U.S. Embassy Vienna, Austria
Although Congress commissioned a representative to Vienna as early as 1777, the Austrian authorities only recognized the young United States in 1797. Full diplomatic relations with the Austrian Empire were established in 1838 with the exchange of ministers and the establishment of the U.S. Legation in Vienna. The legation was elevated to an embassy in 1902.
However, with the United States’ entry into World War I in 1917, the embassy was closed. The United States recognized the Republic of Austria in 1921 following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It opened a legation in Vienna only to close it in 1938 when Nazi Germany annexed the country. The legation reopened after the war in 1946 and was elevated to embassy status in 1951. The embassy building was originally an academy built in 1904 to train Austrian diplomats and business leaders. During World War II, the Nazi military used the structure to teach military cadets. At the end of the war, the U.S. military occupied the building and the U.S. government purchased it in 1947.
Austria is a free and stable democracy with a social market economy. As heir to the Habsburg monarchy’s historic links to eastern and southeastern Europe, Austria sees a role for itself in helping countries in these regions integrate successfully into the European Union. The United States and Austria share many common values and perspectives, including support for human rights and the rule of law and a shared vision of peace and freedom for all. The two countries are bound together through myriad people-to-people contacts in business and entrepreneurship, the arts, education, and a host of other exchanges.
Austria is a member of the European Union and World Trade Organization, offering export opportunities for U.S. companies of all sizes, with no significant trade barriers. The country represents a desirable, affluent market for U.S.-made products in Europe. Austria was one of the top ten fastest-growing U.S. trade partners and foreign direct investors as of 2019, and the United States remains Austria’s second-largest export destination after Germany. The trade and investment relationship with Austria is robust and supports thousands of new jobs in both countries.
Austrian leaders emphasize the country’s role as both an East-West hub and a moderator between industrialized and developing countries. Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency and several other UN bodies, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Austria and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, OSCE, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization. Austria is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but participates in its Partnership for Peace program. Austria also is an observer to the Organization of American States. It is a member of the Three Seas Initiative.
Today, the U.S. embassy is located in Vienna. Also located in Vienna, is the U.S. Mission to the OSCE and the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna.
Map Link:
Source:
United States Department of State, Office of the Historian and Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Social Links:
https://www.facebook.com/USEmbVienna