The croissant’s ancestor, the kipferl, originated in Austria. Kipferl is an Austrian crescent-shaped baked good whose form and tradition helped inspire the later French croissant.
The kipferl is much older than the modern croissant. It can be traced in Austrian records to at least the 13th century and has appeared in several forms, including plain versions and pastries made with nuts or other fillings. Unlike the modern croissant, the traditional kipferl was generally closer to a bread or brioche-style pastry than to a highly laminated French viennoiserie.
The connection with France became stronger in the 19th century. Austrian officer August Zang established the Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris in 1838 or 1839, helping popularize Viennese baked goods there. French bakers later adapted the crescent form using laminated, yeast-leavened dough.
A popular story says the kipferl was created in Vienna after the 1683 Ottoman siege, with its crescent shape symbolizing the Ottoman emblem. Historians have found no contemporary evidence for that story, so Austria is the established origin while the victory tale remains a culinary legend.