Innholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2016 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

1. For more than 650 years, present-day Austria was ruled by the Hapsburgs. During their reign, the family expanded their reach through Europe by arranging for their sons and daughters to marry members of other European royal families. 2. Vienna was the center for musical innovation and performance in the 18th and 19th centuries. Composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johann Strauss II, and Franz Shubert were all Austrian-born and often used traditional songs from their country in their compositions. . Sir 3. Thanks to the tradition of painting the names and dates of death on the skulls of the deceased in the 1700s, modern-day anthropologists have been able to study the effects of genetics on evolution. 4. Unlike most Ferris wheels, the Wiener Riesenrad, which takes…

Austria is only slightly larger than the state of South Carolina, but it was once the center of the largest and richest empire in all of continental Europe. The Celtic people were among its earliest known inhabitants, and they established an outpost on the Danube River around 400 B.C. The Danube, Europe’s second longest river, became an important highway for trade and travel. In 15 B.C., the Roman Empire claimed the land and controlled it until their empire collapsed around A.D. 400. Over the course of the next 800 years, many different ethnic groups ruled modern-day Austria. In 1273, Rudolf von Hapsburg took control of Austria’s territories. Hapsburg was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a German monarchy that ruled much of central Europe. For the next 650 years,…

This 11th century castle located in Salzburg, Austria is also known as Festung Hopensalzburg or Hopensalzburg Fortress. Hohensalzburg Castle is one of the largest and best preserved medieval castles in Europe. The castle was built on a hilltop with a 360-degree view of the city of Salzburg and the Salzach River. Its sister castle, Hohenwerfer Fortress, can be seen in the background of the famous movie The Sound of Music, which is set in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg, Austria is a city located on the border with Germany and overlooks the Alps, the highest and most extensive mountain range in Europe. When construction first began in 1077, the goal was to build a basic protective wood sided castle called a “bailey.” The plans expanded as the archbishops of the Holy Roman…

In many action adventure movies, exciting car chases along high mountain roads, with elegant sports cars careening around tight corners with steep drop-offs and breathtaking views across mountain peaks keep moviegoers on the edge of their seats. These roads are not just Hollywood, however. If you visit Austria, you can take a drive on the Grossglockner Road and experience this very same kind of scenery . . . though let’s hope at a slower pace! The Grossglockner is the world’s highest paved Alpine road, running 30 miles (48 km) through the Austrian provinces of Salzburg, Tyrol, and Carinthia and through the heart of Austria’s High Tauern National Park. The road includes curves, hairpin turns, and tunnels. Its highest point is the Edelweissspitze, 8,215 feet (2,504 meters) high. Here drivers can…

AUSTRIA Official Name: Republic of Austria Location: Austria is a landlocked country located in central Europe. It is bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland to the west. Area: 52,115 square miles (83,871 square kilometers) Population: 8,665,550 (July 2015 estimate) Government: federal parliamentary republic Capital: Vienna Terrain: The Alps dominate the country’s western and southern terrain. Austria is mostly flat or gently sloping along the eastern and northern edges. Highest Point: Grossglockner 12,461 feet (3,798 meters) Climate: Cold winters and moderate summers People: Austrians, 91.1 percent; former Yugoslavs, 4 percent; Turks 1.6 percent; Germans, 0.9 percent; other or unspecified, 2.4 percent Official Language: German National Day: October 26 Religions: Catholicism, 73.8 percent; Protestant,…

What do you think of when you think of music in Austria? You might think of classical composers, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Or you might remember watching the movie The Sound of Music, which takes place in Austria. But there’s much more to Austria’s musical heritage than just those two things. Little Old Lady, Who? One of the earliest types of music to come from Austria may not seem like music at all, but it is a type of singing: yodeling. Yodeling is a form of yelling that alternates in pitch from low to high. In Austria, it is called juchizn, and it was thought to have come from Alpine animal herders, who used yodeling to communicate or to call their animals to them. Other cultures around the world…

