Amstetten

Geschichte

Amstetten is a town in Lower Austria. It is the capital of the Amstetten District and the centre of the historical region Mostviertel ("Most" -cider, "viertel"- a quarter of the provence Lower Austria)GeographyAmstetten is situated between Linz (60 km) and Vienna (120 km) on the highway and just over an hour from Vienna by highspeed-train, and lies on the river Ybbs and Url as well near the Danube river.HistoryThere 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. The town was home to Josef Fritzl and Josef Hickersberger.Local economyThe Doka Group, a major international producer/supplier of formwork, has their company headquarters in Amstetten.