Important Offices in Austria and the United States

• Austrian Offices in the U.S.: http://www.austria.org/content/view/127/146/
• Austria is famous for its bureaucracy, which is hard to understand even for Austrians. But: if you are nice and polite, you can get almost anything you need. If you need help (especially on matters related to your legal stay in Austria) go to: http://www.help.gv.at/
• There is also a new TA website designed specifically for English language assistants in a collaborative effort by Austrian English teachers and current TAs: http://content.tibs.at/fla/?nav=1
• U.S. Embassy in Austria: http://www.usembassy.at/en/index.html
• The Office of Science & Technology (OST) at the Embassy of Austria in Washington, DC, is a strategic interface for science, research and science policy between Austria and North America. bridges is the free online magazine published by the OST. bridges features a wide range of articles relating to science, technology and education policy in the US, Canada and Europe. Audio versions of selected articles are also available on the OST's website or by subscription to the bridges podcast.

Official Information Sites about Austria

• Austrian Press and Information Service: http://www.austria.org/
• Austrian National Tourist Office: http://www.austria-tourism.at/
• General Info about Austria: http://www.oesterreich.com/
• Austrian Tourist Office: http://www.austria.info/us
• Tourist Information, Vienna: http://www.wien.info/en?set_language=en
• Tourist Info Salzburg: http://www.salzburg.info/en/
• Tourist Info Innsbruck: http://www.innsbruck.info/xxl/_lang/en/_site/innsbruck/index.html
• Tourist Info Graz: http://www.graztourismus.at/cms/ziel/2865539/EN
• Tourist Info Klagenfurt: http://www.klagenfurt-tourismus.at/english/default.asp
• Linz: http://www.linz.at/english/tourism/
• Leoben:http://www.leoben.at/English.351.0.html

Other Information of Interest When Living in Austria

The enterprises listed below have been chosen randomly to give you an idea about prices for certain goods and services, they are not meant as recommendations. For more information, please consult the Austrian web directory Sharelook: http://www.sharelook.at/

Accomodation & Housing

• Hotels Online Austria: http://www.hotels.or.at/
• NetHotels is a hotel reservation system for Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg (click on regions in the upper right hand corner): http://www.nethotels.com/
• Immobilien Bazar Online is for buying, selling and renting apartments and houses: http://www.immobazar.at/
• Flohmarkt.at provides amongst other things private housing ads with a variety of categories: http://www.flohmarkt.at/mietwohnung-wien/
• The official ÖH- Job- und Wohnenbörse is another useful side in cooperation with the Austrian Students’ Union: http://www.jobwohnen.at/?id=198

Bank Accounts

Most of the banks now offer telebanking options.

• Bank Austria: http://www.bankaustria.at/en/index.html
• BAWAG: http://www.bawag.co.at/
• EasyBank (belongs to BAWAG, but only offers their services online): http://www.easybank-ag.com/
• Die Erste: http://www.erstebank.at/
• P.S.K. (the postal bank is very convenient because you can do your banking from your post office): http://www.psk.co.at/
• Raiffeisen: http://www.raiffeisen.at/eBusiness/rai_template1/1006637000974-NA-NA-NA-1-NA.html
• Sparkasse: https://www.sparkasse.at/sgruppe

Conversion Tables

• Currency Converter: http://www.xe.net/ucc/
• World Electric Power Guide: http://kropla.com/electric.htm
• Online Converter for mass, length, shoe size etc.: http://www.convertworld.com/en/?c=f

Bookstores

• Buch + Medien österreich is a website sponsored by bookstores and publishers: http://www.buchmarkt.at/
• Facultas.wuv is the website of the university bookstore with a lot of publications in various academic fields: http://facultas.wuv.at/
• Thalia.at is best for all kinds of media including books, e-books, audio-books, films, music & games: http://www.thalia.at/shop/ama_homestartseite/show/
• Buchlandung is Vienna’s cheapest bookstore: http://www.buchlandung.at/
• Südwind Buchhandlung for development policy issues: http://www.suedwind-buchwelt.at/

Culture

• Austrian Cultural Forum (website of the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York): http://www.acfny.org/
• Links to Info about Kunst und Kultur in Austria: http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.online/
• Movie listings: http://www.film.at/
• National Museums: http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/BundesMuseen/index.htm
• National Theaters: http://www.bundestheater.at/Content.Node2/
• Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (musicals in German): http://www.musicalvienna.at/

Events

• Wien.at lists various recreational and cultural events taking place in the city of Vienna in German: http://www.wien.gv.at/kultur-freizeit/ and English: http://www.wien.gv.at/english/environment-leisure/
• Events.at informs about upcoming events in Austria (click on your favorite province or region): http://www.events.at/

