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In the last two
issues of “OPPORTUNITIES TODAY” we have been covering
Australia and its unusual attractions. This time we move on to
Austria - a land which encompasses all-from historical
monuments to snow-covered peaks, from bucolic vineyards to
luxuriant pine forests, from gentle pasturelands to lush river
lands. When one is covering Austria the Compact Travels way,
you'll be visiting the 'Three Jewels of Austria': Vienna:
Austria's capital offers a unique blend of imperial traditions
and stunning modern architecture. Vienna is famous for
cultural events, imperial sights, coffee houses, cozy wine
taverns, and the very special Viennese charm. |
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Sight
seeing places in Vienna are in abundance but to name a
few there is the Schönbrünn Palace - the former imperial
summer residence, is one of most popular sights. Vienna
city museums, state opera house, Hofburg Palace - famous
residence of Empress of Austria; Parliament City Hall,
University and Belvedere Palace are some of the other
attractions. |
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Salzburg:
The birthplace of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, is lovingly dubbed as the “Stage of the World”.
And not without reason: the city's cultural events like
the renowned Salzburg Festival attract the world's best
artists. The picturesque old town is a UNESCO world
heritage site. The cityscape is dominated by churches,
castles and palaces. Salzburg sight seeing will not be
complete without the famous Sound of Music tour which
covers most of the picturesque places in Salzburg. It is
a 4 hour tour covering Mirabell gardens, Leopoldskron
castle, Hellbrünn Castle - with the world famous trick
fountains, Nönnberg Abbey - oldest convent in German
speaking part of Europe add Mondsee Cathedral.
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Innsbruck: Past and Future meet in the heart of the
Alps: Innsbruck's world-famous sights, which testify to
the province's great past, stand alongside post-modern
international architecture to create a fascinating blend
…Innsbruck tour would include Triumphal Arch. It
separates the main street into Marie-Theresien-Strasse
to the north and Leopoldstrasse to the south. The
Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum museum is dedicated to the
popular arts and crafts of the local people of Tyrol and
displays costume, furniture and religious items. Dom zu
St. Jakob: this cathedral presents roof of domes and was
built and decorated in the ornate style. Alpenzoo: It
houses alpine animals and last but not the least the
famous Swarovski crystal world at Wattens. |
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However
this year, which is the Mozart year, you can also add an
unusual attraction to your trip to Austria: “Technisches
Museum Wien” located in Vienna, With about 22000 sqm of
exhibition space Vienna's 'Technisches Museum' belongs
to the city's big players and is a definite must for
visitors interested in technical issues. The museum aims
at introducing the world of techniques to anybody from
specialist to layman. There's a special emphasis on the
interaction of technical developments with nature and
human life-style, on energy issues and on traffic.
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There are some remarkable objects from the world of
heavy industry and a focus on musical instruments, their
production and development. With its diverse programmes,
the museum allows for deep insights into past and future
developments of Austrian society. |
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There are
special programs for kids! The museum is divided under
the following categories: |
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Nature
and Knowledge: This gallery consists of two parts
a) Phenomena and experiments ( fully interactive and
self explaining )
b) Concepts and consequences, where the genesis of
important principles in physics is shown. |
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Other
sections of the museum include: |
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Heavy Industry: This section of the museum is
divided into three parts beginning with mining,
followed by the production of raw metals from ores
and, finally, the working of the metal. |
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• Energy:
The Museum's "Energy" exhibition offers a survey of the
various aspects of the conversion and use of energy. |
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High Voltage Room: introduces the Museum's
visitors to the world of charges, currents, and
electromagnetic fields. It will not be easy to
forget your visit to the high-voltage room, its
lightning effect and your hair standing at the
end. |
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• Steam
Engines: This section takes you through the history of
steam engines: the travel through time starts with "the
mother of all engines," a Watt steam engine dating from
1825, and ends with a horizontal model from 1908 which
embodies the culmination and close of this chapter of
the industrial revolution. |
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The mini: offers the opportunity for children to
learn with all senses: Sight, hearing, touch,
smell, taste. Jumping, sliding or building
something or make a ball hover in the air or even
disassemble a model of the legendary Ford-T and
reassemble it afterwards. Kids from 3 to 6 years
of age may try all this in the mini. |
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• Medien.welten: presents the
history of transmission media as well as storage media. In
addition to hundreds of historical artifacts, images and
texts, the exhibition features a virtual-information-room
that goes beyond the scope of conventional museum
exhibitions. |
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Virtual Reality Theatre: Enjoy an interactive 3-D
journey through the history of the media or fly
through tunnel systems with finishing memory
training. Both shows are recallable in this unique
simulation. |
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• Musical
Instruments: Objects related to electronic instruments
and accordions are exhibited. |
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There is
much more to explore in the exhibition area such as the
Fuel cell, Mass production area and many more. The
visiting hours for the museum are: From Monday to Friday
9.00 am 6.00 pm. Saturday, Sunday and holiday 10.00am
6.00pm The Technisches Museum Wien is not only
responsible for a rich cultural heritage but, above all,
has to fulfill its role as a mediator between industry,
trade, and culture on the one hand and the visitors and
their individual interests on the other. |
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Answers of BRIDGE CLIMB
CONTEST (Feb 06)
1) Sydney Harbour
2) 3½ hours
3) Eastern Arch to Western Arch
4) Thrice
5) 90 Minutes from Sydney
The names of the lucky winners of the BRIDGE CLIMB
contest will be announced in our April 2006 issue. |
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