Lower Austria

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**Niederösterreich**

State	AT-3 (ISO)
Capital	St. Pölten
Governor	Erwin Pröll (ÖVP)
Area - Total	Ranked 1st 19,174 km²
Population - Total (2001) - Density	Ranked 2nd 1,545,804 81/km²
The state flag of Niederösterreich
The state of Niederösterreich on the map of Austria

Map of Lower Austria showing districts and the four quarters (Waldviertel in green, Weinviertel in red, Mostviertel in yellow and Industrieviertel in blue)

Lower Austria (German: Niederösterreich, Czech: Dolní Rakousy) 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. It was Vienna before, even though Vienna is not part of proper Lower Austria. With a land area of 19,174 km² and a population of almost 1.5 million people, it is the largest state in Austria, and in terms of population second only to Vienna (which also is a federal state).

1 Geography
2 History
3 Administrative divisions
- 3.1 Statutarstädte
- 3.2 Districts
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Located east of Upper Austria, Lower Austria is called that because it sits lower on the Danube River, which flows through it 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.

[edit] History

Main article: 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.

[edit] 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.