No trip to Austria would be complete without a visit to the country’s capital, Vienna. The city is remembered for many of the famous people who spent time there, including the musicians Beethoven and Mozart and the psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. But Vienna is also filled with great places to visit, no matter what you like to do. Parks, museums, zoos, and even a Ferris wheel are all part of Vienna’s attractions! Here’s a quick tour of Vienna’s most famous sights: Schönbrunn Palace Vienna has many beautiful palaces and government buildings, but one of the most interesting is the Schönbrunn Palace. Built by the Hapsburg family in 1642, it has many elaborately decorated rooms to explore. A six-year-old Wolfgang Mozart once gave a performance in the palace’s Hall of Mirrors, and…

Many Austrians feel that no one is a true citizen of their country unless he or she skis. And for a country defined by its many amazing mountains, skiing has been a way of life for hundreds — and maybe even thousands — of years. Before people decided that skiing was something to do for fun, skis were used for transportation and work. The earliest skis found in Sweden are about 4,500 years old, and cave paintings show that the use of wide, short pieces of wood for getting around in the snow may have been used even longer ago than that. Skis were designed to help travelers and hunters stay on top of deep snow rather than sinking into it. For the first skiers, there was no difference between…

Hapsburg rulers in Europe bred Lipizzan horses for 400 years to use in the military and their riding school. These strong, graceful horses are famous for being able to perform physically challenging jumps and leaps called “Airs above the Ground” and classical dressage (training). The horses are called Lipizzans because they were bred in 1580 in Lippiza, a region in Italy with a reputation for producing strong, graceful horses. After World War I, about 100 Lipizzans were moved to the Piber Federal Stud Farm near Graz, Austria. These horses now train in Vienna. CHARACTERISTICS Colts are born dark, some even coal-black. They gradually lighten in color over five to seven years until they become snow-white (or actually very light gray) stallions. About one in 500 horses will stay black or…

There’s no denying that traditional Austrian food is hearty, with its dumplings and stews, ‘krauts and potatoes. But it has lots more to offer than crisp apple streudels, schnitzel with noodles, or tiny tins of Vienna sausages! Two of Austria’s most beloved dishes are the wiener schnitzel and tafelspitz. Tafelspitz is considered the national dish. Hunks of beef are simmered in an aromatic broth alongside roasted potatoes, minced apples and horseradish — mmm! True or false — a wiener schnitzel is a hot dog? False! It’s actually a fried veal cutlet served with warm apple-bacon sauerkraut. If you want an all-beef frank, you’d better order a frankfurter! You can find plenty of those at your corner würzelstand. Looking for something cheesy? Pop into a local snack bar (imbissutbe) to sample…

German is the official language spoken in Austria. German is also an official language of Germany, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Austria is best known for its mountains, foods such as Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte, the movie The Sound of Music, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and music by composers Mozart and Bach, and skiing. It is a tourist destination so lots of people can help you if you don’t speak German. Here are some helpful phrases in German: Guten Tag! (gooten tak) — hello Ja (ya) — yes Nein (nine) — no Bitte! (bit-ah) — please Danke! (dank-ah) — thanks Entschuldigung! (ent-schul-di-gung) — Excuse me! Sprechen Sie Englisch? (sprechen zee eng-lish) — Do you speak English? Auf Wiedersehen! (owf veederzane) — Goodbye! The song “Silent Night” was written in Austria. The church…

CHARACTERS: Narrator 1, Narrator 2, Cobbler, Fritzel, Franzel, Hansel, Little Man Narrator 1: Many Christmases ago, a poor cobbler lived with his three sons, Fritzel, Franzel, and Hansel. His wife had died some years ago, and he struggled to feed his boys. In good times, the cobbler’s neighbors helped out in exchange for mending shoes: goat’s milk from the farmer, a loaf of crusty bread from the baker’s wife, and rich stew in a big pot from the butcher. The tasty stew was the family’s favorite. Every time it was served, the cobbler would clap his hands together, saying, Cobbler: Today, boys, we have a good . . . Schnitzle, Schnotzle, and Schnootzle. Narrator 1: The boys laughed with glee as their father ladled out the lovely stew into each…