Waldviertel

This article is about the region. For the National Council electoral district, see Waldviertel (National Council electoral district).

The Waldviertel (Austrian German: [ˈvaldˌfɪrtl̩] ^ⓘ; lit. 'Forest Quarter'; Central Bavarian: Woidviadl; Czech: Lesní čtvrť) is the northwestern region of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the river Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and to the north by the Czech Republic and to the east by the Manhartsberg (537 m, 1,762 ft), which is the survey point dividing the Waldviertel from the Weinviertel region. Geologically it is part of the Bohemian Massif. In the south are the Wachau and Kamptal wine regions.

Districts

The following administrative districts of Lower Austria are considered to be part of the Waldviertel

• Krems
• Horn
• Waidhofen an der Thaya
• Gmünd
• Zwettl
• northern part of Melk
• statutory city of Krems an der Donau

Economy

The northern Waldviertel (Forest Region) had been part of the Bohemian region of glasshouses since the 14th century.^[1] In historical times, Waldviertel sands were good raw materials for forest glass production, especially for colored glass.^[2]

Further reading

• Birgit Zotz, Das Waldviertel – Zwischen Mystik und Klarheit. Das Image einer Region als Reiseziel. Berlin: Köster 2010, ISBN 978-3-89574-734-2