SC 2009 - Survival Guide

 

 

 

Arrival & Accomodation:

We will wait for you where you will arrive and take you to the accomodation ! Just fill out your arrivalinformation in the spreadsheet. 

By plane

The Vienna International Airport is situated about 15 kilometers outside the city. The cheapest way (3,40 €, buy ticket in advance) to get to the dormitory is taking the metropolitan train (Schnellbahn) S7 to “Rennweg”.

Do not take the City Airport Train (CAT) because is much more expensive.

It might be cheaper to take a plane to the airport in Bratislava (www.skyeurope.com), which is 70 km away from Vienna. From there you have a direct shuttle bus to Vienna.

By train

There are two international train stations in Vienna. At “Westbahnhof”, trains from and to Western Europe arrive and depart, and at “Südbahnhof”, trains from and to Southern Europe and some countries of Eastern Europe arrive and depart. More information about railways in Austria can be found at www.oebb.at.

By bus

You can also get to Vienna by bus, for further information check the page of www.eurolines.com and other international bus companies.

On our regular webpage, we provide more detailed and up-to-date cheap travel tips. 
There is also a map of the Vienna public transport system (only underground and S-Bahn).

When you finally come to Vienna ... let us know before, so that we can try to pick you up from the place where you arrive.

Important Phone Numbers

Raphael: +43 699 105 23 233

Flo: +43 676 936 1983

What to Bring

• Health INSURANCE (very important!)
• comfortable and robust shoes for the hiking trip (at least robust trainers)
• a small backpack
• a light sleeping bag (for the tent)
• suncream and sunglasses
• house shoes/ slippers (for the hut and hostel)
• raincoat 
• towel / bathing towel
• a flashlight
• bathing suit or bikini if you want to try out the temperature of the Danube/Neusiedlersee
• elegant clothes (nice shirt with elegant trousers or skirt, maybe tie)
• some special food, some alcoholic drink and a song or dance from your country (for international evening- you may buy things in Austria too, but keep in mind that kitchen space is rare!)

For the whole two weeks:

• motivation
• joy
• a bright smile :)

Prices

For people who are interested in how much things cost in Vienna - here is a sample price list:

Item	Price
0.5l beer in the shop	0.8 €
0.5l beer in the pub	3 - 4.5 €
chocolate (100g Milka)	0.8 €
roll	0.3 €
bread (½ a kilo)	2.5 €
1l milk	1 €
Big Mac	2.89 €
dinner at china restaurant	8 €
dinner at the mensa (student's bar)	3 - 6 €
0.33l Coca-Cola (can)	0.45 €
1l fruit juices	0.5 - 1.5 €
visit at the cinema	5-10 €
entrance fee at the disco	5 - 15 €
condom	1 €

Shops are generally open workdays 8:00 to 19:30, and saturdays 8:00 to 17:00. There are only few shops which have long opening hours or have even open on Sunday; these shops are located at the train stations.

The Currency in Austria is the EURO (EUR); 1 EUR equals 100 cents. There is no problem with exchanging foreign currencies in Austria. You can change money at many exchange points, at the banks or at exchange machines.

Language Course

In Austria the official language is German. A lot of people understand English, so it may be possible to survive in Vienna without speaking German. Nevertheless it is always good to know some important phrases of the local language.

You may have learned (german) German in school, but be warned that the austrian German has lots of different words and phrases compared to the german German, especially when it comes to food. Viennese people also have a distinct (nicer :-) ) accent.

