From the Celts to the Babenbergs

Long before Austria existed, the area along the Danube was a crossroads of cultures. The Celts founded the kingdom of Noricum (around 400 BC), famous for its iron processing — Noric iron was considered the best in the world in antiquity. The capital Virunum (near Klagenfurt) was an important trading center.

In 15 BC, the Romans incorporated the area into their empire. Vindobona (Vienna), Carnuntum (near Petronell), and Iuvavum (Salzburg) became important military camps and settlements. Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote parts of his famous Meditations in Carnuntum — and possibly died there in 180 AD. The Roman infrastructure — roads, baths, amphitheaters — shaped the land for centuries.

After the fall of Rome, Germanic tribes, Huns, Avars, and Slavs traversed the area. Charlemagne established the Avar March around 800 as the eastern border region of the Frankish Empire. The name "Ostarrîchi" was first mentioned in a donation deed by Emperor Otto III on November 1, 996 — the birth document of Austria.

In 976, Emperor Otto II enfeoffed Leopold I. from the house of Babenberg with the margraviate. The Babenbergs ruled for 270 years and transformed a border march into a prosperous duchy. Under Leopold III. (the Saint, patron of the land), monasteries like Klosterneuburg and Heiligenkreuz were established. Vienna became the residence city in 1155 — the beginning of a splendid career.