Gmunden

Gmunden

Lakeside

Coat of arms
Gmunden

Location within Austria

Coordinates: 47°55′05″N 13°47′58″E / 47.91806°N 13.79944°E / 47.91806; 13.79944Coordinates: 47°55′05″N 13°47′58″E / 47.91806°N 13.79944°E / 47.91806; 13.79944
Country Austria
State Upper Austria
District Gmunden
Government
 • Mayor Stefan Krapf (ÖVP)
Area
 • Total 63.55 km2 (24.54 sq mi)
Elevation 425 m (1,394 ft)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
 • Total 13,199
 • Density 210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 4810
Area code 07612
Vehicle registration GM
Website www.gmunden.ooe.gv.at

Gmunden ([ˈɡmʊndən]) is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,104 inhabitants (estimates 2015). It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc. It is also an important centre of the salt industry in Salzkammergut.

Geography

Gmunden covers an area of 63.49 km² and has a median height of 425 m. It is situated next to the lake Traunsee on the Traun River and is surrounded by high mountains, as the Traunstein (mountain) (5446 ft.), the Erlakogel (5150 ft.), the Wilder Kogel (6860 ft.) and the Höllengebirge.

Municipal arrangement

Gmunden is divided into the following boroughs: Gmunden, Gmunden-Ort, Schlagen, Traundorf, Unterm Stein.

Neighboring municipalities

Ohlsdorf Gschwandt
Pinsdorf Sankt Konrad
Altmünster Ebensee

Population

Gmunden's population
1869 to 2014[2]
YearPopulationYearPopulation
18696.857193910.792
18806.857195112.894
18907.521196112.518
19008.451197112.331
19108.451198112.653
19239.633199113.133
19349.838200113.336
201413.021
201513.104

As of 2001, Gmunden has a population of 13,336. Of that, 88.4% are Austrian in nationality, 1.5% are from other European Union states, and 10.2% are other foreigners. Citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina (3.6%) and the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (2.7%) placed the strongest foreigner portion, followed by Turks (1.2%) and Germans (1.1%).

The majority (69.3%) confess themselves to the Roman Catholic Church. Evangelicals are next, which 7.3% of the population associate with. 5.9% are Muslims and 3.3% are Orthodox. 10.3% are nonreligious.

History

Austria, 100 Schilling 1978 Silver Coin, reverse, celebrating the 700th Anniversary of the township of Gmunden.
Gmunden in the 16th century

A settlement was in existence already in the fifth century AC. By 1186 Gmunden was a fortified place surrounded by walls, although it did not receive a church until about 1300. In 1278 Gmunden became a town. On November 14, 1626 an army of rebellious peasants was completely defeated at Gmunden by General Pappenheim, who had been ordered by Maximilian I to suppress the peasant rebellion in Upper Austria.[3] The dead peasant insurgents were buried in nearby Pinsdorf, where an obelisk styled memorial known as the Bauernhügel in their honour can still be seen.

Gmunden supplied battleships to Austria during the 17th century and helped wounded soldiers in hospitals in World War I. During World War II, an SS maternity home was located here, "to insure racial purity" in accordance with Nazi racial theories.[4]

Politics

The local council consists of 37 members. Since 2009 the members are from the following political parties:

Since 1997 the mayor has been Heinz Köppl of the ÖVP. Since 2014 the mayor is Stefan Krapf of the ÖVP.

Main sights

Schloss Ort
Town hall of Gmunden
Altar of parish church
Schloss Cumberland, built as exile seat for Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in 1882
Villa Toscana, 1870-1912 exile seat of Maria Antonia, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and her family

There are a great number of excursions and points of interest round Gmunden, specially worth mentioning being the Traun Fall, 10 miles (16 km) north of Gmunden, a castle called Schloss Ort, and a ceramic factory producing Gmundner Keramik branded pottery. The town hall is also a popular tourist destination.

Education

In Gmunden there are four kindergartens, four elementary schools and three Hauptschulen. The three high schools are BG/BRG Gmunden, BRG Schloss Traunsee, and Gymnasium Ort.

People

Famous residents

See also

The Gmunden public transport network

Gmunden Straßenbahn, the town tramway.

References

  1. ↑ Statistik Austria - Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn 2002-2016 nach Gemeinden (Gebietsstand 2016-01-01), 2016-01-01.
  2. ↑ Gemeindedaten Gmunden (Statistik Austria).
  3. ↑ Oberösterreichischer Bauernkrieg (German Wikipedia link)
  4. ↑ Christine O'Keefe, Concentration Camps.
  5. ↑ de:Horaz Krasnopolski
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Gmunden.

Media related to Gmunden at Wikimedia Commons

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