With a land area of 19,186 km2 (7,408 sq mi) situated east ofUpper Austria, Lower Austria is the country's largest state. Lower Austria derives its name from its downriver location on the riverEnns, which flows from the west to the east. Lower Austria has an international border, 414 km (257 mi) long, with theCzech Republic (South Bohemia andSouth Moravia) andSlovakia (Bratislava andTrnava Regions). The state has the second-longest external border of all Austrian states. It also borders the other Austrian states ofUpper Austria,Styria andBurgenland as well as surroundingVienna.
Lower Austria is divided into four regions, known asViertel (quarters):
These regions have different geographical structures. Whilst theMostviertel is dominated by the foothills of theLimestone Alps with mountains up to2,000 m (AA) (6,500 ft) high, most of theWaldviertel is agranite plateau. The hillyWeinviertel lies to the northeast, descends to the plains ofMarchfeld in the east of the state, and is separated by theDanube from theVienna Basin to the south, which in turn is separated from the Vienna Woods by a line of thermal springs (theThermenlinie) running north to south.[5]
Almost all of Lower Austria is drained by theDanube. The only river that flows into the North Sea (via theMoldau and theElbe) is theLainsitz in northernWaldviertel.
Lower Austria is rich in naturalcaves; in all 4,082 have been recorded. Most of the caves have formed in limestone and dolomite rocks and are therefore calledkarst caves. Cavities also form in the marble of the Central Alps and the Bohemian Massif. Among the largest caves in Lower Austria are:
The history of Lower Austria is very similar to thehistory of Austria. Many castles are located in Lower Austria.Klosterneuburg Abbey, located here, is one of the oldest abbeys in Austria. BeforeWorld War II, Lower Austria had the largest number ofJews in the country.
The namesLower Austria andUpper Austria are derived from the earlier namesAustria below the Enns andAustria above the Enns, references to theriver Enns. Going down from its source on the northern edge of theCentral Eastern Alps, the river crosses Upper Austria, then on its lower reaches forms the boundary between Upper Austria and Lower Austria.[7]
In the mid-13th century, it became known as the Principality below the riverEnns (Fürstentum unter der Enns).
Thegross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 61.0 billion € in 2018, accounting for 15.8% of Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,300 €, or 107% of the EU27 average in the same year. Lower Austria is the state with the second-lowest GDP per capita in Austria.[9]
Administratively, the state is divided into 20 districts (Bezirke), and four independent towns (Statutarstädte). In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria.[11]
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