Vienna

Keystone

The Austrian capital ensures that its reputation as a European classical cultural hub is well maintained. But contemporary arts have a harder time.

Landing in Vienna offers a suggestion that the city is all about modernity: giant windmills dominate the landscape, the result of Austria’s decision to drop nuclear power.

Vienna’s western railway station however comes across as cold, dirty and sad.

“Vienna’s stations are ugly,” admits Christina Zurbrügg, a Swiss singer, actor and director who has lived in Austria for more than 20 years. “There’s something sinister about the city. In winter, you only notice the fog.”

Zurbrügg says she misses Switzerland’s language diversity.

“You hear a lot of Turkish or Polish here, but I don’t understand those languages. Nobody would say here that it’s great to speak different languages, that they want to speak Polish.”

She is not entirely negative about Vienna though. Zurbrügg sees the city as somewhere safe where you can walk at night without feeling threatened.

She also appreciates the multitude of leisure activities available despite living in a major city. “You can’t do that in Paris or Rome,” she told swissinfo.

These advantages come with a price though, as can be seen in the shops and restaurants in the centre of the city. The cost of living is comparable with any major European metropolis.

Shoppers’ delight?

All the cultural monuments that are Vienna’s pride and joy – the opera, the Burg theatre, the Hofburg, the concert hall and the museums – are to be found along the old imperial Ring, the beltway surrounding the historical centre.

Inside the Ring, the town hall, the parliament, the university and the many churches shine with renovated facades – a stark contrast to the city’s generally grimy buildings.

It’s here, between the town hall plaza and Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square), that fans will convene during Euro 08, with room for 70,000 people. The shops will also be allowed to open on Sundays, something owners have been demanding for years.

But most stores will stay shut: shopkeepers reckon that football fans aren’t likely to be their kind of clientele. They point to similar experiences during the World Cup in Germany two years ago, which failed to produce the kind of bonanza everyone hoped for.

Others say they aren’t prepared to beef up security and worry about vandalism. Theft also rides high on the list of concerns.

Swiss parallels

The Vienna authorities are busy promoting the city’s architectural heritage, shopping and its cultural institutions. “Opera is a magnet for some tourists,” says Maria Bill.

Bill, who is active on the cultural scene, has lived in the Austrian capital since 1978. She reckons the city has become more open and friendly over the past 30 years, but adds that its inhabitants are not always enthusiastic about everything new, foreign or local.

She sees plenty of parallels with Switzerland. The fear of a so-called foreign invasion is stronger than any desire to meet other people.

Bill is also critical of cultural policy. “Vienna is not very open towards creative young artists,” she says. “Contemporary artists find it difficult to establish themselves, because there isn’t enough support from the authorities.”

Christina Zurbrügg admits that times have changed in Austria. “In the 1990s we were able to produce musicals on a regular basis. We could count on fixed subsidies. Those days are well and truly over.”

Austrian music, including so-called Austropop such as Falco, also has a hard time making its voice heard. Radio stations hardly broadcast it anymore according to Zurbrügg.

And it’s not surprising. According to the media, 75 per cent of subsidies go to traditional cultural institutions – a way perhaps of ensuring that the imperial past remains strong in the 21st century republic.

swissinfo, Andreas Keiser in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is both the national as well a provincial capital.

Around 1.7 million people, a fifth of the Austrian population, live in Vienna, making it the tenth-biggest city in Europe.

Besides New York and Geneva, Vienna is one of the headquarters of the United Nations. UN organisations employ 4,000 people from 100 nations in the city.

The International Atomic Energy Agency was the first UN agency to make the move to Vienna.

Euro 08 in Vienna

Matches will take place at the Ernst Happel stadium. Renovated and re-opened in 2005, it can seat 50,000.

It is on the outskirts of the city, near the famous Prater amusement park.

Games:

June 8: Austria-Croatia
June 12: Austria-Poland
June 16: Austria-Germany
June 20: winner group B – runner-up group A
June 22: winner group D – runner-up group C
June 26: semifinal
June 26: final