Learn German - Schools and Courses in Austria

Join one of our German courses in Austria, a magnificent country which makes it difficult to find a rival as a destination to learn German. With an abundance of winter sports to be enjoyed in the Alps, some of the most remarkable and extravagant architecture in Europe, and an unmatched musical tradition, Austria thrives in its astonishing landscape and delightful urban centres.

The cities in Austria have ample attractions to engage the visitor. Vienna, the country's capital, is the hub of its musical life and is abound with beautiful structures. Music, art and architecture continue to reach baroque perfection in Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, while Innsbruck's snow-capped peaks frame its fascinating historic buildings.

For the warm weather seeker, the best months to visit Austria are between April and October. During the summer months of July and August, the cities may reach uncomfortable temperatures, but this leaves the traveller with the perfect opportunity to go on an adventure through the Alps.

During winter, you'll find the cities less crowded and the hotel prices lower (except over Christmas and Easter), but remember that it will be rather cold. Skiing is a nearly year-round sport on the glaciers. Alpine resorts stay rather quiet from late April to mid-June, and once again in November and early December.

The invigorating culture of Austria will enrapture you. With festivals occurring all year long, you can be sure to be swept away in the excitement.

Come to our German courses in Austria, and explore the culture while studying. The unrivalled warmth and hospitality of the Austrian people combined with the wintry backdrop of the Alps will leave you with memories that will last a lifetime.

Austria History

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and the subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law of that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. A prosperous country, Austria entered the European Monetary Union in 1999.

German Courses Austria - Geography

Austria is a largely mountainous country due to its location in the Alps. The Central Eastern Alps, Northern Limestone Alps and Southern Limestone Alps are all partly in Austria. Of the total area of Austria, only about a quarter can be considered low lying, and only 32% of the country is below 500 meters (1,640 ft). The high mountainous Alps in the west of Austria flatten somewhat into low lands and plains in the east of the country.

Austria is divided into five different areas. The biggest area is the Austrian Alps, which constitute 62% of Austria's total area. The Austrian foothills at the base of the Alps and the Carpathians account for around 12% of its area. The foothills in the east, along with areas surrounding the periphery of the Pannoni low country, amount to about 12% of the total landmass. The second greatest mountain area (much lower than the Alps ) is situated in the north. Known as the Austrian granite plateau, it is located in the central area of the Bohemian Mass, and accounts for 10% of Austria. The Austrian portion of the Viennese basin comprises the remaining 4%.

German Schools Austria - Economy

Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Since joining membership into the EU, influxes of foreign investors have become engrossed by Austria's access to the single European market and its proximity to the new EU economies. The current government has effectively chased a complete economic reform program aimed at streamlining government. This has created a more competitive business environment, built up Austria's attractiveness as an investment location, reached closer to a balanced budget, and employed valuable pension reforms. Weak domestic consumption and slow growth in Europe have held the economy to growth rates of 0.4% in 2002, 1.4% in 2003, 2.4% in 2004, and 1.8% in 2005. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population.

Learn German in Austria - Climate

Austria has a temperate continental climate. Summers last from early June to mid-September and can be hot in some years and rainy in others. Day-time temperatures in July and August are around 25° C (77° F), but can often reach 35° C (95° F). Winters are cold in the lowlands and very harsh in the Alpine region with temperatures often dropping below -10° C (14° F). They generally last from December to March. In the Alpine region, large temperature fluctuations occur all year round and nights are chilly even in high summer. The northern Alps are generally a lot wetter than the rest of the country. The South East is dry and sunny. The area around Vienna often experiences strong easterly winds.

Austria - Food

Austrian food is distinctive and delicious, and is traditionally of the stodgy, hearty "meat and dumplings" variety. Wiener schnitzel (a bread-crumbled and fried veal escalope) is its well-known national dish, and Knödel, another favorite, are a kind of dumpling, which can be made either sweet or savory according to preference. In Vienna the Tafelspitz (boiled beef with potatoes and horseradish) is traditionally served on Sundays, and is normally accompanied by clear broth with dumplings and herbs. Apart from these, Austria is renowned for its pastries and desserts, the most well-known of which is probably the Apfelstrudel.

Almost every village in Austria has its own bakery, offering a large choice of freshly baked sweet and savory rolls daily from 6am. Rather surprisingly, it is easier to find high-quality bread outside of Vienna, where the baking industry has not been overrun by industrial scale chain shops.

The best advice is to dive into the menu and give it a go - there are no nasty surprises!

Austria - Interesting facts

• Modern Austria is the German-speaking part of the Austrian (later Austro-Hungarian) Empire ruled by the Habsburg family from 1526 to 1918.
• The Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna, founded in 1752, is the oldest zoological garden in the world is
• 62% of Austria's total land area is covered by the Austrian Alps.
• Europe's second highest peak in order of prominence, Großglockner (3,798m, with a prominence of 2,423m) is located in Austria.
• Austria has 13 mountains, which peak above 3000m, and 34 that are above 2000m.
• About a quarter of the population of Austria lives in Vienna.
• Austria is the only continental EU country that is not also a member of NATO.
• Austria has been the home of many of the most famous classical music composers, including Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Liszt, J. Strauss, Mahler, and Bruckner.
• The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was Austrian.
• Vienna's Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof) has over 2.5 million tombs (more than the city's live population), including those of Beethoven, Brahms, Gluck, Schubert, Schoenberg and Strauss.
• The world's largest emerald (2860 carat) is displayed in the Imperial Treasury of the Hofburg ( Imperial Palace ) in Vienna.
• Austria has the second lowest unemployment level for men in the EU (4% in 2004).
• Among all Europeans, Austrians work the longest, averaging 45hours per week.
• Famous Austrians dot the historical record. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven were eccentric musicians. In psychology, Sigmund Freud made a huge impact on the world.
• Summers in the mountains of Austria are outstanding. You can pull up pictures on the Internet or simply watch the movie, The Sound of Music.
• Roman Catholic is the faith of 73 percent of Austrians although 12 percent claim no religion at all.
• The literacy rate in Austria is 98 percent.
• Life expectancy for women is 81.7 years while men average 75.9.

Learn German in Austria - Advice

At our German schools and courses in Austria our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! What kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The German school and course you choose in Austria is going to be the core of your German study, so make sure you choose a German language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our German courses at our German schools in Austria, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice German in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new German language skills every day. Ideally, you should study German an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice German every single day.

If you attend one of our German courses in Austria and you learn German everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the German language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the German language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn German and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the German language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. Spanish to German AND German to Spanish. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the German language, but may be difficult to translate.

Flashcards

A simple German language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn German in Austria is to speak German in Austria ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice German by thinking German. Throughout the day, think of the German words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic German phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak German, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or'see you later' in German will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to music

Listen to German music. You'll hear the German language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in German might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in German and many different languages.