Austrian Culture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frederic Chopin

Frederic Chopin was actually a Polish composer, not Austrian, though he did tour in Austria for a time.

Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn make up what is commonly called the First Viennese School of classical music, which refers to those composers only. Sometimes, another composer like Franz Schubert will be added to the list but that is not considered standard. Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn are grouped together because they played in Austria during the same time period (around the late 18th century and early 19th century) and are considered some of Austria's most famous citizens.

The Second Viennese School of classical music refers to Arnold Schoenberg and his students who composer in the early 20th century.

Answer: Coffeehouses

In 2011, UNESCO designated Viennese coffeehouses as an "intangible cultural heritage" item. Coffeehouses can be found on nearly every street corner (sometimes multiple per street) throughout Austria but especially in Vienna. Aida is a popular chain of coffeehouses, known for its traditionalism and rarely updates with the times. None of the original Aida coffeehouses exist as they were all destroyed in World War II.

Answer: Conchita Wurst

Conchita Wurst (sometimes just called Conchita) gained fame by winning the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest when "she" sang "Rise Like a Phoenix". Since "her" win, Wurst has become an icon for LGBT rights, and is recognizable for having a feminine appearance but with a full beard.

Answer: St. Joseph

St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is considered to be the patron saint of Austria, though many other saints are celebrated locally. The Feast of Saint Joseph is a state holiday in four southern states: Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. St. Stephen's Day on December 26, is a public holiday nationwide, though St. Joseph remains the nation's patron saint.

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman was originally from Sweden, not Austria.

Austria, Vienna in particular, has a thriving film industry but internationally speaking, the country is more famous for its actors who left Austria and found fame in Hollywood.

Hedy Lamarr starred in many classic Hollywood films like "Boom Town" in 1940 and "Tortilla Flat" in 1942. Before that, she was a controversial actress in Germany because of her brief nude scene in the 1933 film "Ecstasy".

Maximilian Schell was an Academy Award winning actor for his role in the 1961 film "Judgment at Nuremberg". He typically played German or other central European characters in his films. He got his start in anti-war propaganda films during World War II.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is best known for his roles in action films like "Terminator" and "Total Recall". He served as Governor of California from 2003 to 2011 and took over as host of "Celebrity Apprentice" from Donald Trump in 2017.

Answer: Lipizzaner

Lipizzans or lipizzaners are the traditional breed of horse ridden at the Spanish Riding School. The school is world renowned for its dressage training and the lipizzaners are known for their jumping and movement skills. In addition to being a training center, the Spanish Riding School is a popular tourist attraction.

Although the school opened in the 1700s, it wasn't until 2008 that women were allowed in.

Answer: Crepes

Palatschinken are very thin pancakes or crepes. They are very common throughout several Central European countries. There is essentially no difference between palatschinken and western-style crepes, though palatschinken tend to be a little fancier than their western counterparts. Palatschinken are typically eaten for lunch or dinner when filled with savory ingredients. Sweeter fillings like fruit are used for dessert.

Answer: Austria became officially neutral

Austria's national holiday celebrates the enactment of the Declaration of Neutrality which made Austria officially neutral in international affairs. The Declaration of Neutrality was passed in response to the nearly ten years Austria spent under occupation by Allied Forces after World War II.

Answer: Yodel

Yodeling is a form of folk music commonly associated with the Alps. The trio Ursprung Buam is a traveling band of yodelers and is considered Austria's most famous folk group. The members of Ursprung Buam are: Martin Brugger, Andreas Brugger and Mannfred Hollwarth. Martin and Andreas are brothers while Mannfred is their cousin.

Answer: Stefan Zweig

Stefan Zweig was a Jewish Austrian writer who fled his home country in 1934 once Hitler and the Nazis gained power in Germany. He originally moved to England and then the United States before relocating to Brazil in a city called Petropolis, which was mostly settled by German-Jewish refugees. Most of Zweig's works are about the intolerance he experienced around the world because of his religion, as well as intolerance in general. "The World of Yesterday: Memories of a European" was Zweig's last work and his most famous.

It describes his journey leaving Austria because he believed (correctly) that Hitler would invade and continues on until his life in Brazil. He completed it the day before he committed suicide in 1942. In his and his wife's suicide note, they mention the reason for their suicide was that they had essentially lost faith in humanity during World War II.