8 CultureShock! Austria
Upper Austria borders Bavaria and Salzburg and is
primarily an agricultural province. It is home to the largest
section of the Salzkammergut, noted for its lakes and
picturesque towns. Some of the largest and most beautiful
lakes, such as Attersee, Traunsee, Mondsee and Hallstättersee,
can be found here. The town of Hallstatt has been referred
to as the most beautiful lakeside village in the world. Bad
Ischl is said to be the centre of the Salzkammergut. Emperor
Franz Josef spent his summers here and his presence led the
aristocracy and other important people of the 19th century to
make it their summer resort as well. The best-known artists,
composers, writers, poets and actors of the day were drawn
to the town.
Carinthia (Kärnten) is another of Austria’s Alpine provinces.
Yet, Carinthia might be more popular in summer because
of its many lakes. Principal among them is the Wörthersee
near the capital, Klagenfurt. The province borders Slovenia
and is home to a sizeable Slovenian population, particularly
in the Gail, Rosen and Jaun valleys in the southern part
of the province. Although some Slovenian customs and
traditional costumes remain and the Slovenian language is
sometimes heard, the Carinthians are all Austrian. In fact,
following the breakup of the empire in 1918, they voted
to remain part of Austria instead of joining with Slovenia
in Yugoslavia.
Styria (Steiermark) is lovingly called the ‘green province’
of Austria. Forests cover about half the province and pastures
and vineyards cover almost another quarter. Styria also
happens to be the country’s most heavily mined province.
In addition to iron ore, lignite and magnesite are two of the
other economically important minerals found here.
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) is the largest province in
terms of area. More significantly, it is considered to be the
cradle of Austria. This was the very place that was referred
to as the Ostarrichi or Eastern Realm of Charlemagne’s
Frankish Empire. It is from this word that Austria’s name
in German, Österreich, is derived. Because of its strategic
importance, Lower Austria was heavily fortified and ruins dot
the landscape today. This region is also primarily agricultural