Schwechat

Location of Schwechat in Austria

Schwechat is a city on the south-eastern outskirts of the Austrian capital Vienna. It is mostly known for housing the city's airport, and for a brand of beer local to the city with the same name. It is also home to the refineries belonging to the Austrian national oil company OMV.

Geography

Schwechat is named after the river Schwechat, which flows through the center of town. The city lies in the federal state of Lower Austria and is located at 48°08′N 16°28′E. The city is split into four subsections, called cadastral communities - Kledering, Mannswörth, Rannersdorf and Schwechat. The city boundraries span around an area of 44.7 km². It lies at 162 metres over the sea level.

Demographics

The 2001 census counted 15,456 inhabitants within the city, resulting in a population density of 321 inhabitants per km².

History

During the days of the Roman Empire, the area of today's Schwechat was home to the settlement of Ala Nova. Today's city was first mentioned in a document in 1334. 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 existing today (like the brewery). It was raised to the level of a city in 1924, but was incorporated into the Viennese political body in 1938. It regained its status as a city of its own in 1954.