!!!Siedlungsformen

Settlement, Forms of: The kind, number and topographical arrangement 
of human habitations. A first distinction is between rural and urban 
settlements. Rural settlements are further categorised as individual 
habitations and group settlements (Gruppensiedlungen or 
Sammelsiedlungen). The former comprise solitary farmsteads (Einzelhof) 
and scattered settlements (Streusiedlungen); among the latter a 
distinction is made in accordance with the size of the settlement in 
question (in ascending order: Einschicht, Weiler (roughly = hamlet), 
Rotte, Dorf (village), Markt (market town) and Stadt (town or city)). 
The borderlines between individual and group settlements are often 
blurred. Two neighbouring Einzelhoefe (solitary farmsteads at a 
distance of less than 150 m from each other) are still considered 
to form an Einschicht, several houses loosely scattered in mountainous 
or wooded areas form a Rotte. A Streusiedlung (scattered settlement) 
consists of Einzelhoefe surrounded by plots of land belonging to their 
individual owners. Such settlements, which were usually established 
between ca. 1000 and 1400 A.D., are predominantly found in 
mountain and hill country on steep valley slopes, undulating plateaus 
and knolls of the Alpine range and pre-Alps, the Muehlviertel and 
southwestern Waldviertel regions and in eastern Styria. Rural group 
settlements, irrespective of their size, can be Waldhufensiedlungen or 
Gewannsiedlungen. The Waldhufensiedlung is the oldest form; it 
consists of farmsteads at a considerable distance from one another in 
wooded areas. The difference between this form of settlement and the 
scattered settlement (Streusiedlung) is that the former has regular 
and continuous strips of land (Hufen) while the latter is 
characterised by irregularly scattered plots of land. The 
Gewannsiedlung is one in which the area of the settlement (Hotter) is 
broken down into a varying number of Riede or Gewanne. This type of 
settlement comprises all forms of villages ( Dorf). In economically 
favoured places or traffic centres, for instance at the intersection 
of trading routes, at points where valleys meet or where a mountain 
area falls down to the lowland, villages have developed into market 
towns, towns or cities (cases in point are (Wilhelmsburg, Kirchdorf an 
der Krems, Kirchberg an der Pielach, Weyer, Aschach an der Donau, 
Tamsweg and Althofen at the margin of the Krappfeld plain). A further 
distinction is made according to their historical development: 
Settlements that obtained their charters in the course of their 
development are called "gewordene" (literally: "developed") 
market towns, chartered towns or cities (Krems, Salzburg, Vienna). 
"Gewachsene" ("grown") cities and market towns have the 
characteristics of settlements from different periods. Settlements 
that already obtained their charters at the time they were founded (in 
the 12%%sup th/% -14th century) are called "gegruendete" 
("founded") market towns or cities (Bruck an der Mur, Enns, Feldkirch, 
Klagenfurt, Korneuburg, Leoben, Wiener Neustadt). In their case, the 
original topographical features (such as fortifications) are 
frequently still recognisable (Friesach, Kufstein, Leoben, Linz, 
Radstadt, Retz, Rust). Topographical names of areas in the open 
country (Flurnamen) often commemorate former settlements that were 
laid waste or abandoned. Place names frequently point to the time they 
were founded. Thus, the ending"-ing" is indicative of the 
fact that the area was settled by Bavarians at an early time (of the 
359 settlements that were founded before the year 800 24 % of 
those in Upper Austria, 2,8 % of those in Lower Austria, 
1,4 % of those in Styria and Carinthia and 1,3 % of those in 
Tirol have place names with this ending), followed by places ending in 
"-bach". The endings "-dorf" and 
"-hausen" indicate a later date, and the youngest 
settlements are those with names ending in "-holz", 
"-loh", "-hart", "-moos", or 
"-ried". Place names containing the words "mauer", 
"burg" or "walchen" may suggest ancient Roman 
settlements. The names of settlements and topographic names in the 
open country may also give indications as to the different historic 
periods or cultures through which they have existed (Celtic, Rhaetian, 
Roman, Slav, etc.).

!Literature
A. Klaar, Die Grundzuege der Siedellandschaft im 
oesterreichischen Donauraum, 1937.


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