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Where can the oldest zoo in the world be found

01:00 Mon 22nd Oct 2001 |

Asks marmalade

A. It is believed to be the Tiergarten in Vienna, it can be found within the grounds of the Sch�nbrunn Palace.

Q. Is it a major tourist attraction

A. It is a moderate attraction today, but the Palace itself draws in the crowds and is one of the most visited sites within the city. It has been compared with the Palace of Versailles near Paris, and indeed King Leopold I commissioned the Palace to be built based on a model of Versailles, although its design is more modest.

You can take a Grand Tour of the Sch�nbrunn and visit all 40 of its grand rooms open to the public. The Palace is also home to the Coach & Carriage Museum, beautiful landscaped gardens and the Palmenhaus, a glasshouse full of tropical ferns.

Q. What other sites pull in the tourists in Vienna

A. Situated in the north-east of Austria, Vienna is renowned for its fine architecture which ranges from Baroque to modernist structures, including many Art Nouveau buildings as Vienna is recognised as the birth place of this once controversial movement; and its music - today it is home to the Vienna Boys Choir and the Vienna Philharmonic and was once home to many major composers including Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn. It was also the birthplace of Freud, Klimt, Schiele, Mahler and Sch�nberg.

Some of its main tourist attractions include the following:

Stephansplatz: this pedestrianised square is found in the heart of the city and is home to the huge Gothic church, the Stephansdom that is renowned for its altar (the Wiener Neust�dter Altar) and its sculpted pulpit. Other attractions here include the catacombs, the tomb of the Roman Emperor Friedrich III, the Archbishop's Palace, and its Pummerin - a huge bell.

The Hofburg (Imperial Palace) dates back to 1278 when it was a simple fortress, it was then home to the Habsburgs who ruled Austria for six centuries. Today the fortress is the home of many museums including the Schatzkammer or Imperial Treasury which holds the crown jewels including the 10th Century crown of the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Holy Lance with which Jesus' flank was allegedly pierced; the Kaiserappartements, the Burgkapelle (or Palace Chapel), and the world famous Spanish Riding School.

River Danube and Prater: The Danube runs through the north and eastern suburbs of the city, the best way to see the Danube canal and river is to visit the Prater, a huge expanse of parkland close to the Jewish Quarter, Leopoldstadt. The park itself is well known, especially for its funfair and its notorious giant Ferris wheel known locally as the Riesenrad.

Donauinsel: is an island located in the middle of the Danube, which is very popular for swimming and sunbathing among the locals during the summer.

Kunsthistorisches Museum: one of the city's major art galleries housing works by Brughel, D�rer, Rubens, Caravaggio and Titian.

Austrian National Library: located on Josefplatz the library houses some fantastic books and the building itself is regarded as one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture surviving today.

Salvadore Dali Museum: also located on Josefsplatz it contains many of Dali's lesser known sculptures, etchings and lithographs.

Museum f�r Volkerk�nde: its themed exhibits include Captain Cook and Aztec Treasures.

Zentralfriedhof: is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert and Strauss are all buried here. Mozart's tombstone is also here, but it is not clear whether he was ever laid to rest in the cemetery.

The Belvedere: was once the home of Prince Eugene of Savoy (between (1714-23) and is now home to the �sterreichisches Galerie which contains a lot of Austrian art, with rooms devoted to Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka.

The Museum des 20 Jahrhunderts (Museum of the 20th Century) is home to a lot of national and international contemporary art.

Hundertwasserhaus: located in Landstrasse, this former council estate is a big attraction for design enthusiasts. Parts of the estate have been transformed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser - influenced by Spanish architect Antonini Gaudi - he has changed the bland concrete buildings into bulbous, organic childlike structures. Visit Kalke Village, the shopping precinct opposite the houses if you want to have closer look at his work.

Freud Museum (located at Berggasse 19) is situated in the same building as Freud's old apartment and is a bit of a pilgrimage for enthusiasts.

Museum of Modern Art: has a great collection of pop art and some great works by Picasso and Kokoschka.

Q. Vienna is famous for its coffee houses; can you recommend any good ones

A. Lots of new, trendy cafes have opened up in the last five years, but in Vienna old is best, some of the traditional and most famous ones include:

Central (located at Herrengasse 14) is one of the oldest cafes in the city and is well known as Trotsky's favourite haunt.

Demel (located at Kohlmarkt 14) is thought to be the best caf� in town and is renowned for its homemade cakes.

Landtmann (located at Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring 4) well known for the fact that Freud used to visit it, it also sells great coffee.

Sperl (located at Gumpendorferstrasse 11) is another 19th Century coffee house full of atmosphere, cigarette smoke and great cake.

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By Karen Anderson

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