LOWER AUSTRIA

'Lower Austria' (, ) is one of the nine states or ''Bundesländer'' in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria (since 1986) is Sankt Pölten — the most recent capital town in Austria. Prior to 1986, the capital of Lower Austria was Vienna, even though Vienna is not properly part of Lower Austria. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of 1.6 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).

Contents

Geography

History

Administrative divisions

Statutarstädte

Districts

External links

Geography

Located east of Upper Austria, Lower Austria derives its name from where it is situated on the Danube River, which flows from west to east. The state borders on Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and on the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Styria and Burgenland. The state surrounds Vienna.

History

Main articles: History of Austria

The history of Lower Austria is very similar to the History of Austria. Many castles are located in Lower Austria. Klosterneuburg Abbey, located here, is one of the oldest abbeys in Austria. Also, before World War II, Lower Austria had the largest amount of Jews.

Administrative divisions

Lower Austria is divided into four regions: Waldviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel, and Weinviertel. The Wachau valley, situated between Melk and Krems in the Mostviertel region, is famous for its landscape, culture, and wine.
Administratively, the state is divided into 21 districts (''Bezirke''), and four Statutarstädte. In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria.

Statutarstädte

★ Krems

★ St. Pölten

★ Waidhofen an der Ybbs

★ Wiener Neustadt

Districts

★ Amstetten

★ Baden

★ Bruck an der Leitha

★ Gänserndorf

★ Gmünd

★ Hollabrunn

★ Horn

★ Korneuburg

★ Krems-Land

★ Lilienfeld

★ Melk

★ Mistelbach

★ Mödling

★ Neunkirchen

★ St. Pölten-Land

★ Scheibbs

★ Tulln

★ Waidhofen an der Thaya

★ Wiener Neustadt-Land

★ Wien-Umgebung

★ Zwettl

External links

★ Land Niederösterreich

★ PhotoGlobe - georeferenced photos of Lower Austria

★ Guide to Lower Austria