Originally a Celtic settlement on the Danube river it developed into the garrison town of Vindobona under the Romans. However its location on the edge of the Hungarian plains meant the city was vulnerable to attack; a reoccurring threat throughout much of its history that has dictated the rate of its growth.
In the 10th Century the city came under the control of the Babenburg dynasty and developed into a major trading centre. This was continued under the rule of the Hapsburg family who acquired the city in the 13th Century, however the continued threat from the Turkish limited the expansion of the city due to its containment behind an elaborate set of defensive walls.
With the defeat of the Turks in 1683 meant expansion was possible and by the 18th Century Vienna had evolved into a major cultural and imperial centre; particularly apparent in its fostering of composers such as Haydn and his pupil Mozart as well as the construction of grand baroque buildings beyond the original city walls. During the 1880s the defensive walls were removed and replaced with a a circular boulevard; the Ringstrasse. This linked existing and new cultural initiations including churches, museums, opera houses and theaters. All of this was achieved despite the dwindling power of the Hapsburgs. They were overthrown in 1918 during a period of intellectual ferment in Vienna. Artists such as Gustav Klimt and architects such as Otto Wagner created revolutionary new styles manifested in the Jugendstil and the Secession. Vienna was also the base of Sigmund Freaud and the writer karl Kraus.
Vienna has retained its status as a major cultural centre despite major upheavals during World War II only regaining its independence, along with the rest of Austria, in 1955.
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