Lohas followers attach equal importance to sustainable living, morality, quality and enjoyment, and are regarded as one of the most influential target groups of the fu-ture. In Vienna they have already achieved this status today.

The charming little village "Christkindl" near Steyr in Upper Austria has got something very unusual, i.e. its name, which means Infant Jesus; according to Austrian tradition, "Christkindl" brings Christmas presents to children. For over fifty years now, Österreichische Post AG has its special "Christkindl" Post Office.

As soon as the days start getting noticeably shorter and the first Christmas decorations appear in shop windows, a special enchantment settles over the streets. The Advent market fills the air with the scent of cinnamon cookies, evergreen boughs and honey-laden beeswax candles which drifts through streets twinkling with Christmas lights.

Historically, during Fasching the lower classes were allowed to wear costumes and masks and to mimic aristocracy and heads of church and state without fear of retribution for mockery. When things got out of hand, the custom was forbidden, for a while anyway.

Vienna and wine are inseparable. Vienna is the only world capital producing significant quantities of wine within the city limits, making wine cultivation one of its hallmarks. But it is more than that - it is an economic factor, a defining element of the urban image, a contribution to the urban economic system but also to people's wellbeing - for both the Viennese and the guests to this city.

As January is characterized by New Year and Epiphany, the most important customs of February are connected with Carnival, called "Fasnacht" in western Austria, "Fasching" in the rest of the country. The first traditional date, however, is Candlemas on February 2nd, with, for example, the Candlemas Fiddling in Ligist (Styria).

A true pleasure for horse fans! There are plenty of Austrian farms that offer riding holidays ideal for all horse devotees. The farms also offer equestrian instruction where riders are taught correct riding techniques. And they offer more...

Small, princely, intimate...The Principality of Liechtenstein is a microcosm - a small world of variety. The small state, located between Austria and Switzerland, stretches from the Rhine Valley to the mountains which have an altitude of more than 2,500 metres.

Only one Austrian since Jochen Rindt has managed to make it to Formula 1 World Champion, but then a total of three times during his career. This achievement has made his name world-famous, his face, marked by the consequences of the Nürburgring accident in 1976, a trademark.

Waltz music may not have been invented in Vienna, but it was there that the Vienna Waltz as a dance and as a musical form started its worldwide success. Today three-quarter time, transformed into 'the perfect movement' of a rapid circular motion, is still a symbol of Viennese life.

Many poets and writers rhapsodized about the Vienna coffeehouse, all searching for the essence of what has become the most Viennese of all Viennese institutions. With limited success - coffeehouses have acquired a certain mythical quality; in short, they are the stuff legends are made of.