English	Standard German	Viennese Dialect
Hello	Hallo	Servas
Goodbye!	Auf Wiedersehen!	Dere, baba
Good morning	Guten Morgen	Muang
Good night	Gute Nacht	Gude Nocht
Thank You (very much)	Danke (schön)	Daunk da
Please	Bitte	Bittsche
Excuse me	Entschuldigung	Tschuidigns vümois
Friend	Freund	Haberer
I'm drunk!	Ich bin bedrunken!	I'hab an dulliö!
Money	Geld	Kohle
I love you.	Ich liebe dich.	I find di klass.
It's so hot inside, let's get out!	Es ist so heiß, gehen wir nach draussen!	Do is so heiß, gemma ausse!
I am a strawberry, eat me!	Ich bin eine Erdbeere, iss mich!	I bin a Erdbeer, iss mi!
Do you want to dance?	Willst du mit mir tanzen?	Wüst mit mir tonzn?
I appreciate your offer, but I have to go home and sleep now.	Danke für dein Angebot, aber ich muss nach Hause gehen und schlafen.	Donk da, oba i muas ham gehn und mi in d'Kistn haun.
What do you mean? I'm not that kind of person.	Was denkst du von mir? Ich bin nicht so eine Person!	Wos denkst denn vo mia? Ich bin do net so ane/ana!
I wanna be your lover!	Ich will dein Liebhaber/deine Liebhaberin sein!	I wü dei Schatzi sei!
Do you want to see my butterfly (stamps, etc..) collection?	Willst du meine Schmetterlings- (Briefmarken-, ...) Kollektion sehen?	Gemma vögeln!
Where is the nearest bank (post office)?	Wo finde ich die nächste Bank (Post)?	Wo is'n di nächste Bonk (Post)?
to the left, to the right	nach links, nach rechts	noch links, noch rechts
straight ahead	gerade aus	grod aus
up, down	hinauf, hinunter	aufe, owe
sugar, salt, pepper	Zucker, Salz, Pfeffer	Zucka, Soiz, Pfeffa
milk, coffe, tea	Milch, Kaffee, Tee	Müch, Kaffee, Tee
tomatoes	Tomaten	Paradeiser
raisin	Rosine	Weimberl
crust of bread	-	Scherzl
sausage	Wurst	Hasse
sausage (which cheese inside)	Käsekrainer	Eitrige
breakfast, dinner, supper	Frühstück, Mittagessen, Abendessen	Frühstück, Mittogessn, Nochtmoi
eat, drink, sleep	essen, trinken, schlafen	essn, trinkn, schlofn
Austria	Österreich	-
I am lost.	Ich bin verloren.	Ich hob mi total vafronzt.
Do you speak English?	Sprechen Sie Englisch?	Sprechen's Englisch?
I don't speak German.	Ich spreche kein Deutsch.	Ich nix Deutsch.

 

Vienna

To the casual observer the city seems like a film set, or an open-air museum. And yet the new Vienna is visible everywhere too. It's still the great pulsating metropolis which set supreme standards in urban coexistence at the turn of the century(urban planners might strongly disagree), but now the cliches only partly apply. Vienna is old and new alike, tradition-oriented yet progressive. Cosy yet sophisticated.

Facts & Numbers

• Vienna is the capital of Austria
• Inhabitants: about 1.67 milion
• Area: 415 sq km
• Latitude: 48° 12' North
• Longitude: 16° 22' East
• Altidude: 171 m
• Mayor: Michael Häupl (Social Democrats)

History

about 100 AD

The Romans build a military complex and a civil city which is called Vindobona.

1137

The first documents mention Vienna as a city.

1156

Vienna becomes the capital of Austria, under the rule of the Babenberger

1365

The University of Vienna is founded by Rudolf IV

1529 & 1683

The Turks besiege Vienna two times. Legend has that after their second defeat a viennese baker made a special pastry formed like the turkish half-moon, which became the famous "Croissant". The siege also brings coffee to Vienna, which evolves into the viennese coffee tradition.

after 1683

Baroque changes the face of Vienna, which becomes a cultural center of Europe (e.g. Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven).

1752

The zoo in Schönbrunn is opened.

1804

The austrian empire is founded. Vienna becomes the capital of an empire spannig over the territories of todays northern italy, austria, slovenia, croatia, hungary, slovakia, czech, poland, parts of ukraine, serbia and romania. Vienna becomes the cultural melting pot of central europe.

1815

Teaching begins at the "Polytechnic Institute", which turns into Vienna University of Technology.

1850

The city is extended to include the suburban villages. Industrialization transforms Vienna.

about 1870

The city walls are removed and Ringstraße is built. The meandering danube gets trained into a new straight riverbed in an effort to control the frequent flooding of Vienna. The sidearm next to the inner city becomes the danube channel.

1918

The number of inhabitants peaks at about 2.4 million. After the second world war, the austrian empire breaks apart. Vienna gets the capital of the first repulic of Austria

1942 - 1945

In the end of the second world war, the 6 "Flaktürme" (anti-air artillery towers) are built for around the city center. They are still standing today, as their sheer size makes them virtually indestructible.

1945 - 1955

After the second world war, Vienna is divided into four parts which are controlled by the British, French, Russian and American military.

1972-1988

In an effort to protect Vienna from a once-a-thousand-years flood, a discharge channel is dug next to the river bed. It is called "new danube" and the island created by this project is known as the danube island.

1976

One of Vienna's landmarks, the "Reichsbrücke", collapses into the danube. It gets rebuilt.

1979

Vienna becomes the third town - after New York and Geneva - to host a permanent representation of the United Nations.

2003

BEST Vienna becomes a Baby LBG and hosts an IBS as its first Vivaldi event.

2005

BEST Vienna organises its first BEST course.

Major sights

Stephansdom

The Stephansdom (Cathedral of Saint Stephan) is the main church of Vienna. It is situated in the middle of the first district - the historic center of the town, which the UNESCO declared as World Cultural Heritage. The church was built in Gothic style (building started in 1304). It is possible to climb on the tower, which is 136 meter high and one of the most beautiful Gothic church towers.

