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AUSTRIA EXPLAINED

Reader question: Is it legal to drink in public in Austria?

Drinking in public is not only legal in Austria, but it is much more socially acceptable in many other countries. Here’s what you need to know.

Reader question: Is it legal to drink in public in Austria?
Drinking in public is common in Austria. Photo by Julian Jagtenberg from Pexels

With bars and restaurants closed during the pandemic, the only place to have a drink other than your house was the park, square or anywhere else in Austria. 

When restaurants and bars reopened in 2021, while many of us grabbed our proof of vaccination, recovery or negative test and went straight to the pub, some of us might have gotten a little attached to drinking outside. 

Fortunately, not only is drinking outside perfectly legal in Austria, but it is not frowned upon socially to the same extent it might be in other countries. 

Everyone over drinking age – which is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for schnapps, cocktails and spirits – is allowed to drink in public in Austria.

READ ALSO: Barbecues, nudity and smoking: What am I allowed to do on my balcony in Austria?

In most Austrian cities, towns and villages, having a few drinks in the park or a square is very socially acceptable – provided of course you keep the noise down and don’t start singing “it’s coming home” at full volume while goose-stepping down the sidewalk. 

Austria is also very fond of the ‘Wegbier’, which is the beer you drink when you are on your way somewhere. 

Quite often this is on the way home from work or on the way to the pub, but it can also be the point of the activity in itself – i.e. meeting up for a Wegbier or three, just walking around the neighbourhood. 

It might surprise plenty of people arriving from English-speaking countries but Austria, like neighbouring Germany, tends to have a policy of policing the conduct rather than just policing the drinking. 

So drinking in public is possible everywhere? 

There are some public squares and places where drinking is forbidden, but this is relatively rare. 

Drinking in the Praterstern area in Vienna, including the train station, is not allowed. There are also bans in Salzburg’s main station and Südtiroler Platz, as well as Heiligengeistplatz in Klagenfurt and the main square in Graz. 

Many public transport companies forbid drinking at stations, on platforms and while on the train or bus itself. 

However, this tends to only be enforced where people become loud or unruly; watching people drink a Feierabendbier – a beer when you finish work – quietly and calmly while on the way home is relatively common. 

During the Covid pandemic there were also some bans in alcohol consumption in public places in some parts of the country, however these were largely wound back when the lockdown measures were eased. 

The official rules for alcohol consumption in Austria can be seen here (in German). 

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For members

AUSTRIA EXPLAINED

Why does Austria have two different official flags?

Most countries have one flag but Austria has two.

Why does Austria have two different official flags?

The reason Austria has two flags is basically due to its history and subsequent political changes throughout the years.

One is known as the the national flag which represents the country as a whole, and the other referred to as the state flag, which is mainly used for government bodies and agencies.

This division is aid to help provide clarity and distinction between national symbolism such as when Austrian national sports teams represent the country and administrative representation, for example on state buildings or when the representatives of the government are holding talks with other state leaders.

The national flag (Bundesflagge)

The Austrian national flag is seen as the training pitch of Austria’s national football team is prepared ahead of the Euro 2016 football tournament, in Mallemort, southern France, on June 6, 2016. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP)

The national flag represents the unity and autonomy of Austria, and it is mainly used for official purposes, diplomatic missions, and international events. It consists of three horizontal stripes of red, white, and red and it is one of the oldest national flags in Europe, with roots taking us back to the Middle Ages.

The flag was firstly associated with the Babenberg dynasty who ruled Austria from the 12th to the 13th century and later became a symbol of the Austrian territories within the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire fell in 1806, the flag was accepted as the national flag of the Austrian Empire and persisted through different historical periods, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following World War I, the flag was readopted as the national flag of the Republic of Austria in 1918.

READ ALSO: How much power do Austria’s state governments hold?

The state flag (Bundesdienstflagge)

An Austrian and a European flag flutter in the wind in front of the Austrian embassy in Berlin on November 3, 2020. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

The state flag resembles the national flag but includes the Austrian coat of arms in shape of an eagle in the middle. It is used by Austrian federal authorities, government bodies, and state institutions.  The coat of arms symbolises Austria’s historical and cultural heritage and presents a golden eagle with a red shield that holds a hook and a hammer, representing labour and agriculture.

The state flag with its coat of arms have been used in Austria since the country regained its independency in 1945 following the end of World War II and the collapse of Nazi Germany. As a part of this regaining independency process, the state flag was adopted to represent the Austrian state and government institutions.

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