One hundred years ago, a group of six assassins gathered in
Sarajevo with a goal that would eventually change the world. On June 28, 1914, as Archduke Franz Ferdinand of
Austria motorcade passed, a grenade was tossed in the direction of the car,
injuring people nearby. As the car
proceeded, other failed attempts were made to take the lives of the passengers
which the motorcade successfully evaded.
When the assassins thought all was lost, an inadvertent turn led the
motorcade to come face to face with Gavrilo Princip, the 6th assassin,
and with his pistol in hand, shot and killed Franz Ferdinand and his wife
Sophie. While the political objective
of the assassination was to break off the south portion of the
Austria-Hungarian Empire to form Yugoslavia, the result was the invasion of
Serbia on July 28, 1914. At the same
time, Germany saw an opportunity, and invaded neutral Belgium and Luxembourg
before moving towards France, leading Britain to declare war on Germany, and
the start of the first World War.
No other war had changed the map of Europe so dramatically; Numerous
nations regained their former independence, and new ones created including
Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, with the Transylvania region shifted
from Hungary to Romania. Austria would
become much smaller but the capital still remained.
Known as the city of music, Vienna is consistently ranked as
one of the top cities in the world in terms of living and quality of life. Consisting of 1.8M people, the city is
located about 45 minutes (55km) west of Bratislava, and apart from Rome/Vatican
City, the closest pair of world capitals.
Stephansplatz square is the geographical center of Vienna, and a
designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the middle of the square lies St. Stephen's Cathedral with its multi-coloured
tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. A short walk in either direction, you will
find the Vienna State Opera or Rathaus (City Hall). The city is also home to the numerous museums
and parks, including the Wiener Riesenrad (German for "Viennese giant
wheel"). A couple subway stops from
Stephansplatz is Schönbrunn Palace, which also is home to Tiergarten
Schönbrunn, the zoo in the palace gardens that claims to be the oldest one in
the world. In the zoo, you can find
almost everything, from giant pandas (3), red pandas (2), Koalas (2), cheetahs
(5 – 3 recent cubs), and my favorite, the two polar bears in their new exhibit.
With Vienna so close, I have really enjoyed day trips for
Oktoberfest, Christmas Markets, New Years Eve, or just spending a summer day at
the zoo or walking the city have been very nice. One must not forget to try a piece of Vienna
at the Sacher Hotel across from the Vienna State Opera House. The Original Sacher-Torte has been the most
famous cake in the world since 1832 and the original recipe remains a well-kept
secret of the hotel.
