Vienna was right alongside Paris and London in beauty, power and importance just before the Second World War – all thanks to Vienna being one of the main transit points between Eastern and Western Europe. It was a place of inspiration for composers and artists; revolutionaries perfected plans and great theories; all while being in Vienna. It was the choice of destination of vacationing amongst the rich, while the poor yearned for it to escape their sorrows and hardship.
Romanticism was not always Vienna’s allure. During the Cold War, Vienna was a mere distance away from the Iron Curtain. With trade ceasing in the East, tourists were far and few in Vienna, which was then just a war-torn city. The city soon made a comeback with the Eastern Jewels – Budapest, Prague, and Krakow -growing in popularity and wealth. The city’s old world charm lured many tourists and it grew in its magnificence.
If you yearn for fin-de-siècle architecture coupled with a fabulously laid back environment, Vienna is the place to visit. The city’s landscape is painted with the finesse of great artists and composers of yesteryear – expect huge palaces on almost every street corner and church steeples piercing the sky above. From European architecture to the medieval Rathaus, Gothic Stephensdom and the Greco-Roman, it is all there in its wonderful splendor.
Take a walk down the streets dotted with quaint little cafes, shops and bakeries. The Viennese are a well-mannered and well-educated lot, fairly conservative as well and speak a fair amount of English.