Ringstraße

After 1858 the city fortifications were removed to provide space for a 57 meters broad boulevard. Along Ringstraße many representational buildings were built in historic architectural styles. The Parliament (1883) reminds you of a Greek temple, while the Rathaus (town hall, 1872-1883) looks like a Gothic castle. But there is also the University (1873-1883), the Burgtheater (1874-1888), the Hofburg (the palace from which the Habsburgers ruled their empire), the museums of natural history and art history (1871-1891), the Museumsquartier (a complex with various musems of modern art), the Secession (an important center of Jugendstil built 1897-1898), the University of Technology, the Staatsoper and the Karlskirche (1714).

Schönbrunn

The palace and the parks of Schönbrunn are also UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. When the palace was built, it was outside of the city, and the emperor used to spend the summers there. In the fantastic park there is the the oldest zoo of the world.

Prater

The Prater is a big park between the city center and the Danube. The most important parts of it are of course the amusement park (with the giant wheel) and the football stadion.

Hundertwasserhaus

This apartment house built by F. Hundertwasser (1983-86) is an interesting piece of modern architecture. But it is not, what you expect! There are many different colors, no straight lines, and small trees growing out of the walls. In Spittelau there is also a thermal power plant designed by Hundertwasser.

Naschmarkt

The biggest and best-known market in Vienna, extending for over 500m along Linke Wienzeile. It's a 'farmer's market', mainly consisting of stalls selling meats, fruit and vegetables, but there are some stalls selling clothes and curios. On Saturday a flea market (Flohmarkt) is tacked onto the south-western end of the Naschmarkt, extending for several blocks. It's very atmospheric and shouldn't be missed, you can find anything you want (and everything you don't want): books, clothes, records, ancient electrical goods, old postcards, ornaments, carpets ...

Belvedere

This splendid baroque place was built for Prince Eugene of Savoy, conqueror of the Turks in 1718 and hero of many other conflicts. It was designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. The Unteres (Lower) Belvedere was built first (1714-16), with an orangery attached, and was the prince's summer residence. Connected to it by a long, landscaped garden is the Oberes (Upper) Belvedere, the venue for the prince's banquets and other festivities.

Vienna International Center

On the north bank of the Danube lies the Vienna International Center (or UNO-City as we Austrians call it). This complex was built in 1979 as one of three headquarters of the United Nations (besides New York and Geneva) and provides office space for 4,500 people. Currently the following organizations are located in the VIC: IAEO (International Atomic Energy Organization), UNIDO (United Nation Industrial Development Organization), ODCCP (Organization for Drug Control and Crime Prevention), UNCITRAL, CTBTO PrepCom and UNSCEAR). The complex is actually neither part of Vienna nor of Austria but extraterritorial.

Karl-Marx-Hof

This expressionist-cubist residential area is an important monument of housing projects after World War I. It was built 1927-1930 by K. Ehn and is situated in Heiligenstadt.

More info

Vienna City government

http://www.wien.gv.at/english/

City maps

http://www.wien.gv.at/stadtplan/suche.asp?lang=en

Austria

Facts & Numbers

• Inhabitants: about 8,3 million
• Area: 83,871 sq km
• Government type: federal parliamentary republic
• President: Heinz Fischer
• GDP: $267 billion (2006)
• Neighbour countries: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein

History

about 600 AD

Bavarians become the main power in central Austria.

976

The Babenberger dynasty begin to rule Austria, which only consists of some parts Upper and Lower Austria.

996

Austria is mentioned for the first time (as Ostarichi).

1156

Austria becomes a duchy and independent of Bavaria.

1192

The Babenberger acquire Styria.

1282

The Habsburger dynasty takes Austria from King Ottokar II Premysl. (The Babenberger dynasty diminished in 1246.)

1335

Albrecht II acquires Carinthia.

1363

Rudolf IV acquires Tyrolia.

1804

Franz II (Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) takes the title of Emperor of Austria.

1867

Hungary gets autonomy and a special status within the empire which is now called Austro-Hungarian.

1918

The Austro-Hungarian Empire loses World War I and Austria is reduced to its current borders.

1919 - 1933

The so-called "First Republic" is overshadowed by social unrest and civil war between left-wing and right-wing militias.

1933 - 1938

Austria is ruled by an authoritarian right-wing government.

1938 - 1945

Austria is a part of Nazi-Germany.

1945 - 1955

Austria is divided in four parts and occupied by British, French, American and Russian military.

1955

Austria declares "perpetual neutrality".

1995

Austria joins the European Union.

More info

CIA - World Fact Book

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/au.html

Austrian government

http://www.austria.gv.at/DesktopDefault.aspx?alias=english&init&init

Life, Language and Culture in Austria

http://www.german-way.com/austria.html

Austrian Travelnetwork

http://homes.tiscover.com/project/tiscover01/index.html?_country=at&_lang=en

Austrian Map online (German only)

http://www.austrianmap.at/

 

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