The book is dedicated to the fate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a century ago - the second largest and third most populous country in Europe, whose territory now houses a dozen independent states. The Habsburg crown was destroyed by the First World War, but the roots of their empire still feed the Central European space. The work of A. Sharogo and Ya. Shimov has no analogues in Russian literature. Never before has an analysis of historical processes based on such a deep knowledge of facts been accompanied by such an exciting story about the everyday life and holidays of the Danube monarchy, such vivid portraits of the Habsburg dynasty and their subjects, so lively essays about trips to large and small Habsburg cities: Vienna and Budapest, Prague and Lviv, Sarajevo and Trieste.