Lower Austria

Geography

With a land area of 19,186 km2 (7,408 sq mi) situated east of Upper Austria, Lower Austria is the country's largest state. Lower Austria derives its name from its downriver location on the river Enns, which flows from the west to the east. Lower Austria has an international border, 414 km (257 mi) long, with the Czech Republic (South Bohemia and South Moravia) and Slovakia (Bratislava and Trnava Regions). The state has the second-longest external border of all Austrian states. It also borders the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Styria and Burgenland as well as surrounding Vienna.

Lower Austria is divided into four regions, known as Viertel (quarters):

Mostviertel (above the Vienna Woods)

Industrieviertel (below the Vienna Woods)

Weinviertel (below the Manhartsberg)

Waldviertel (above the Manhartsberg)

These regions have different geographical structures. Whilst the Mostviertel is dominated by the foothills of the Limestone Alps with mountains up to 2,000 m (AA) (6,500 ft) high, most of the Waldviertel is a granite plateau. The hilly Weinviertel lies to the northeast, descends to the plains of Marchfeld in the east of the state, and is separated by the Danube from the Vienna Basin to the south, which in turn is separated from the Vienna Woods by a line of thermal springs (the Thermenlinie) running north to south.

Mountains

Schneeberg (Klosterwappen; 2,076 m)

Rax (Scheibwaldhöhe; 1,943 m; highest summit: Heukuppe; 2,007 m – Styria)

Ötscher (1,893 m)

Dürrenstein (1,878 m)

Schneealpe (Ameisbühel; 1,828 m; highest summit: Windberg; 1,903 m – Styria)

Hochkar (1,808 m)

Gamsstein (1,774 m)

Stumpfmauer (1,770 m)

Göller (1,766 m)

Hochwechsel (1,743 m)

Gippel (1,669 m)

Großer Sonnleitstein (1,639 m)

Großer Zellerhut (1,639 m)

Gemeindealpe (1,626 m)

Scheiblingstein (1,622 m) (not to be confused with Scheiblingstein (2,197 m), which is in Styria)

Drahtekogel (1,565 m)

Sonnwendstein (1,523 m)

Obersberg (1,467 m)

Königsberg (1,452 m)

Großer Sulzberg (1,400 m)

Reisalpe (1,399 m)

Gahns (1,380 m)

Tirolerkogel (1,377 m)

Alpine passes

Semmering (985 m)

Wechsel (943 m)

The state border with Styria runs over both passes.

Rivers

Almost all of Lower Austria is drained by the Danube. The only river that flows into the North Sea (via the Moldau and the Elbe) is the Lainsitz in northern Waldviertel.

The most important rivers north of the Danube (on its left bank) are the Ysper, Kamp, Krems, Lainsitz, March and Thaya. South of the Danube (on its right bank) are the Enns, Ybbs, Erlauf, Melk, Pielach, Traisen, Schwechat, Fischa, Schwarza, Triesting, Pitten and the Leitha.

Lakes

Ottenstein Reservoir (4.3 km2)

Lunzer See (0.69 km2)

Erlaufsee (0.56 km2, of which about half lies in Lower Austria)

Erlauf Reservoir

Wienerwaldsee (0.32 km2)

Caves

Lower Austria is rich in natural caves; in all 4,082 have been recorded. Most of the caves have formed in limestone and dolomite rocks and are therefore called karst caves. Cavities also form in the marble of the Central Alps and the Bohemian Massif. Among the largest caves in Lower Austria are:

Ötscherhöhlensystem (Ötscher): 27,003 m long; union of the Taubenloch and Geldloch

Pfannloch (Ötscher): 5,287 m long

Lechnerweidhöhle (Dürrenstein): 5,252 m long

Trockenes Loch (Schwarzenbach an der Pielach): 4,510 m long

Hermannshöhle (Kirchberg am Wechsel): 4,430 m long

Eisensteinhöhle (Bad Fischau): 2,341 m long

The last two are open as show caves, along with the Allander stalactite cave, the Unicorn Cave, the Hochkarschacht, the Nixhöhle and the Ötschertropfsteinhöhle.

History

More than 200 Neolithic people were killed during the massacre in the Linear Pottery settlement area of Schletz 7000 years ago.

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. Before World War II, Lower Austria had the largest number of Jews in the country.

The names Lower Austria and Upper Austria are derived from the earlier names Austria below the Enns and Austria above the Enns, references to the river Enns. Going down from its source on the northern edge of the Central Eastern Alps, the river crosses Upper Austria, then on its lower reaches forms the boundary between Upper Austria and Lower Austria.

In the mid-13th century, it became known as the Principality below the river Enns (Fürstentum unter der Enns).

The Battle on the Marchfeld on 26 August 1278 marked the beginning of the ascendancy of the House of Habsburg in Austria and Central Europe.

During the Ottoman wars in Europe, Lower Austria was the target of repeated raids by the Tatars and Ottoman Akinji mounted paramilitary units, with many people taken into slavery.

Lower Austria was the site of the Battles of Wagram and Aspern, fought between invading French troops under Napoleon and an Austrian army led by Archduke Charles in 1809.

Economy

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 61.0 billion € in 2018, accounting for 15.8% of Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,300 €, or 107% of the EU27 average in the same year. Lower Austria is the state with the second-lowest GDP per capita in Austria.

Transport

Public local train and bus transport

The state is located in the area of the transport association Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region (VOR).

Air transport

Air travel to the state is served by Vienna International Airport, which is located in the town of Schwechat, Lower Austria. Some western parts of Lower Austria are also served by the much smaller Linz Airport, while the east is additionally served by Bratislava Airport.

Administrative divisions

Lower Austria is divided into four regions: Mostviertel, Industrieviertel, Weinviertel and Waldviertel. 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 20 districts (Bezirke), and four independent towns (Statutarstädte). In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria.

Independent towns

Krems an der Donau

Sankt Pölten

Waidhofen

Wiener Neustadt

Districts

Amstetten

Baden

Bruck an der Leitha

Gänserndorf

Gmünd

Hollabrunn

Horn

Korneuburg

Krems

Lilienfeld

Melk

Mistelbach

Mödling

Neunkirchen

St. Pölten

Scheibbs

Tulln an der Donau

Waidhofen an der Thaya

Wiener Neustadt

Zwettl