Austria is located in the center of Europe.  Austria is surrounded by eight countries—Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and small Lichtenstein.  Only Germany has as many neighboring countries in Europe. Vienna, Austria’s capital, was once the capital of the powerful Austro-Hungarian Empire, then the second-largest empire in Europe.  Located on the Danube, Vienna was known for its beauty and sophistication.  Austria was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, and was annexed to Germany just before the WWII.  After the war, Austria had an edgy neutrality between Western Europe and the Eastern Europe, until the end of the Cold War.