Austria

Northern province of the Romans; crown of the Habsburg empire; bastion of baroque and birthplace of Jugendstil and the Secession; to classical music what Nashville is to country and London to punk; queen of the Christmas cities; home to the most succesful socialist system Europe has ever seen, and sight of some of the worst atrocoties against the Jewish people. Vienna, a city of unquestionable historical significance and extraordinary beauty, is a mix rarely seen today.