Gmunden

Gmunden () is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,204 inhabitants (estimates 2016 ). It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc. It is also an important centre of the salt industry in Salzkammergut.

Geography

Gmunden covers an area of and has a median elevation of . It is situated next to the lake Traunsee on the Traun River and is surrounded by high mountains, including the Traunstein (mountain) (), the Erlakogel (5150 ft), the Wilder Kogel () and the Höllengebirge.

Municipal arrangement

Gmunden is divided into the following boroughs: Gmunden, Gmunden-Ort, Schlagen, Traundorf, Unterm Stein.

Neighboring municipalities

Population

As of 2001, Gmunden had a population of 13,336; Approximately 88.4% were Austrian by nationality, 1.5% are from other European Union states, and 10.2% are other foreigners. Largest non-EU minorities were from Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.6%) and the former FR Yugoslavia (i.e. present-day Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo; 2.7%), followed by Turks (1.2%) and Germans (1.1%).

The majority (69.3%) are Roman Catholic by faith. Evangelicals make up the largest minority at 7.3%, followed by 5.9% Muslims and 3.3% Eastern Orthodox. Approximately 10.3% are irreligious.

History

In 1000 BCE the Illyrians were mining salt here. A settlement was already in existence in the fifth century CE. By 1186 Gmunden was a fortified place surrounded by walls, although it did not receive a church until about 1300. In 1278 Gmunden became a town. On November 14, 1626, an army of rebellious peasants was completely defeated at Gmunden by General Pappenheim, who had been ordered by Maximilian I to suppress the peasant rebellion in Upper Austria.
The dead peasant insurgents were buried in nearby Pinsdorf, where an obelisk styled memorial known as the ''Bauernhügel'' in their honour can still be seen.

Gmunden supplied naval ships to Austria during the 17th century and helped wounded soldiers in hospitals in World War I. During World War II, an SS maternity home was located here, "to insure racial purity" in accordance with Nazi racial theories.

Politics

The local council consists of 37 members. In the last municipal election in 2021, the following are seats won by the political parties:
16 ÖVP, 7 GRÜNE, 5 SPÖ, 5 FPÖ und 4 NEOS.
* ÖVP: 16 seats
* FPÖ: 5 seats
* SPÖ: 5 seats
* NEOS: 4 seats
* Die Grünen: 7 seats

Mayors:

* 1946–1955: Fritz Eiblhuber
* 1955–1956: Alfred Klimesch
* 1956–1973: Karl Piringer
* 1973–1979: Karl Sandmeier (1917-2000)
* 1979–1997: Erwin Herrmann
* 1997–2014: Heinz Köppl
* 2014– ... Stefan Krapf (ÖVP)

Main sights

There are a great number of excursions and points of interest round Gmunden, specially worth mentioning being the Traun Fall, north of Gmunden, a castle called Schloss Ort, and a ceramic factory producin
Gmundner Keramik
branded pottery. The town hall is also a popular tourist destination.

Education

In Gmunden there are four kindergartens, four elementary schools and three Hauptschulen. The three high schools are BG/BRG Gmunden, BRG Schloss Traunsee, and Gymnasium Ort.

People

* Caspar Erasmus Duftschmid, born in Gmunden
* Heinrich Schiff, cellist and conductor, born in Gmunden
* Duchess Maria Amalia of Württemberg, born in Gmunden; see Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg and Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony
* Johannes von Gmunden astronomer and mathematician
* Helmut Trawöger (1948-) Conductor and flautist, born in Gmunden
* Andreas Berger, born in Gmunden
* Princess Marie Louise of Hanover, born in Gmunden
* Princess Alexandra of Hanover (1882–1963), born at the Schloss Ort, Gmuden
* Prince Otto Heinrich of Hanover, born in Gmuden
* Levente Szörényi, lead singer of Hungarian rock band Illés, born in Gmunden

Famous residents

* Conchita Wurst, drag queen and winner of Eurovision Song Contest 2014
* Thomas Bernhard, playwright and novelist
* George V of Hanover, exiled here
* Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, exiled and died in Gmunden
* Princess Thyra of Denmark, lived and died in Gmunden
* Princess Marie of Hanover, lived and died in Gmunden
* Ludwig Bemelmans, grew up in Gmunden
* Gabi Burgstaller, went to high school in Gmunden
* Walter Reder, buried in Gmuden
* Betty Haag, worked near in Gmunden as a professor
* Jory Vinikour, worked as a teacher at the Austrian Baroque Academy of Gmunden
* Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, exiled and died in Gmunden
* Princess Frederica of Hanover, lived in Gmunden
* Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, married in Gmunden
* Christoph Ransmayr, grew up near in Gmunden
* Carl Rahl, lived here
* Christian Griepenkerl, lived here
* John Haswell, worked here
* Horaz Krasnopolski, :de:Horaz Krasnopolski died here
* Matthias von Schönerer, worked here
* Count Richard Belcredi, died here
* Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria, died here
* Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, died here
* Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, died in Gmunden

See also

* Gmunden Straßenbahn, the town tramway.

References

External links

*

Gmunden's official homepage

Schloss Ort Gmunden

Pictures of Gmunden

{{Authority control

Cities and towns in Gmunden District
Historic Jewish communities