INTERNATIONAL COLLECTION

Wilkommen! Did you know that World War I (or The Great War) was precipitated by the assassination of an Austrian Archduke and his wife, and World War II was started by the invasion of Poland by an Austrian prime minister of Germany? As a result of the later war, almost all of the Jewish population of Austria were either killed during the holocaust or forced to leave the country.

The royal Hapsburg monarchy, which was a collection of empires, kingdoms and so forth, ruled in Austria from 1273 C.E. – 1918 C.E. with the most prominent Austria-Hungarian branch of particular note. It became a powerful European center for hundreds of years. Throughout its vast history, the monarchy has ruled over nearly all of the continent of Europe at different periods through its different members and intermarriages.

While this may all be fascinating to the history aficionado, it really is the territory that Austria occupies that is truly stunning! And NOT to be confused with Australia – there are no kangaroos in Austria - Austria is located close to the Alps Mountain range. Almost two-thirds of the entire country sits 1,640 ft above sea level. Of course, this bodes well for winter sports such as ski jumping and snowboarding. With so much to do, how is it even possible to find time to photograph?