Amstetten, Lower Austria

There are traces of human settlements from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age in the area. The first permanent settlement in the area to be mentioned in written sources was Ulmerfeld, mentioned in 995. The first mention of Amstetten itself is dated to 1111. In 1858, the town was linked to the rest of Austria-Hungary by railroad. Since 1868, it has also been the seat of the local district administration. During World War II, there were two subcamps of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Amstetten.^[2] The town was home to Josef Fritzl and Josef Hickersberger.^[3]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1869	4,313	—
1880	6,086	+41.1%
1890	7,254	+19.2%
1900	10,287	+41.8%
1910	14,415	+40.1%
1923	14,715	+2.1%
1934	17,311	+17.6%
1939	18,574	+7.3%
1951	17,380	−6.4%
1961	19,086	+9.8%
1971	21,695	+13.7%
1981	21,989	+1.4%
1991	21,972	−0.1%
2001	22,595	+2.8%
2011	22,948	+1.6%

Local economy

The Doka Group, a major international producer/supplier of formwork, has their company headquarters in Amstetten.

Schools

Amstetten has a variety of schools which cater to the needs of its residents, and residents of neighbouring villages. These include a Gymnasium, HLW Amstetten and HAK Amstetten. Language learning in Amstetten is enhanced greatly by the presence of English Language Assistants from the UK and USA, who also run regular extra-curricular events in the local area.^[4]

Shopping

Amstetten provides good shopping opportunities for its residents. There is a shopping centre with clothes shops, shoe shops, a supermarket, technology shops and other amenities. The shopping centre also has free WiFi. Amstetten's high street has some clothes shops and several restaurants. There are two second hand shops in Amstetten where good quality clothes can be purchased cheaply. There are several large supermarkets including an Interspar, Merkur and Hofer.

Culture

Unfortunately, Amstetten's culture scene is not necessarily easily researched on-line. For detailed information of events in Amstetten, visit the City Hall (Rathaus) where they can give you programmes and leaflets. Johann Pölz Halle is the local concert hall where school balls, theatre performances and concerts are held.^[5] Amstetten has an annual 'Kulturwochen', a series of weeks in Autumn dedicated to Culture. This includes performances from the Amstetten Symphony Orchestra and local Amateur dramatic groups, as well as professional theatre, cabarets, story-telling, lectures and exhibitions. In Winter, Amstetten has its own Christmas Market. In Summer, a summer musical theater made of amateurs and professionals entertains in what is called Musicalsummer Amstetten^[6]

Sights

Amstetten-Mauer hospital chapel

Amstetten has several churches. There is a small wood and a river for walking opportunities. There is an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, the 'Naturbad', which is designed to bring the aesthetics of a natural pool into a manmade pool.^[7] The pool has a sauna and a slide.^[8] There are several gyms in Amstetten as well as a dance and music school.

Nightlife

Amstetten has several bars and clubs. K1 is in a cellar and is popular among the younger party goers.^[9] There are also two metal bars including the 'Pandora Bar'.

Transport

Amstetten has a train station and is served by OEBB trains and the Westbahn trains.^[10]^[11] You can get a direct train to Linz and Vienna, as well as local tourist attraction Melk.

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Amstetten is twinned with:

Helsinki, Finland
Alsfeld, Germany (1979)
Ruelle-sur-Touvre, France (1992)
Pergine Valsugana, Italy (1999)
Podolsk, Russia^[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amstetten, Austria.

References

Notes

Municipalities in the district of Amstetten

Authority control	VIAF: 247902785 GND: 4001784-9

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, December 14, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.