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Salzburg (state)

Coordinates: 47°25′N 13°13′E / 47.42°N 13.22°E / 47.42; 13.22
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Salzburg
Federal state
Flag of Salzburg
Flag
Coat of arms of Salzburg
Coat of arms
Anthem: Salzburger Landeshymne
Location of Salzburg
Country Austria
CapitalSalzburg
Government
 • BodyLandtag of Salzburg
 • GovernorWilfried Haslauer (ÖVP)
 • Deputy Governors
  • Marlene Svazek (FPÖ)
  • Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP)
Area
 • Total7,052.88 km2 (2,723.13 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total562,606
 • Density80/km2 (210/sq mi)
GDP
[1]
 • Total€29.926 billion (2021)
 • Per capita€53,300 (2021)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeAT-5
HDI (2022)0.945[2]
very high · 2nd of 9
NUTS RegionAT3
Votes in Bundesrat4 (of 62)
Websitewww.salzburg.gv.at

Salzburg[note 1] (Austrian German: [ˈsaltsbʊrɡ], Northern German: [ˈzaltsbʊʁk] ⓘ; Austro-Bavarian: Soizbuag, also known as Salzburgerland; Italian: Salisburghese) is an Austrian federal state. In German it is called a Bundesland, a German-to-English dictionary translates that to federal state and the European Commission calls it a province. In German, its official name is Land Salzburg, to distinguish it from its eponymous capital Salzburg. For centuries, it was an independent Prince-Bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. It borders Germany and Italy.

Geography

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Typical Salzburg Alpine landscape near Sankt Koloman

Location

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Salzburg State covers an area of 7,156 km2 (2,763 sq mi). It stretches along its main river — the Salzach – which rises in the Central Eastern Alps in the south to the Alpine foothills in the north. It is located in the north-west of Austria, close to the border with the German state of Bavaria; to the northeast lies the federal state Upper Austria; to the east the federal state Styria; to the south the federal states Carinthia and Tyrol. With 561,714 inhabitants, it is one of the country's smaller federal states in terms of population.

Running through the south are the main ranges of the Alpine divide (incl. the Hohe Tauern mountains) with numerous three-thousanders. The Dachstein massif and the Berchtesgaden Alps ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps border Salzburg State to the east and north.

Regions

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The federal state is traditionally subdivided in five major regions (Gaue), congruent with its political districts (Bezirke, see administrative divisions).

Regions of Salzburg

Major cities and towns

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Salzburg municipalities with town privileges:

Wals-Siezenheim, a common municipality with about 12,000 inhabitants, is known as 'Austria's largest village'.

History

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See also: Archbishopric of Salzburg

Salt mining has played an important role in the region's development; Salzburg means "salt city".

Salzburg as an independent state

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Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century. The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an independent prince-bishopric and State of the Holy Roman Empire until German Mediatisation in 1803.

Electorate of Salzburg

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The territory was secularized and, as the Electorate of Salzburg, given as compensation to Ferdinand III, former Grand Duke of Tuscany, the brother of Emperor Francis II.

The end of independence

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Following the Austrian defeat at Austerlitz in 1805, Salzburg was annexed by Austria as compensation for the loss of Tyrol to the Kingdom of Bavaria, and Ferdinand was transferred to the Grand Duchy of Würzburg.

Bavarian Salzburg

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After Austria's defeat in 1809, the federal state was handed over to Bavaria in 1810.

The country divided between Bavaria and Austria

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In 1816, following the defeat of Napoleon and the provision of adequate compensation to Bavaria at the Congress of Vienna, it was returned to Austria with the exception of the north-western Rupertiwinkel which remained Bavarian. The Salzburger Land was administered as the department of Salzach from Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. In 1849 the Duchy of Salzburg was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire and, after 1866, Austria-Hungary.

World War I

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Salzburg participated in World War I, as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 49,000 Salzburgers were called to arms, of whom 6,000 were killed.[7]

Post-World War I Austrian republics

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In 1918 after World War I, the Duchy of Salzburg was dissolved and replaced with the State of Salzburg, as a component part initially of German Austria and subsequently of the First Republic of Austria, the separate state which was mandated by the Allied powers.

Salzburg in Germany

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As a result of Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938, Austria, including Salzburg State, was incorporated into Nazi Germany.

American control

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After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the Allies occupied the territory of Austria, being recognized as an independent territory under their rule. Salzburg State was occupied by the United States.

Salzburg as an Austrian federal state

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In 1955, Austria was again declared an independent state and Salzburg was once again one of the reconstituted federal states of the Second Republic of Austria.

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1869153,159—    
1880163,570+6.8%
1890173,510+6.1%
1900192,763+11.1%
1910214,737+11.4%
1923222,831+3.8%
1934245,801+10.3%
1939257,226+4.6%
1951327,232+27.2%
1961347,292+6.1%
1971405,115+16.6%
1981442,301+9.2%
1991482,365+9.1%
2001515,327+6.8%
2011529,066+2.7%
2021561,714+6.2%
Source: Censuses[8]

The historical population is given in the following chart:

Politics

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Salzburg adopted its current provincial constitution in 1999. The provincial government (Landesregierung) is headed by a governor (Landeshauptmann), who is elected by a majority in the provincial parliament Landtag. Provincial elections are held every five years.

After World War II, most provincial governments were led by the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). ÖVP politician Josef Klaus (1910-2001), later chancellor of Austria, served as governor of Salzburg from 1949 till 1961. In 2004 Gabi Burgstaller became the first Social Democratic (and first female) governor of Salzburg.

