Apples Strudel Day- June 17

June 17 is the day of apple strudel, a pie invented in Austria, whose name in German is 'apfelstrudel'. As the name of the cake indicates, it is made of a coarse dough with apples in it. The dough is rolled up with crushed apples, nesting and raisins, baked in the oven and crispy, and served with powdered sugar and cream. 

The oldest strudel recipes are from 1696, in handwritten cookbooks in the Vienna City Library (formerly Wiener Studtbiilotk).

The German word strudel means a vortex, which describes exactly how the layers of pastry wrap the filling. 

The character Strudel @ - reminiscent of the way the dough is rolled. At home you can make a strudel easyily, using layers of filo dough filled with cooked apples. 

How to celebrate the Apple Strudel Day? 

Eat a hot apple strudel, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, hear Mozart (an Austrian composer) and sing a yodel.

 June 17 is also Iceland's National Day

Austria's National Day- October 26th

Austria celebrates its Independence Day, the day it was liberated from the foreign forces that took over it after World War II: France, the United States, England and the USSR, on 26 October 1955.

Austria is a Central European republic bordering nine countries: Liechtenstein and Switzerland in the west, Italy and Slovenia in the south, Hungary and Slovakia in the east and Germany and the Czech Republic in the north.

The capital city of Austria is Vienna and its spoken language is German. Austria is a federal republic consisting of nine countries: Burgenland, Karinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Forarlberg and Vienna.

In honor of Austria's Independence Day, get interesting facts about it:

After World War II ended, Austria swore to keep its neutrality forever.

For this reason, Austria is part of the European Union, but not a member of NATO.

The official name of Austria is Republik Öesterreich, which means "Kingdom of the East".

Beethoven was not Austrian but German, but he spent much of his life in Austria.

Mozart, on the other hand, was Austrian. So are the composers Haydn, Schubert, and Strauss. Austria is famous for its music.

Hitler, too, was Austrian.

And Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Eisriesenwelt is the largest natural ice cave in the world. In German, the word means "world of the ice giants".

The Austrian flag is one of the oldest flags in the world. The origin of the design of the flag is the legend that in 1191 Duke Leopold V was injured in the battle and his shirt was filled with red blood. When he removed his sword, a white line was exposed in the middle, hence the colors and shape of the Austrian flag.

The Schönbrunn Palace ("the beautiful spring castle") in Vienna received its name from the spring that supplied it with water. The water must have had such fresh, refreshing taste that the emperors moved it to their table.

In 1552 the Habsburg prince brought back to Vienna from Spain an elephant, but he died in the cold climate shortly after.

When the artist Edwin Lipburger ran into a dispute with the authorities about building permits for his ball home, he decided to declare independence from Austria. In 1976 he declared his independence in his home in Vienna, Austria, and called it the Kugelmugel Republic. In 1979, Lipburger was arrested and sent to prison for ten weeks. In June 1982, the house was moved to Parter Park near the Hauptallee, surrounded by eight barbed wire fences. The only address in the Republic is "Antifaschismusplatz 2" ("Anti-Fascism Square 2"), which has since been officially adopted by the City of Vienna. Lipburger died in January 2015, but his republic was officially recognized and now has a population of over 650 non-residents. Today the Republic is run by the Government of Vienna and is considered a tourist attraction. The word "Kugel" means "bullet" in German and the word "Mugel" is an Austrian-German term for "bulge" or "hill."

Most of Austria is mountainous, covered by the Alps, and a quarter of its population lives in Vienna.

Among Austria's mountains there is Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria with a height of 3,798 meters. It is characterized by a summit in the form of the vertex of a pyramid.

The Krimmler Wasserfälle Falls are the highest waterfalls in Europe (380 meters).

After Luxembourg, Switzerland and Scandinavia, Austria has the highest number of Nobel Prize winners per capita (19 in all).

The world's largest emeralds (Emerald or Emerald) is presented in Vienna (2860 carats).

Despite the bitter experience with the elephant, Vienna is home to the world's oldest zoo, the Schönbrunn Zoo.

Austria has the oldest restaurant in the world. The St. Peter Stiftskeller restaurant in Salzburg is a restaurant / inn that opened in 803 AD, more than 1,200 years ago!

 St. Peter Stiftskeller restaurant

The central cemetery in Vienna has more than 2.5 million graves. This is more than the population of the city's life!

Not surprisingly, Alpine sports sites (Alpine skiing) are very popular in Austria.

Austria has been ranked continuously for several years as one of the countries with the highest standards in the world and Vienna is almost always at the top of the list of cities with the best quality of life in the world.

October 26 is also Pumpkin Day

Liechtenstein Foundation Day- January 23

Today, exactly 302 years ago (in 1719), the Principality of Liechtenstein, a tiny country in Europe, was founded, measuring only 160 square kilometers.

Liechtenstein borders Switzerland and Austria, its capital is Vaduz and its official language is German.

The founding of the state of Liechtenstein took place on this date in 1719 when Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, ruled that Vaduz and Schlenberg would be united and the territory would belong to the Principality of Liechtenstein, in honor of his faithful and true servant Anton Florian of the House of Liechtenstein. Thus Liechtenstein became a sovereign state in the Holy Roman Empire. Despite the purchase, the Princes of Liechtenstein continued to live in Vienna, Austria and did not set foot in their country for 100 years.

Today, Liechtenstein has about 38,000 residents, most of whom are Christians.

Some interesting facts about Liechtenstein:

Liechtenstein has no airport. To get there you have to fly to Switzerland, to Zurich Kluten Airport, St. Gallen, or Friedrichshafen.

Liechtenstein in the army. It was abolished in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866.

Liechtenstein's economy is booming. Its inhabitants live among the highest standard of living in the world and its unemployment rate is among the lowest in European countries.

Vaduz Castle that towers over the city of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein's culture abounds in fairy tales and witches and to this day, if you visit there, you will meet not only princesses but also witches. 

Between 1648 and 1679, three witch trials took place in Liechtenstein. The witch trials in Liechtenstein led to disputes among the families of the accused and the accusers and affected the society in Liechtenstein for a long time even after. 200 people, of both sexes, were executed for guilt in witchcraft. The reason for the executions is probably the large debts accumulated by the country’s ruler Ferdinand Karl von Hohenmes, who wanted to confiscate the property of the sorcerers and witches’ families (source).

The Principality of Liechtenstein is located in the Rhine Valley in the Alps and the national sport of Liechtenstein is alpine skiing.

Its most popular sport is football. Its football teams play in the Swiss football league and the most senior team is Vaduz. The Liechtenstein football team has never qualified for a significant tournament and is considered one of the weakest in the UEFA.

Liechtenstein's national holiday falls on August 15.

Liechtenstein is home to only a few dozen Jews, who make up 0.1% of the population. There are no Jewish schools or synagogues in the country. The largest minority religion is Islam (5.4% of the total population).

January 23 is also Handwriting Day and Pie Day