Page 135 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

A USTRIA REGION B Y REGION  133

LOWER AUSTRIA &

BURGENLAND

Lower Austria is the largest province in Austria,
both in terms of area and population. It surrounds
the Austrian capital, Vienna, which for many years
doubled as capital of the province. Following a plebiscite
in 1986, the provincial capital was moved to St Pölten. At the edge of Lower
Austria, bordering Hungary along one side, is the low-lying province of
Burgenland, with its capital Eisenstadt.
Lower Austria, together with Upper Lower Austria’s main towns, beside Vienna
Austria, covers the area that was once the and St Pölten, are Krems, Mödling, Wiener
cradle of the country. The low-lying and Neustadt, Klosterneuburg and Baden bei
gently undulating terrain make this region Wien. In the north of the province,
easily accessible. During Roman times, adjoining the Czech Republic and Slovakia,
its southern reaches belonged to the lies the vine-growing region of Weinviertel.
provinces of Noricum and Pannonia, while Further west is the wooded Waldviertel.
the areas north of the Danube frequently To the southeast of Lower Austria, from
changed hands as Slav and German tribes Neusiedler See down, is the narrow province
fought over them. From AD 791, Lower of Burgenland, covering an area of 3,965
Austria belonged to the Franks and, sq km (1,530 sq miles), with a population of
in AD 970, it was given the name Ostmark 278,000. Historically, it was a part of Hungary,
(Eastern Margravate). Today, it occupies an but after the Turkish wars (1529–1791) it
area of 19,163 sq km (6,930 sq miles) and was settled by Germans and Croats, and
stretches along the Danube valley, from the finally incorporated into Austria in 1921.
German border in the west, to Hungary in The main town in Burgenland is
the east. In the south it reaches the slopes Eisenstadt, where the mighty Esterházy
of the limestone Rax Mountains, with their family established their seat; to this day
highest peak, Schneeberg, and the popular they continue to play an important role
winter resort of Semmering. in the region’s development.

The ornate 19th-century casino in the spa town of Baden bei Wien
Beautiful spiral staircase with trompe l’oeil moulding, Melk Abbey

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