Lower Austria: the region around Vienna

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Lower Austria is the largest state (Bundesländer) of Austria. Located in the north-eastern section of the country, it borders the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and the Austrian state of Burgenland to the east, Styria to the south, and Upper Austria to the west.

Lower Austria is the second largest Austrian state by population, after the federal state of Vienna, made up of four regions Weinviertel, Waldviertel, Mostviertel, and Industrieviertel. This Austrian state is administratively divided into 21 districts (Bezirke), and the 4 statutory cities (Statutarstädte) of Krems, St. Pölten, Waidhofen an der Ybbs, and Wiener Neustadt.

THE REGION AROUND VIENNA

The territory of Lower Austria is crossed by the Danube and surrounds the capital Vienna, which forms a region in its own right, the proximity to the Austrian capital makes the region the most important in the country from an agricultural and industrial point of view.

The Weinviertel area, located north-east of Vienna, consists mainly of hills, where most of the Austrian wines are produced. The northwest region, called Waldviertel, is characterized by granite plateaus, unsuitable for agriculture and covered with forests. The Mostviertel region, located in the south-west, where the state capital Sankt Pölten is located, is made up of low hills and vast flat areas, in correspondence with the Danube valley, here are also extensive orchards.

The Industrieviertel territory, which is the south-eastern part of the region, is also rich in vast agricultural areas. Here is also the Schneeberg (2,076 meters), the highest peak in Lower Austria, part of the last foothills of the North-Eastern Alps.

Lower Austria (Niederösterreich)
Population: 1,612,155 (2010)
Area: 19,177 km²
Capital: Sankt Pölten
Highest point: Schneeberg 2,076 meters
Lowest point: Berg 139 meters

Tourist attractions: What to see in Lower Austria.