Innviertel#

Innviertel (officially: Innkreis) Region, Upper Austria, fertile, densely populated hilly landscape in the Alpine foreland, western part of Upper Austria, between the rivers Salzach, Inn and Danube, and Hausruck mountains. Area of about 2,250 km2 with a population of 203,515 (1991), comprising Sauwald region in the north, the fertile river landscape of the lower Innviertel with the Innviertel farmhouse types Vierseithof and Vierkanthof used by the "Koerndlbauern" (cereal growers) and the morainic landscape of the upper Innviertel, consisting of the Ibmer Moos, Weilhartforst woodland, Mattigtal valley and Kobernausserwald hills. At Ostermiething and Trimmelkam, brown coal deposit ("Salzach Coal"), closed down in 1994. Granite quarries near Schaerding and Wernstein. At Ried im Innkreis, the main town in the Innviertel, petroleum and natural gas deposits. Austria's most important aluminium plant is located in Braunau-Ranshofen; Fischer ski factory, food and mechanical engineering industries. On the steep banks of the River Inn are the border crossing points Braunau, Obernberg and Schaerding; A 8 (Innkreisautobahn motorway) with Suben border crossing point. - At first the Innviertel was only temporarily Austrian territory (victory of Hochstaedt, 1704), the Peace of Teschen of 1779 brought about its cession from Bavaria to Austria; from 1809 to 1814 the Innviertel belonged to Bavaria again. Politically it is divided into the districts of Braunau, Ried and Schaerding. The power stations on the rivers Inn (4) and Danube (1) are all half Austrian, half German-owned. - The hilly country consists of fertile arable land and meadows, intensively used for agricultural purposes: cattle breeding (Simmental cattle), fruits for fruit juice and must production.

Literature#