Vienna (Ger. Wien), the capital and largest town of the Austrian empire, is situated in Lower Austria, on the Danube Canal (Donau Kanal), a south branch of the Danube. The small river
Wien flows through part of the town to join the canal. Vienna proper (pop. in 1880, 726,000; in 1890, 831,472) consists of the Inner City (Innere Stadt) and eight districts or sections completely surrounding it—viz. Leopoldstadt, Landstrasse, Wieden, Margarethen, Mariahilf, Neubau, Alsergrund, and Favoriten. These, with the exception of the last, an artisans' quarter, are enclosed by fortifications known as the Lines (Linie), though that name is now usually confined to the fifteen gates of the fortifications. Immediately beyond the Lines are nine populous suburbs included (since 1890) within the Vienna police-district, which has a total area of 51 sq. m., and pop. (1890) of 1,364,548. The irregular hexagon formed by the Inner City was until 1858 enclosed by an inner line of fortifications, the site of which is now occupied by the Ringstrasse, a series of handsome boulevards, 55 yards wide, which bound five of its sides. The sixth side is bounded by the Franz-Josefs Quay, on the Danube Canal. Though Vienna contains buildings of the 14th and even of the 13th century, it is, in its present form, essentially a modern city; nearly all the most conspicuous and pretentious public buildings date from the later half of the 19th century. Modernity too is characteristic of the Viennese; they are sprightly, good-tempered, and pleasure-loving, fond of music, dancing, and the theatre. The Inner City and the Ringstrasse are the handsomest and most fashionable quarters. In the former are the cathedral of St Stephen (1300–1510), with a tower 450 feet in height; the Hofburg or imperial palace, a large and irregular pile of very various dates; and many palaces of the nobility. On one side or other of the Ringstrasse rise the Exchange; the University (1874–84); the huge Gothic New Rathaus (1873–83), built at a cost of over three-quarters of a million sterling; the Parliament House; the Supreme Law Courts; the Imperial Museums of Natural History and of Art (1872–86), twin buildings on either side of the imposing monument of the Empress Maria Theresa (unveiled 1888); the imperial Opera-house; the Academy of Art; the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry, &c. In other parts of the city are the Arsenal; the Josephinum, a medical college founded in 1784; the Votive Church, an admirable specimen of modern Gothic, built in 1856–79 to commemorate the emperor's escape from assassination in 1853; and many other handsome sacred and secular edifices. Vienna is well provided with public parks, the largest being the Prater (7 sq. m.), one of the finest parks in Europe, opened in 1766. In educational, scientific, artistic, and benevolent institutions the city is very rich. The university, founded in 1365 and renowned throughout the world as a medical school, has a teaching-staff of 350 and over 6000 students. The magnificent public picture-gallery, formerly in the château of Belvedere, now in the Museum of Art, is specially famous for its unrivalled examples of the Venetian school, Rubens, and Dürer. There are also several noted private galleries. The Public Hospital, with 2000 beds, is perhaps the largest hospital in Europe.
Vienna is the chief industrial city in the empire, the factories being mostly in the districts of Neubau and Mariahilf and outside the Lines. Machinery, scientific and musical instruments, artistic goods in bronze, leather, terra-cotta, porcelain, &c., bent wood furniture, meerschaum-pipes, &c. are among the noted manufactures of Vienna. As a centre of trade and finance Vienna is no less important. Grain, flour, cattle, seeds, wines, and manufactured goods of all kinds are annually handled here to an immense aggregate value. Over 2½ million pounds were spent in 1868–81 in regulating the channel of the Danube so as to render the river navigable at all times, and a new mercantile quarter is gradually springing up between the canal and the main stream. The chief local authority is the Gemeinderath, or city council (consisting of a burgomaster, two vice-burgomasters, and 120 councillors), which is assisted by local committees or councils in the various districts.
Vienna occupies the site of the Roman Vindobona, which was established in 14 A.D. as the successor of the Celtic settlement of Vindomina. The beginning of its present importance, however, dates only from the period of the Crusades, which directed a steady stream of traffic through it. In 1276 it became the capital of the Hapsburg dynasty. The famous siege of Vienna by the Turks lasted from July 14 to September 12, 1683, when it was relieved by John Sobieski of Poland.
Treaties have been concluded at Vienna in 1738, between the Emperor Charles VI. and the Infanta of Spain as to the kingdom of the Two Sicilies; in 1809, between Napoleon and the Austrians, after the defeat of the latter at Wagram; in 1864, settling affairs after the war of Prussia and Austria against Denmark; and in 1866, between Francis Joseph of Austria and Victor Emmanuel of Italy, ceding Venetia to Italy. The great Congress of Vienna (20th September 1814 to 10th June 1815) met to regulate the affairs of Europe after the overthrow of the Napoleonic empire, and restore the 'balance of power.' Alexander I. and Nesselrode were there in the interests of Russia; the king of Prussia was supported by Hardenberg; Castlereagh, and afterwards Wellington, represented Britain; Metternich was Austrian plenipotentiary; Talleyrand secured a hearing for France; Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Rome, and the minor German states were also represented. The chief final outcome was that Austria obtained Lombardy, Venetia, Illyria, Dalmatia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg, and East Galicia; Prussia the province of Saxony, Posen, Swedish Pomerania, Westphalia, and the Rhenish Province; Hanover, extended in area and made a kingdom, fell to the Hanoverian dynasty in Britain; Britain secured Malta, Heligoland, Cape Colony, and Mauritius, and the protectorate of the Ionian Islands; Belgium and Holland were united as the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Norway was confirmed to Sweden; the Duchy of Warsaw (Poland) was made over to Russia, and the republic of Cracow was constituted; the neutrality of Switzerland was guaranteed, and Neuchâtel (under Prussian sovereignty) added to the confederation; the German confederation was constituted with numerous internal rearrangements; and the former ruling houses were reinstated in Naples, Sardinia (to which Genoa was annexed), Tuscany, and Modena, Parma being given to the ex-empress Maria Louisa; the papal see recovered nearly all its possessions; and France was restricted to very nearly the territory it possessed before the Revolution. The signing of the treaty (9th June) was hastened by the news of Napoleon's return from Elba. The Jews have been predominant in medicine and law professions, banking, the press, and many manufactures; and here also Anti-Semitism is very rampant.
See works by Weiss (1886), Waagen (1867), Lützow (1878), Forster, Seis, Bermann, Maurer, Winkler, &c.; histories by Hormayr (1824), Weiss (1882), and Bermann (1880); on the congress there are, besides the Acts (9 vols.), works by Flassan (Par. 1829) and Angeberg (Par. 1864).