'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).
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
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Krems
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St. Pölten
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Waidhofen an der Ybbs
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Wiener Neustadt
Districts
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Amstetten
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Baden
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Bruck an der Leitha
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Gänserndorf
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Gmünd
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Hollabrunn
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Horn
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Korneuburg
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Krems-Land
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Lilienfeld
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Melk
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Mistelbach
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Mödling
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Neunkirchen
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St. Pölten-Land
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Scheibbs
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Tulln
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Waidhofen an der Thaya
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Wiener Neustadt-Land
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Wien-Umgebung
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Zwettl
External links
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Land Niederösterreich
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PhotoGlobe - georeferenced photos of Lower Austria
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Guide to Lower Austria