrian State Treaty that ended Allied occupation on the 15th of May 1955.
How much of Austria is covered by forests and what percentage comes from natural regeneration?
Forest cover reached 47% of the total land area in 2020 equivalent to 3,899,150 hectares. Naturally regenerating forest covered 2,227,500 hectares while planted forests accounted for 1,671,500 hectares according to geographic surveys.
When did Austria join the European Union and what was the result of the nuclear power referendum?
A referendum gave two-thirds majority consent for EU membership effective the 1st of January 1995. A separate referendum in 1978 voted approximately 50.5% against nuclear power despite a finished plant at Zwentendorf leading Parliament to pass laws forbidding electricity generation from nuclear sources.