Vienna lies in eastern Austria, at the easternmost extension of the Alps in the Vienna Basin. The earliest settlement, at the location of today's inner city, were south of the meandering Danube while the city now spans both sides of the river.
Art and culture have a long tradition in Vienna,
including theater, opera, classical music and fine arts. The Burgtheater is
considered one of the best theaters in the German-speaking world alongside its
branch, the Akademietheater.
Vienna is also home to a number of opera houses, including the Staatsoper and
the Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta.
Classical concerts are performed at well known venues such as the Wiener
Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Wiener
Konzerthaus. Many concert venues offer concerts aimed at tourists, featuring
popular highlights of Viennese music (particularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart and Johann Strauss).
A number of museums are located in the Museumsquartier (museum quarter), the
former Imperial Stalls which were converted into a museum complex in the 1990s.
It houses the Museum of Modern Art (Ludwig Foundation), the Leopold Museum
(focusing on works of the Viennese Secession, Viennese Modernism and Austrian
Expressionism), additional halls with feature exhibitions and the Tanzquartier.
The Liechtenstein Palace contains one of the world's largest private art
collections.
Vienna's principal park is the Prater which is home to the Riesenrad, a ferris
wheel. The imperial Schonbrunn's grounds contain an 18th century park which
includes the world's oldest zoo, founded in 1752. The Donauinsel, part of
Vienna's flood defences, is a 21.1 km long artificial island between the Danube
and Neue Donau dedicated to leisure activities.