AUSTRIA
- Nov 7, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 31
Over the course of Austria's long history, the eagle on the coat of arms has endured much: its second head and the symbols of imperial power were taken away, and the hammer and sickle were given in its place. But it still thrives.
AUSTRIA: ICONIC LANDMARKS
With its rich history, dense cultural layer, diverse nature, and rare ability to transform everyday life into an art form, Austria seems like a country woven from iconic landmarks. We could talk about them endlessly, so let's try to move from the general to the specific: from Austria to Vienna, from Vienna to Viennese coffee houses.
Peter Altenberg, an Austrian writer of the turn of the 20th century, was a man for whom a marble table was both a home and a study:
"Here, in a Viennese coffee house no one asks why you came or when you'll leave. You order a coffee — and you're entitled to a whole day of existence. A coffee house replaces a study for those who don't have one, and a living room for those who never had one." Here, people think out loud, read newspapers from around the world, and write letters that will never be sent. The waiter is a silent witness to human destinies, and the marble table is a confessional. In a coffee shop, a person doesn't have to be successful: just being present is enough."
AUSTRIA: COAT OF ARMS' HISTORY
The red-and-white Austrian shield is one of Europe’s oldest and most recognizable symbols. Its design goes back to the legendary Bindenschild — the “silver band on a red field.”
According to medieval legend, the emblem was born on the battlefield. During the siege of Acre in 1191, Duke Leopold V fought so fiercely that his white tunic turned crimson with blood. When he removed his broad belt, only a single white stripe remained — and that mark of valor became his coat of arms. In other words, the symbol of Austria was quite literally forged in battle.
From then on, the red-and-white pattern accompanied the House of Babenberg — Austria’s first ruling dynasty, whose reign united the Danube lands. Their heraldic colors later evolved into the national flag, carrying the echo of medieval chivalry into the modern state.
In the 13th century, the Babenberg dynasty was firmly and permanently replaced on the Austrian throne by the Habsburg dynasty. However, the Habsburgs were in no hurry to immediately publicize their family coat of arms at the state level, preferring to retain the existing red and white symbolism. This undoubtedly speaks of continuity and attests to their caution and foresight.
The black eagle entered Austrian heraldry in the early Middle Ages: imposing, solemn, and unmistakably imperial. By the fifteenth century, the eagle had grown a second head, as if to suggest that the empire watched over both East and West. It became the proud emblem of the Holy Roman Empire, and later of the Habsburgs, who inherited not only the crown but the habit of grandeur.
For nearly half a millennium, the double-headed eagle of the Habsburgs ruled Europe with wings spread wide over dozens of nations. Its heads were adorned with crowns, and a scepter, sword, and orb gleamed in its talons, all in keeping with the canons of absolute power. And finally, the ruling Habsburg dynasty decided to proudly place its family coat of arms on the eagle's chest. However, by this time, it was already an offshoot of the glorious dynasty — the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Therefore, the red lion was complemented by other elements: the Austrian flag and a yellow shield with the red sash of Lorraine.
Then came 1918, and with it, the fall of the monarchy. The eagle survived the empire, but with some remarks. The imperial regalia were removed, the crowns discarded and, most strikingly, the second head of the eagle was also radically removed.
A gesture toward reason, symmetry, and perhaps, if you like literary references, a neat solution, as any reader of Gothic fiction would approve.
In place of crowns came a mural crown in the form of a city tower — symbolizing the bourgeoisie. In its talons, the eagle now holds a sickle and a hammer, representing farmers and workers. The three battlements atop the crown stand for the unity of these three social classes — an image of republican balance replacing imperial splendor.
After the Second World War, the coat of arms gained its final detail: a broken chain on the eagle’s legs, symbolizing Austria’s liberation from Nazism. Simple, powerful, and unmistakable — a nation breaking free from its darkest past.
AUSTRIA: THE FUN FACTS
Of the first numbers and brave firefighters.
Austria approached vehicle registration plates with characteristic imperial slowness. Mandatory registration of cars and motorcycles only became law in 1906, after license plates had been commonplace in most European countries for several years.
The reason for the delay is almost comical: gentleman drivers considered it humiliating to have their cars numbered "like cabs" and, God forbid, to allow the authorities to track them. However, the Austrian Automobile Club demonstrated admirable realism and insisted that the plates were needed to locate those leaving the scene of an accident.
The first "identification marks" had a formal appearance—black letters on a white background or simply an inscription on the hood. Hierarchy was also respected: the very first plates were given to the nobility. Archduke Eugen of Austria received the A1 car license plate. So, technical progress in Austria also began with a title. The owner of the A504 car license plate could not be identified, but judging by the background of the surviving photograph, the guy is a risk-taker.
If you spot the Austrian coat of arms on a vehicle’s license plate, you’re likely looking at a federal service car: it might belong to the President’s office, the army, the police, or even the postal service.
And if the plate bears a rare variant with a flame symbol — that’s the fire department. Lucky you if they’re just passing by. Less lucky if they’re stopping right in front of your house.
AUSTRIA: ALPEN SKIING
Austria has long been more than just a country — it's Europe's ski paradise, where winters become a celebration of speed, snow, and freedom. Here, the mountains are open year-round, and in winter, they reach high speed. More than 390 ski resorts, some 2.600 lifts, and over 7.000 kilometers of groomed pistes make it the undisputed ski powerhouse in Europe. In Austria, skiing isn't just a pastime, but a part of the national character.
But it all began not with industry, but with the stubbornness of one man. In the late 19th century, Matthias Zdarsky, a teacher and self-taught skier, settled in Lilienfeld and decided to adapt Nordic skis to the steep Alpine slopes. He shortened the skis, modified the bindings, developed turns, and, most importantly, began systematically teaching downhill skiing, not just skiing on the flats.
In 1897, Zdarsky published the first alpine skiing textbook and essentially laid the foundations of modern alpine skiing. Everything else — the ski lifts, the resorts, the kilometers of pistes—came later. Want to see immediately if his idea works? You know the destination.
In 2023, the Austrian Ski Association unveiled the long-awaited new design for Ski Austria. It was introduced as "Acon" — a combination of the letter "A" (for Austria) and the word "Icon." The design will adorn the racing suits of local winter sports stars. While some envious people may see it as a skier's footprint, the athletes enthusiastically embraced the new logo and vowed to win even more medals and trophies.
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