Chiemseehof, seat of Salzburg's provincial parliament

The last results, in April 2023 (Compared to 2018) were:

Party Votes in % Change Seats Change
  Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) 30.37% Decrease 7.4% 12 Decrease 3
  Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) 25.75% Increase 6.9% 10 Increase 3
  Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) 17.87% Decrease 2.1% 7 Decrease 1
  Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ) 11.66% Increase11.3% 4 Increase 4
  The Greens – The Green Alternative (GRÜNE) 8.20% Decrease 1.1% 3 -
  NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum (NEOS) 4.20% Decrease3.1% 0 Decrease 3
  We are Salzburg (WIRS) 1.19% Increase1.2% 0 New
  MFG Austria - People, Freedom, Fundamental Rights (MFG) 0.77% Increase 0.8% 0 New

The current governor of Salzburg, Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP), entered into coalition discussions with the FPÖ, after his proposition of a ÖVP-FPÖ-SPÖ coalition was rejected by the Social Democrats. Haslauer said "I regret that we could not implement the Alliance for Salzburg". After successful coalition negotiations, the ÖVP and the FPÖ entered into a governing coalition with Haslauer as the Governor and Marlene Svazek as the First Deputy Governor.[1] Salzburg State has joined Lower Austria and Upper Austria as the third black-blue coalition provincial government. The ÖVP has four seats in the government, while the FPÖ has three.[9] The current president (speaker) of the Salzburg federal state parliament is Brigitta Pallauf.

Government

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Government ministers and their portfolios from the 2023 provincial election.

Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) [2]

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  • State Direction
  • Finance and Asset Management
  • Security
  • Disaster Prevention
  • Museums
  • Research and Science
  • European Affairs

1st Deputy Marlene Svazek (FPÖ) [3]

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  • Nature and Environment Protection
  • Business
  • Early and Primary Education
  • Hunting and Fishing
  • Youth
  • Families
  • Integration
  • Generations

2nd Deputy Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP) [4]

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  • Economy and Tourism
  • Communities
  • Employment and Labour Market
  • Infrastructure and Traffic
  • Culture

Members of the provincial government [5]

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  • Josef Schwaiger (ÖVP): Agriculture, Personnel Management, Water, National Parks, Energy, Asylum Seekers
  • Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP): Education, Health, Women and Diversity
  • Christian Pewny (FPÖ): Social Services, Food, Consumer Protection, Regional Development, Apprenticeships
  • Martin Zauner (FPÖ): Spatial Planning, Living, Sport, Basic Traffic

Administrative divisions

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Districts

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Salzburg State comprises six districts, known as Bezirke or vernacularly Gaue:

Salzburg city is its own administrative district.

Municipalities

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The federal state is divided into 119 municipalities, including Salzburg City. 11 of them have city status (Städte), 25 are market towns (Marktgemeinden) and the other 83 are simple municipalities (Gemeinden). Below is a list of all the municipalities divided by district:

Economy

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The federal state's gross domestic product (GDP) was 29 billion € in 2018, accounting for 7.5% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 46,500 € or 154% of the EU27 average in the same year. Salzburg is the federal state with the highest GDP per capita in Austria before Vienna.[10]

Architecture

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The Salzburg Cathedral was the first Baroque building in the German-speaking artistic world. Two other important buildings initiated by the Salzburg archbishops were Hohenwerfen Castle and Hohensalzburg Fortress. The first Archbishop of Salzburg was Arno of Salzburg (785–821), in whose honor the world-famous hiking circuit — the Arnoweg — is named.

The predominant stylistic elements of Salzburg's architecture have their origins in the Baroque and the Rococo periods.

Salzburg City's historic centre was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Language

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Austrian German is the local written language, and it can be heard especially in the cities. Austro-Bavarian is also spoken, especially in the rural areas and the common language of Salzburgerland.

Visitors' attractions

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Sports

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Stadion Wals-Siezenheim

Ski resorts

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Ski run in Gastein Valley resort

Altenmarkt im Pongau, Flachau, Wagrain, St. Johann, Zell am See (Saalbach-Hinterglemm), Obertauern, Bad Gastein, Rauris, Lofer, Hochkönig, Krispl

Assorted statistics

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  • Tourist Regions: 21
  • Resort Towns: 115
  • Guest Beds: 192,000
  • Lakes: 185
  • Biggest lake: Wolfgangsee
  • Longest river: Salzach
  • Highest mountain: Großvenediger — elevation 3,666 m (12,028 ft)
  • Hiking paths: 7,200 km (4,500 mi)
  • Hill farms: 1,800 — 550 of them serving refreshments
  • National parks: 1
  • Marked cycle paths: 2,000 km (1,200 mi)
  • Mountainbike trails (including cross-border routes): 3,000 km (1,900 mi)
  • Golf courses: 13
  • Ski slopes: 1,700 km (1,100 mi)
  • Cross-country ski trails: 2,220 km (1,380 mi)
  • Night slopes: 14
  • Winter hiking paths: 2,500 km (1,600 mi)

Notes

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  1. ^ English: /ˈsɔːltsbɜːrɡ/, also UK: /ˈsæltsbɜːrɡ/, US: /ˈsɔːlzbɜːrɡ, ˈsɑːlz-, ˈsælz-, ˈzɑːltsbʊərk/.[3][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Basisdaten Bundesländer" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 2021-07-29.
  3. ^ "Salzburg". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Salzburg". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Salzburg". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Salzburg". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  7. ^ "In 1816 Salzburg was incorporated into Austria". Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Historic Censuses - STATISTICS AUSTRIA". Statistics Austria. Archived from the original on 2024-08-02. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  9. ^ red, salzburg ORF at/Agenturen (2 May 2023). "Regierungsbildung: ÖVP verhandelt mit FPÖ". salzburg.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
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47°25′N 13°13′E / 47.42°N 13.22°E / 47.42; 13.22

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