Even a fifth of the population was not born in Austria

(Patria) - Whether summer or winter, Austria is always an excellent choice. If you are looking for natural beauty, the Alps are beautiful, whether you ski on them or discover them in endless greenery.

There are also plenty of cultural offerings, as this country gave us Mozart. Salzburg and Vienna will leave no one indifferent. However, like any country, Austria has its customs and peculiarities that are interesting, to say the least. So, let's go in order.

As we have already said, Austria lies in the Alps. As a result, only about 30 percent of the country's area is below approximately 500 meters. The highest peak, Grossglockner, is 3,798 meters above sea level.

It might seem strange at first for a landlocked country, but the country abounds with various rivers, lakes, waterfalls... Combining wind, solar, and biomass power plants, Austria produces about 60 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, with hydroelectric power plants generating the largest amount of energy.

Although it is often said that "minorities are a treasure", this philosophy seems to be lived in Austria. Namely, as many as 20 percent of the population was not born in the country, which translates to about 1.7 million people who were not born in Austria but live there. People from within and outside the EU come to Austria in search of a better life, and given that a good portion of them stay and find a home there, they are clearly succeeding.

The body of the oldest European mummy was found on the Austrian-Italian border. It is over 4,000 years old and was named Ötzi. The Iceman (as he is also called) was found in 1991 by two German tourists. They thought he was just some ice climber who didn't make it; in fact, they found a man who might have climbed ice once, but thousands of years have passed since then.

In the golden age of Vienna, there were many different cafes, and there still are today. Some of the legendary ones date back to the 19th century, such as Cafe Central and Cafe Landtmann. These were places where intellectuals created, sat, drank coffee, and exchanged ideas. Of course, there is also a special type of coffee - Wiener melange - which is something like a cappuccino.

Austria is definitely a country of coffee lovers, as as many as 90 percent of the population drinks coffee daily. There is even a name for a coffee break at 3 PM (with pastries, of course) - jause, writes Punkufer.hr.

Based on the coat of arms of the Babenberg dynasty, the Austrian tricolor of red, white, and red was first confirmed in 1230. However, it is believed to have started being used as a national flag around the 15th century, and thanks to this, it can boast of being one of the oldest flags in the world.

Although the first known postcard was sent by a London writer (to himself) in 1848, it was the Austrian government that allowed the use of postcards throughout the country - and beyond - in 1869. It was, in fact, a postcard from Vienna with a picture on it that became known as the first souvenir postcard: a picture postcard. The rest is history.