[19] The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße, which is lined with grand buildings, monuments, and parks.

[20] In 2024, Vienna retained its position as most livable city per the Economist Intelligence Unit, and has spent every year since 2015 in the top 2 places, bar 2021 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The city functioned as a center of classical music, for which the title of the First Viennese School (Haydn/Mozart/Beethoven) is sometimes applied.During the latter half of the 19th century, Vienna developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a new boulevard surrounding the historical town and a major prestige project.

A world capital of music, Vienna played host to composers such as Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss.

The four-power occupation of Vienna differed in one key respect from that of Berlin: the central area of the city, known as the first district, constituted an international zone in which the four powers alternated control on a monthly basis.

The four powers all had separate headquarters, the Soviets in Palais Epstein next to the Parliament, the French in Hotel Kummer on Mariahilferstraße, the Americans in the National Bank, and the British in Schönnbrunn Palace.

[citation needed] The population of Vienna generally stagnated or declined through the remainder of the 20th century, not demonstrating significant growth again until the census of 2000.

As of 2012[update], an official report from Statistics Austria showed that more than 660,000 (38.8%) of the Viennese population have full or partial migrant background, mostly from Ex-Yugoslavia, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Romania and Hungary.

[60][61] Based on information provided to city officials by various religious organizations about their membership, Vienna's Statistical Yearbook 2019 reports in 2018 an estimated 610,269 Roman Catholics, or 32.3% of the population, and 200,000 (10.4%) Muslims, 70,298 (3.7%) Orthodox, 57,502 (3.0%) other Christians, and 9,504 (0.5%) other religions.

[62] A study conducted by the Vienna Institute of Demography estimated the 2018 proportions to be 34% Catholic, 30% unaffiliated, 15% Muslim, 10% Orthodox, 4% Protestant, and 6% other religions.

The heart and historical city of Vienna, a large part of today's Innere Stadt, was a fortress surrounded by fields to defend itself from potential attackers.

[73] In its place, a broad boulevard called the Ringstraße was built, along which grand public and private buildings, monuments and parks were constructed by the early 20th century.

The Imperial-Royal Government set up the Vienna City Renovation Fund (Wiener Stadterneuerungsfonds) and sold many building lots to private investors, thereby partly financing public construction works.

In 1904, the 21st district was created by integrating Floridsdorf, Kagran, Stadlau, Hirschstetten, Aspern and other villages on the left bank of the Danube into Vienna, and in 1910 Strebersdorf followed.

However, Mayor Karl Lueger of the Christian Social Party prevented the adoption of this right to vote in municipal council elections, effectively excluding many working-class people.

[87][88] The British company UBM has rated Vienna one of the Top 10 Internet Cities worldwide, by analyzing criteria like connection speed, WiFi availability, innovation spirit and open government data.

The city is also home to a number of opera houses, including the Theater an der Wien, the Staatsoper and the Volksoper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta.

Current artists include Rapper RAF Camora, who grew up in the district of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus and often emphasizes his ties to his home in his lyrics, as well as hip-hop-musician Yung Hurn and indie pop band Wanda.

[95] The Vienna Jazz Festival has taken place almost every year since 1991 and has featured artists such as Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ravi Shankar.

The Secession building, Karlsplatz Stadtbahn Station, and the Kirche am Steinhof by Otto Wagner rank among the best-known examples of Art Nouveau in the world.

Former leader of the FPÖ Heinz-Christian Strache compared anti-fascist protesters to a Nazi mob, alleging that the ball attendees were being treated as "new Jews".

In 2015, Vienna introduced traffic lights featuring same-sex couples before hosting the Eurovision Song Contest that year, which garnered media attention internationally.

[124] Sporting amenities, such as volleyball courts, playgrounds, skate spots, dog parks, and multiple toilet facilities, some with showers, are available on the island.

Notable burials include Ludwig van Beethoven, Falco, Bruno Kreisky, Hedy Lamarr, and every deceased Austrian president since WWII.

Liga, while the football team of the Wiener Sport-Club, one of the oldest athletics clubs in the country, play in the Austrian Regionalliga East, the third division.

Vienna is well known for Wiener schnitzel, a cutlet of veal (Kalbsschnitzel), sometimes also made with pork (Schweinsschnitzel) or chicken (Hühnerschnitzel), that is pounded flat, coated in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and fried in clarified butter.

[131] The Naschmarkt is a permanent market for fruit, vegetables, spices, fish, and meat, as well as a popular spot for international cuisine, with numerous small restaurants and food stalls offering dishes from around the world.

Local soft drinks, such as Almdudler, are popular across the country as an alternative to alcoholic beverages, ranking them among the top choices alongside American brands like Coca-Cola in terms of market share.

[136] Notable patrons included political figures such as Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Leon Trotsky, and Josip Broz Tito, who all lived in Vienna in 1913, as well as scientists, writers, and artists such as Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig, Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt.

The Heurigers are especially numerous in the areas of Döbling (Grinzing, Neustift am Walde, Nußdorf, Salmannsdorf, Sievering), Floridsdorf (Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf), Liesing (Mauer), and Favoriten (Oberlaa).