In many ways, Austria is a relatively conservative country, largely shaped by its Roman Catholic background. At the same time Austria has been at the forefront of many modern movements throughout history. Especially Vienna, has been the birthplace of new social and cultural developments ever since its position as the capital of a vast multiethnic empire. Think of Sigmund Freud who developed groundbreaking theories, seeding the ground for a Viennese school of psychology. Rebellious artists such as Schiele, Klimt or Wagner have changed the perception of modern art and architecture. Today, Vienna is the home for many of the world’s most thought after DJ’s and base of a vibrant electronic music scene.

Vienna – The Delightfully Queer City

You know Vienna for its music and culture, for the coffee houses (yes, we did have coffee houses 300 years before Starbucks, or at least that’s what tradition tells us), for the Opera and for the Imperial history that the city still showcases seemingly everywhere. Vienna’s cultural appeal, in fact, is what draws an ever larger number of gay and lesbian travelers to the city. Both the State Opera and the Volks Opera offer some of the world’s best opera performances. The new Museums Quarter (MQ for short) is on the list of must-see destinations for practically everyone, and the KunstHaus Wien often showcases major gay-themed exhibits and queer artists from Mapplethorpe to Pierre & Gilles.

And while Vienna does not have a single predominantly gay and lesbian neighborhood, Vienna has developed a quite lively and diverse gay and lesbian scene. Don’t expect a large number of “gay only” places in Vienna, but rather an abundance of “gay friendly” and mixed places throughout town. And while many historic figures that have helped shape the city in centuries past are left in an historical closet, Vienna’s young gay couples can be seen walking hand-in-hand along the Ringstrasse Boulevard . Some of the most fun gay spots in town are located around the Naschmarkt area. The Naschmarkt, a vast open-air food market is any chef’s dream and connects the 4th with the 6th district of the city. Here one can find the G&L Community center with the popular Café Willendorf, the ornate Café Savoy and the twentysomethings’ hangouts Chameleon and Mango Bar, among other places.

In recent years, several queer events have taken center stage in the cultural landscape of the city. The spectacular “Life Ball” HIV charity event in May continues the Viennese Ball tradition in a truly colorful form, the “Wien ist Andersrum” (Vienna is Queer) cultural festival in early June offers a smorgasbord of off-beat cultural performances with G&L sensibilities. The Rainbow Parade (late June) is one of the fastest growing Pride Events worldwide.