The city of Vienna, lying on the Danube River, originated from a Celtic settlement. In Roman times a military camp named Vindobona was built.
In the 13th century Vienna was one of the largest towns in the German Empire. Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) moved in 1533 to Vienna, and the city became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire (until 1806).
After the second siege of the Ottoman army in 1683, Vienna became the capital of the Habsburg Empire. The palaces of Schönbrunn and Belvedere were built, as well as the extension of the Hofburg palace.
Vienna was the European capital of music with composers like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Austria became a republic in 1918 when the Habsburg Empire came to an end.