Random Facts: Austria
The feast day of St Leopold III, Margrave of Austria from 1095-1136, who was canonised in 1485 and became a patron saint of Austria, is 15 November.
Margrave was the title given in the Middle Ages to a military commander responsible for the defence of a province of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Austrian for Austria is Österreich which means “Eastern realm”.
Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert are all buried in Vienna.
Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, the summer palace of the Habsburg emperors, has 1,440 rooms. The zoo at Schönbrunn opened in 1752 and in 1779 became the world’s first zoo to open to the public – but only if they were dressed properly.
The Austrian flag of three equal horizontal stripes in red, white and red dates back to 1191.
Austria has won 18 gold medals at the summer Olympics and 59 at the winter Olympics. These include 34 gold medals for Alpine skiing, which is more than any other country.
