Money in Austria: how much currency to take and about coins
Austria was one of the first 11 countries that in 1999 adopted the single European currency Euro, since then the Austrians no longer use their national currency - the Austrian schilling.
Many readers will say: "What can you say about the euro? Euro, he is the euro! ", But in this article we will try to tell you something interesting about the European currency in Austria and orient on how much money it takes to take a trip to the alpine country.
Euro banknotes are the same in all countries. Wherever you pick up a banknote of 500 euros, it will always be purple. Of course, bills of different release year have their differences, but most likely you will not even notice them.
Euro coins are minted by each country independently. We already told on our pages about the coins of Italy and Greece . The obverse of the coin is always the same, it is written on face value, and there is an image of the map of Europe. The reverse of the coin in each country is different, and if you like coins, you can bring Austrian coins as a souvenir.
All coins of all countries are a valid means of payment throughout the euro area, so you may have a whole "zoo" of coins in your pocket.
The most common euro coins on the territory of the European Union are German models with the image of the Federal Eagle, many Russians call them "bears", since the image is something like a bear.
In general, German coins are very boring, oak leaves are depicted on coins of 1,2 and 5 euro cents, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins depict the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and the already mentioned Federal Eagle is minted on coins of 1 and 2 euros.
We do not want to offend Germany, but they have little imagination. Of course, the Estonians can not be compared, the latter managed to depict the contours of the territory of Estonia absolutely on all coins. However, there is not more creative in Russian coins than in Estonian coins, on all the coins on the reverse side there is a coat of arms of the country.
Austrian payment means are much more diverse, each coin has its own drawing. A detailed description of all instances can be found later on this page.
More common is 1 euro with a portrait of the most famous Austrian Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on the reverse (pictured left). This is one of the best souvenirs from Austria, which will please many of your friends and colleagues. And if you take into account the fact that it is inexpensive and you do not need to go anywhere after it, we can advise it first.
From Austria you can bring many more interesting things, which we will not talk about right now, since we have a whole separate article on this topic .
During a trip to Austria you will notice that not all coins that fall into your hands will be of Austrian origin. German copies are no less common than Austrian ones. Moreover, you will often fall into the hands of Italian, Slovak and Slovenian coins.
About coins of Slovenia you can tell one interesting fact, just related to Austria. On Slovenian coins of 2 euro cents, one of the thrones of the rulers of Carinthia , the so-called "stone of princes", is depicted. The entire territory of Carinthia is part of Austria, and the stone itself is located in the Austrian city of Klagenfurt.
Slovenians wanted to show that their state is a cultural receiver of the ancient principality of Carinthia, when Slavic tribes still lived here. Some of the Austrian society protested against these coins, but nothing essential the Austrians achieved, the government in Ljubljana is not going to abandon this symbol on currency signs.
Austrian coins are not very common outside the country, if you like metal money, and even more collect them, then we recommend taking interesting specimens for the collection.
The Euro in Austria has an interesting feature in comparison with other countries. In many EU countries, 1 and 2 cents are not in circulation at all, and all prices are rounded to 5 cents, especially for Scandinavian countries. But in Austria they like to be scrupulous with respect to money, and even the minimum denomination means are respected and used daily.
In the following table, we show all the usual coins of Austrian coinage, and explain what or who is depicted on them.
To be honest, the design of the coin of the largest denomination was not the most beautiful. Here is Bert von Sutner. This is a famous Austrian writer, who is practically unknown in Russia. She was the leader of the movement of pacifism in Europe and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Bert von Sutner died in 1914, just two months before the outbreak of World War I.
The man-symbol of Austria, whom many consider the most talented composer and performer of music in the history of mankind, is depicted on a 1 euro coin.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and for only 36 years of his life he became famous for his works throughout Europe. Probably there is no reader who has never heard the 40th symphony, maybe you can not sing it, but when you hear it, you will find out.
For foreigners it is very difficult to guess what exactly is depicted on a coin of 50 European cents. This place is in Vienna and is called the "House of the Viennese Secession." Secession was the professional community of artists of the late 19th century, and in this house their meetings and exhibitions were held.
If you are in Vienna, you can find this house, it now houses a museum of painting.
On the reverse of coins in 20 euro cents one of the most famous sights of Vienna is depicted. The Belvedere Palace is famous not only as a residence for Austrian emperors, but also as a place where the declaration of independence of modern Austria was signed.
Now this is a great art museum, which you can visit if you come to Vienna.
Another very famous landmark of the Austrian capital is shown on a 10-cent coin, but it is difficult to find it in this form. This is the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna, the central cathedral of the Catholic Church in Austria.
You can also see it, and even go inside, the decoration of the cathedral is very beautiful.
All coins of a small denomination depict alpine flowers. It's 5 cents and on it you see a "primrose" plant, although in European languages it is called "primula".
Primrose is common in temperate climates, including in Austria. In Russia it is also growing.
A coin worth 2 cents already shows an alpine flower. Edelweiss grows only in the mountains and it is difficult to meet it in Russia.
Edelweiss flowers are white and very beautiful. In Austria, there are several legends, where this plant acts as a hard-to-reach, but desired goal for the protagonist.
The third coin of small denomination also has a flower image on the reverse. It is a flower-symbol of the Alpine mountains.
Gentian is a very beautiful flower of blue or blue, growing in the highlands and in Austria is often found.
In addition to these coins, in each country of the Eurozone commemorative coins are issued with a face value of two euros, which almost do not occur in free circulation. They are similar to Russian ten-ruble denominations with cities and ministries on the reverse, which at the time of writing the article all went to collections.
Also issued commemorative coins of silver and gold, one of which you saw at the beginning of the article. They are either collectible or investment. The coin on the first photo of our review is made of gold and is clearly more expensive than its face value of 100 euros.
How much to take money with Austria to a tourist.
I'll have to report not very pleasant news, money for a trip to the alpine meadows and palaces of Vienna will have to take a lot. Austria is quite a rich country and expensive. If you are used to eating in a restaurant, then for a small breakfast you will have to pay from 5 to 8 euros.
Lunch or dinner will cost in a decent institution from 20 to 30 euros, although if you want, you can find the institution with prices more modest. In simple words, it's usually 20-50% more expensive to eat at a cafe or restaurant in Vienna than in Moscow. Of course, in Klagenfurt or Salzburg prices are lower, yet they are provincial cities in Austria.
If you are ready to buy yourself a snack in an ordinary supermarket, or on the street, then rest, of course, you will be much cheaper. The prices for sausages and salad in street cafes are quite moderate, a good sausage and a bun can be bought for 2-3 euros.
In any case, in most hotels, breakfast is included in the price of tourists, if you want to spend less money on vacation, we recommend using the buffet for breakfast "to the maximum."
If you are aiming to see the sights, the prices will not please you either. The average price of a museum or castle examination ranges from 7 euros to 50. For example, to see Hochosterwitz Castle , you will have to pay 8.5 euros, and to see the entire Schönbrunn Palace , you will have to pay about 50 euro.
Souvenir products are also not cheap, even a simple magnet in Austria costs 2 euros and more, although there is nothing Austrian in it, most of the souvenirs here are created by the famous artisan Majdin Chaynov. On the prices of some gifts, we wrote in our article "What to bring from Austria . "
Summing up all of the above, prepare for a day to spend up to 100 euros for two just for souvenirs and running costs.
We wish you a successful visit to the Alpine country and read our other articles about Austria ( links below ).
Read about Austria on our website
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