Vienna is the capital city of Austria and home to two of the country's top clubs, FK Austria Wien and SK Rapid Wien. The city has been chosen, along with Klagenfurt, Salzburg and Innsbruck, as an Austrian host venue for UEFA EURO 2008™. Vienna will also have the honour of hosting the final. Dr Michael Häupl, the proud mayor and a big football fan, spoke to euro2008.com about the coming tournament.
A warm welcome to Vienna, a city of rich culture. We will greet the fans from all over Europe heartily and, aside from the seven games, Vienna has so much more to offer the guests in the city - theatres, concerts, museums, shops and the world famous Heurigen. You will never be bored in Vienna!
Full steam ahead
The preparations for the tournament are up and running and now it is full steam ahead. We are extending one of our underground lines to the stadium, working on a new traffic control system, as well as giving the area surrounding the ground a face lift. As far as security is concerned, we are working in tandem with the government to ensure a safe and peaceful tournament.
Public viewing
Following the unbelievable success of the FIFA World Cup in Germany it is clear to us that public viewing is a must. We are currently in the process of choosing the venue for the fan zone. After the World Cup came to an end we had a few weeks to recover, but since the Austrian Bundesliga resumed everything here is once again focused on football – and it's just as well!
Proud mayor
Obviously I'm delighted that Vienna will host the final of the tournament. The event thrusts the city into the sporting limelight and that, for me as Mayor of Vienna, is especially pleasing, as well as being a challenge. We will do everything to ensure that the visitors to Vienna enjoy a peaceful, friendly atmosphere and leave the city with great memories.