Austria (German: Österreich), officially the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, bordering the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west.
The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty when Austria became one of the great powers of Europe and a true cultural centre of Europe.
Austria has been the birthplace of many very famous composers, such as Joseph Haydn, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss Sr. and Johann Strauss Jr. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg and much of Mozart's career was spent in Vienna.
Nowadays, besides being popular for summer tourists who visit its historic cities and villages and hike in the magnificent scenery of the Alps, Austria, along with neighboring Switzerland, is the winter sports capital of Europe.