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>The city somehow managed to find an identity on its own that somehow makes it work. It's not "somehow" by magic. The explanation is that as a neutral country
by Rinzler89 2y ago
>The city somehow managed to find an identity on its own that somehow makes it work.
It's not "somehow" by magic. The explanation is that as a neutral country between NATO and the former Iron Curtain, it was a middle-man for business, politics and trade between the two blocks in the cold war era, profiting from both parties without having to pay obligations to any of them. Basically it won the geopolitical lottery, similar to a Switzerland Light. Today with the Iron Curtain gone and the EU-Schengen borders extended east beyond Austria, it's a lot less relevant than it used to be and therefore a lot less profitable.
- jahnu 2y ago> it's a lot less relevant than it used to be and therefore a lot less profitable which metrics are you using for this assertion?
- Rinzler89 2y agoMy 2 cents.
- john61 2y agoSince the end of the Iron Curtain Vienna population grew dramatically by the size of the second largest city in Austria (Graz). During the time of the Iron Curtain Vienna was the only big city in Europe that lost population. It was a grey, old, slowly dying city. The city and the quality of live evolved dramatically since then. I would call it a completely different and in my opinion in almost any regard much better, lively, young, modern city. But it managed to keep its very distinguished identity.
- namaria 2y agoAustrian legislation largely encourages clandestine ops and this brings a lot of offices, officials, fancy equipment and money to Vienna to this day.