Schwechat (German pronunciation: [ˈʃvɛçaːt] ) is a city southeast of Vienna known for the Vienna International Airport and Schwechater beer. The city is home to the refineries of the Austrian national oil company OMV.

Schwechat
The central square in 2019
The central square in 2019
Coat of arms of Schwechat
Schwechat is located in Lower Austria
Schwechat
Schwechat
Location within Austria
Schwechat is located in Austria
Schwechat
Schwechat
Schwechat (Austria)
Coordinates: 48°08′28″N 16°28′43″E / 48.14111°N 16.47861°E / 48.14111; 16.47861
CountryAustria
StateLower Austria
DistrictBruck an der Leitha
Government
 • MayorKarin Baier[1] (SPÖ)
Area
 • Total
44.73 km2 (17.27 sq mi)
Elevation
162 m (531 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[3]
 • Total
18,026
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
2320
Area code01
Vehicle registrationSW
Websitewww.schwechat.gv.at

Geography

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Schwechat is named after the river Schwechat, which flows through the centre of town. The city subdivisions, called Katastralgemeinde (Cadastre), are Kledering, Mannswörth, Rannersdorf and Schwechat.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
18697,458—    
18808,910+19.5%
189010,327+15.9%
190013,636+32.0%
191014,625+7.3%
192314,372−1.7%
193414,936+3.9%
193914,813−0.8%
195113,270−10.4%
196113,403+1.0%
197115,303+14.2%
198114,834−3.1%
199114,669−1.1%
200115,286+4.2%
201116,329+6.8%

History

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Home to the settlement Ala Nova of the Roman Empire, the city was first mentioned in a document in 1334.[citation needed] The meeting at Schwechat of Emperor Leopold I with Jan Sobieski in 1683, after the liberation of Vienna, is commemorated by an obelisk. The imperial troops defeated the Hungarian insurgents in a battle fought here in October 1848.[4]

In 1724, a textile factory was established in Schwechat. Schwechat profited massively from the Austrian industrialisation wave of the 19th century, many of the companies established then still exist (i.e. the Dreher Brewery, founded in 1796 by Franz Anton Dreher the Younger). Schwechat became a city in 1924 and was incorporated into Vienna in 1938. The city's oil refinery was a bombing target of the Allied Oil Campaign of World War II, with the southern aviation plant complex of the Heinkel firm (Germany-based at Rostock-Schmarl as Heinkel-Nord, the Schwechat offices/facility was called Heinkel-Süd) also targeted in late 1943 and lasting through the spring of 1944.

Schwechat became an independent city in 1954. Since 2017 it belongs to Bruck an der Leitha District because Wien-Umgebung was dissolved at the end of 2016.[5][6]

Economy

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Austrian Airlines building

Vienna International Airport and the headquarters of Austrian Airlines are in the city of Schwechat.[7][8]

When Lauda Air was an independent airline, it had its corporate headquarters in Schwechat.[9] Niki was also based in Schwechat.[10]

Education

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Schools include:[11]

Primary schools:

  • Volksschule I & II
  • Volksschule Mannswörth
  • Volksschule Rannersdorf

Secondary:

  • Allgemeine Sonderschule Schwechat
  • Bundesgymnasium & Bundesrealgymnasium Schwechat
  • Neue Mittelschule Schwechat Frauenfeld
  • Neue Sport- & Sprach-Mittelschule Schwechat - Schmidgasse

Notable people

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Ernst Seidler von Feuchtenegg, 1918
 
Viktor Klima, 2008

Sport

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Schwechat (as Megacity Schwechat) plays an important role in the Austrian sci-fi movie Die Gstettensaga: The Rise of Echsenfriedl.

References

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  1. ^ Neue Burgermeister für Gänserndorf und Schwechat, NÖ ORF, March 10, 2015
  2. ^ "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. ^   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Schwechat". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 391.
  5. ^ "Bezirk Wien Umgebung wird aufgelöst". 10 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Wien-Umgebung: Aufteilung geändert", artikel in Niederösterreichische Nachrichten (NÖN.at), 24-9-2015
  7. ^ "Offices in Austria". Austrian Airlines. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Information about the city plan." City of Schwechat. Retrieved on 5 September 2009.
  9. ^ "World Airline Directory". Flight International. 27 March – 2 April 1991. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  10. ^ "About Us Contact". Niki. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  11. ^ "Schule Archived 2017-11-29 at the Wayback Machine." Schwechat. Retrieved on September 4, 2017.
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