Government and Institutions

• Federal Ministries: http://www.bka.gv.at/site/3353/default.aspx
• Parliament: http://www.parlinkom.gv.at/

Journals

• Falter (weekly with detailed program listings for Vienna): http://www.falter.at/
• Format: http://www.news.at/format/
• Profil: http://www.profil.at/
• News: http://www.news.at/

Libraries

• Austrian National Library: http://www.onb.ac.at/
• Network of Austrian Libraries: http://www.obvsg.at/
• Public Library Vienna: http://www.buechereien.wien.at/en

Major Newspapers

• Kurier: http://www.kurier.at/
• Die Presse: http://www.diepresse.at/
• Der Standard: http://www.derstandard.at/
• The Wiener Zeitung is the oldest newspaper in the world that's still published. It is also the official state newspaper where public announcements have to pe printed: http://www.wienerzeitung.at/
• Salzburger Nachrichten: http://www.salzburg.com/
• Kleine Zeitung is published in Styria and Carinthia: http://www.kleine.at/
• Die Kronen Zeitung is Austrians largest 'gossip' newspaper published by Mediaprint newspaper printing company, which owns the majority of printed media in Austria: http://www.krone.at/
• Heute is Austrians free sheet available at subway stations: http://www.heute.at/

Political Parties

(represented in Parliament - by number of seats)

• Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs: http://www.spoe.at/
• Österreichische Volkspartei: http://www.oevp.at/
• Die Grünen: http://www.gruene.at/
• Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs: http://www.fpoe.at/
• Bündnis Zukunft Österreich: http://www.bzoe.at

Postal and Telephone Information

• Electronic White Pages: http://www.herold.at/
• Since January 1998, private telecom service providers are allowed to compete on the Austrian market. This includes long distance services and mobile phones. If you move into an apartment which does not come with a telephone, you might want to consider a mobile phone which is the cheaper option for people who keep their phone calls short. For an overview of prices, see Billiger Telefonieren: http://www.billiger-telefonieren.at/

Prepaid cards for mobile phones are offered by several Austrian phone companies:

• http://www.bob.at/
• http://www.yesss.at/
• http://www.telering.at/Content.Node2/service/wertkarte.php

Schools

• Searching for websites of Austrian schools can be best done on the The Ministry of Education homepage: http://www.bmukk.gv.at/schulen/index.xml

Television and Radio

• Austrian National Television (news updated hourly): http://www.orf.at/
• ATV - a private Austrian TV channel: http://atv.at/
• Puls 4 – another private TV channel: http://www.puls4.com/tv/index
• Gotv – Austrian music channel: http://www.gotv.at/index1.php

• Ö1 – Austrian radio station with a focus on classical music, jazz, documentaries, news etc.: http://oe1.orf.at/
• Ö3 – Third national radio station with a focus on contemporary music: http://oe3.orf.at/
• FM4 – Austrian national radio station, also known for its alternative mainstream format including English programs, alternative rock and electronic music: http://fm4.orf.at/
• Regional and private radio stations: http://www.radioweb.de/AUT/stationen.html

Tobacco

• Yes, Austrians still smoke. The traditional Austrian Tobacco monopoly lasted till 2001, when it was privatized. In 2007 the Austria Tabak GmbH was taken over by Japan Tabacco International (JTI): http://www.austriatabak.at/

Tourist Information

• Tiscover is an extensive tourist information site including everything from a detailed atlas, to live cams, weather reports, hotel reservations and information about special events (use the Atlas to learn more about where you will be teaching): http://www.tiscover.com/

Transportation

• Austrian Railways: http://www.oebb.at/
• The German Railways have an excellent train schedule for all European connections: http://www.bahn.de/
• Rail Europe: http://www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/eurail-austria-pass/index.html?WT.mc_id=CJ.austrian_railpass.affiliates
• Vienna Airport: http://www.viennaairport.com/
• Austrian Airports: http://www.flughafen.at/cgi/TCgi.cgi?target=home
• Vienna’s subway, railway and bus including time table information: http://www.wienerlinien.at/wl/ep/home.do?tabId=0
• Danube Cruise: http://www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/en_index.asp
• Twin City Liner: http://www.twincityliner.com/web/en.html

Vienna

• Not surprisingly, there are many sites on the city, however, there is one specifically designed by and for visitors from English speaking countries: http://www.virtualvienna.net/
• To find out what is going on check out: http://www.vienna.at/

Weather

• Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik: http://www.zamg.ac.at/

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