Austria

B

Political Divisions

Austria is divided into nine provinces: Burgenland, Carinthia (Kärnten), Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), Salzburg, Styria (Steiermark), Tirol, Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), Vienna (Wien), and Vorarlberg.

C

Principal Cities

Vienna, the capital and largest city, has a population of 1,651,437 (2006 estimate). Other important cities include Graz, a centre for heavy industry, with a population of 244,604 (2006 estimate); Linz, the provincial capital of Upper Austria and a port on the Danube, with 188,362 (2006 estimate); Salzburg, a cultural and tourist centre, with 148,473 (2006 estimate); and Innsbruck, the provincial capital of Tirol and a tourist attraction because of the beauty of the city and its location, with 116,851 (2006 estimate).

D

Religion

Roman Catholicism is the religion of about 80 per cent of the population of Austria. Various Protestant denominations account for about 6 per cent. Muslims constitute 1 per cent, and a small minority of the population is Jewish.

E

Language

The official language of Austria is Standard German, which is known by almost the entire population. Slovenian (spoken by between 20,000 and 40,000 people) is an officially recognized, regional language. As well as German, three other Germanic languages are mother tongues for certain numbers of the population: Alemannisch (300,000 speakers; known as “Alsatian” in south-east France); Walser (5,000 to 10,000 speakers); and Bavarian (no available estimate). Croatian is a first language for at least 100,000 Austrians, while Hungarian is a mother tongue for at least 20,000 people. Sinte Romani, a Yugoslav language, is used by a very small minority. Non-indigenous languages spoken in Austria include Turkish, Polish, Kurmanji, French, Greek, and Czech.

F

Education

The basis of the Austrian educational system is the national law that requires school attendance for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. Austria’s long tradition of free education dates from the Educational Reform Act of 1774, instituted by Empress Maria Theresa. This law, which was expanded in 1867 and again in 1962, largely accounts for the fact that 99 per cent of the population is able to read and write. Educational spending accounted for 9.5 per cent of the Austrian national budget in 1993.

Although the foundations of Austria’s present educational system were laid in the 18th century, its roots can be traced to the monastic schools of the Middle Ages. One such school, the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, has been in continuous operation by the order of Benedictines since 1155. Under German occupation from 1938 to 1945, the country’s schools suffered severe restraints on their teaching programmes. Since World War II, various programmes have been inaugurated to expand and strengthen the educational system.

Austria has received international recognition for the high quality of its medical training. In the arts it has sought new approaches to the awakening of students’ creative interests, especially in the field of art education under the leadership of Franz Čizek. In many aspects, Austrian schools were among the first anywhere to be marked by a general trend towards progressive education.

All students attend elementary school (Volksschule) for four years. Children who will end their schooling at the age of 15 either enter vocational school or continue at the Volksschule. Secondary education is limited to ages 10 to 18, and is required for admission to a university. In 2000 some 392,339 students attended about 3,700 primary schools, and more than 496,400 students were enrolled in some 1,180 secondary schools.

Austria has an extensive system of special schools and adult education centres. In 1995 over 309,100 students were enrolled in vocational schools and teacher-training institutions.

The largest of Austria’s 26 university-level institutions is the University of Vienna (1365). Other major universities are the Karl Franzens University of Graz (1585), Innsbruck University (1669), and Salzburg University (1622). Austria has technical universities; colleges of mining, agriculture, veterinary medicine, and commerce; and five academies of fine arts and music, which also offer summer courses that attract foreign students. University enrolment in 2001–2002 was 223,735.