Austrian Independence Day

The name Austria derives from a Germanic word ‘austro’ which means ‘east’. Austria's grandiose capital, Vienna, is the former seat of the mighty Habsburg Empire. Vienna has the oldest zoo in the world which was founded in 1752.

In the immediate aftermath of the Allied victory in 1945, Austria was split into four occupation zones. Like Germany to the north, these were occupied by the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and the United Kingdom. These occupation zones remained in place until 1955 when Austria gained independence.

The two major parties strove towards ending allied occupation and restoring a fully independent Austria. The Austrian State Treaty was signed on 15 May 1955. Upon the termination of allied occupation, Austria was proclaimed a neutral country, and everlasting neutrality was incorporated into the Constitution on 26 October 1955.