The core regions of the Austrian Danubian Plain form a pathway between the high Alps to the South and the rugged Czech Highlands to the North. Vienna and the ancient lands of the Ostmark were the gateway to Western Europe. It was here that the ancient Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire stopped the invasions of the Avars, Hungarians, Mongols and Ottomans. Though life at the periphery brought great danger, it was also brought opportunities, and Vienna profited greatly from the flow of goods and ideas across Europe. Even today, the region remains the bridge between Western and Eastern Europe.
