Essentials: Vienna

1. No visit to Vienna is complete without coffee: Sigmund Freud, Stefan Zweig, and Leon Trotsky all knew what was good (and what did them good), often taking creative breaks in Vienna’s famous coffeehouses. In 2011, UNESCO recognized Vienna’s coffeehouse culture as an intangible cultural heritage because it is an essential part of the city’s social life. Whether enjoying a Melange (a coffee with milk) or a kleiner Brauner (a mocha with a little milk or cream), you can linger for hours over just one cup, often with access to daily newspapers. That’s what true Viennese coziness feels like.

2. Vienna is one of the few major cities (and the only capital in the world) that produces significant amounts of wine within its city limits. Every year, around two million liters of wine are produced in Vienna, with about 80% coming from white grape varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay. The wine is typically enjoyed as an Achterl (an eighth of a liter) at a Heuriger – a traditional tavern that serves only its own wine. Vienna’s Heuriger culture is also recognized as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.

3. It sounds bizarre, but it’s true: The world’s smallest "state" is located in Vienna. In the middle of the Wiener Prater amusement park, you’ll find the "Republic of Kugelmugel," a micronation with just one house – and one resident. In the 1970s, artist Edwin Lipburger built his spherical home and declared it an independent state due to its unique architectural design. After legal disputes, the house was relocated to the Prater, where it remains a tourist attraction. For a time, Lipburger’s son Nikolaus ran the miniature republic, and today, author Linda Treiber manages its affairs.

4. Until 1938, Vienna like much of Austria drove on the left. With Austria’s so-called Anschluss (annexation) to Nazi Germany, the switch to right-hand traffic was implemented to create a unified road system with Germany. This transition was a massive logistical challenge: all railway vehicles, traffic lights, and road markings had to be adjusted. It was especially tricky for Vienna’s streetcars, whose doors had previously opened on the "wrong" side. Some tram lines had to be temporarily equipped with extra conductors to help passengers get on and off safely.

5. One of the most famous spy movies of all time was filmed in post-war Vienna in 1948: "The Third Man," starring Orson Welles as the sinister black-market dealer Harry Lime. Only recently, however, it was revealed that real spies were also present on the set in the then-divided city. Among them were reportedly the glamorous Hungarian-British producer Sir Alexander Korda and screenwriter Graham Greene. Fun fact: The Burg Kino in Vienna still screens the movie every week!