Innere Stadt
Encyclopedia
The Innere Stadt is the 1st municipal District of Vienna
Districts of Vienna
The districts of Vienna are 23 named city sections of Vienna, Austria, which are also numbered for easy reference. For centuries, district boundaries have changed...

 (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

: 1. Bezirk). The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Innere Stadt was congruent with the city of Vienna. Traditionally it was divided into four quarters, which were designated after important town gates:
  • Stubenviertel (northeast),
  • Kärntner Viertel (southeast),
  • Widmerviertel (southwest),
  • Schottenviertel (northwest).


The Ringstraße
Ringstraße
The Ringstraße is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria and is one of its main sights...

 circles the Innere Stadt along the route of the former city walls
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...

.

The first district is, with a workforce of 100,745, the largest employment locale in Vienna. This is partially due to tourism, as well as the presence of many corporate headquarters due to the district's central location.

Geography

Innere Stadt is the central district of Vienna. It borders on Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt
Leopoldstadt is the 2nd municipal District of Vienna . There are inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau , forms a large island surrounded by the Danube Canal and, to the north, the Danube. It is named after Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...

 in the northeast, on Landstraße
Landstraße
Landstraße is the 3rd municipal District of Vienna, Austria] . It is near the center of Vienna and was established in the 19th century. Landstraße is a heavily populated urban area with many workers and residential homes. It has inhabitants in an area of 7.42 km². It has existed since...

 in the east, on Wieden
Wieden
Wieden is the 4th municipal District of Vienna, Austria . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...

 and Mariahilf
Mariahilf
Mariahilf is the 6th municipal district of Vienna, Austria . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850. Mariahilf is a heavily populated urban area with many residential buildings....

 in the south, on Neubau
Neubau
Neubau is the seventh district of Vienna . It is located near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later...

 and Josefstadt
Josefstadt
Josefstadt is the eighth district of Vienna . It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later. Josefstadt is a heavily populated urban area with many workers and residential homes.It has a population of 22,057 people...

 in the west, and on Alsergrund
Alsergrund
Alsergrund is the ninth district of Vienna, Austria . It is located just north of the first, central district, Innere Stadt. Alsergrund was incorporated in 1862, with seven suburbs. The area is densely populated, with a lot of government-built housing. According to the census of 2001, there were...

 in the north. The district border, starting at Urania, follows Wienfluss, Lothringerstraße, Karlsplatz, Gedreidemarkt, Museumsplatz, Museumstraße, Auerspergstraße, Landesgerichtsstraße, Universitätsstraße, Maria-Theresien-Straße and the Donaukanal.

History


Before 1850, Innere Stadt was physically equivalent with the city of Vienna. See History of Vienna
History of Vienna
The history of Vienna has been long and varied, beginning when the Roman Empire created a military camp in the area covered by Vienna's city centre. From that humble beginning, Vienna grew from the Roman settlement known as Vindobona to be an important trading site in the 11th century...

 for details about the history of Vindobona and Vienna, as well as historical significance after 1850.

Places of interest

EWLINE
Year Population
1869 68,079
1880 72,688
1890 70,167
1900 58,736
1910 53,326
1923 43,045
1939 33,027
EWLINE
Year Population
1951 34,654
1961 32,243
1971 25,169
1981 19,537
1991 18,002
2001 17,056
2005 17,289
  • Albertina
    Albertina, Vienna
    The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings...

  • Burgtheater
    Burgtheater
    The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...

  • Graben
    Graben, Vienna
    Der Graben is one of the most famous streets in Vienna's first district, the city centre. It begins at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz next to the Palais Equitable and ends at the junction of Kohlmarkt and Tuchlauben. Another street in the first district is called Tiefer Graben...

  • Hofburg Imperial Palace
    Hofburg Imperial Palace
    Hofburg Palace is a palace located in Vienna, Austria, that has housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria...

  • Kapuzinergruft
  • Kärntner Straße
    Kärntner Straße
    Kärntner Straße is the most famous shopping street in central Vienna . It runs from the Stephansplatz out to the Wiener Staatsoper at Karlsplatz on the Ringstraße...

  • Lutheran City Church
    Lutheran City Church, Vienna
    The Lutheran City Church is a Lutheran church building in Innere Stadt, the first district of Vienna.- Location and architecture :The Lutheran City Church is located at Dorotheergasse 18, next to the Reformed City Church and opposite of the auction house Dorotheum. It was built in the Renaissance...

  • Kunsthistorisches Museum
  • Maria am Gestade
    Maria am Gestade
    Maria am Gestade church ranks among Vienna's oldest buildings and one of the few surviving examples of Gothic architecture in the city...

     Church
  • Peterskirche
    Peterskirche, Vienna
    St. Peter's Church is a Baroque Roman Catholic parish church in Vienna, Austria. It was transferred in 1970 by the Archbishop of Vienna Franz Cardinal König to the priests of the Opus Dei.-The first church:...

  • Ruprechtskirche
    Ruprechtskirche
    The Church of St. Rupert is a church in Vienna, Austria. Traditionally considered to be the oldest church in the city, it is dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg, patron saint of the salt merchants of Vienna...

  • Schottenstift
  • Stephansdom
    Stephansdom
    St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...

  • Rathaus, Vienna
  • Pestsäule
    Pestsäule (Vienna)
    The Pestsäule is located on Graben, a street in the inner city of Vienna and is one of the most well-known and prominent pieces of sculpture in the city....

     (a plague column)
  • Virgilkapelle
    Virgilkapelle
    The Vergilius Chapel is an underground crypt next to the Stephansdom in Vienna. It is rectangular in form , with six niches. Today, it lies approximately 12 meters beneath the Stephansplatz.-History:...

  • Vienna State Opera
    Vienna State Opera
    The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...

  • Stadtpark, Vienna
    Stadtpark, Vienna
    The Viennese City Park extends from the Parkring in the First District of Vienna up to the Heumarkt in the Third District and is visited both by tourists and by native Viennese...


Over time

Population has been declining ever since its peak of 73,000 in 1880, until it hit the lowest recorded value of 17,000 in 2001. Although population has been increasing slightly since then, Innere Stadt continues to remain the least populated district in Vienna.

Structural

In 2001, 28.1 % of the district's population was over 60 years of age, above the city average of 22.2 %. The percentage of people under 15 years of age was 9.8 %. The female population of 53.3 % was also above city average.

Origin and language

At 15.5 %, the percentage of foreign residents in Innere Stadt was 2 % under city average for the year 2001. 2.8 % of the population had EU Citizenship (Germany excluded), 2.7 % were citizens of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

, and 2.2 % were German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 citizens. In total, 25.6 % of the population were born in a foreign country. 79 % of residents listed German as their language of choice. 4.0 % spoke primarily Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....

, 1.8 % Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....

, and 1.4 % Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...

. 14.3 % spoke other languages.

Religion

Roman catholics made up 51.3 % of the Innere Stadt population in 2001, followed by 6.6 % Protestants, 5.1 % Orthodox Christians
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...

, 3.3 % Jews
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

. 22.7 % were listed as non-confessional.

Politics

The Bezirksvorsteher (District Director) has been a member of the conservative ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

 party since 1946. Current Bezirksvorsteher is Ursula Stenzel
Ursula Stenzel
Ursula Stenzel is an Austrian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament until 2006...

, a previous MEP. Stenzel has spoken out against holding events in the inner city, citing concerns regarding noise pollution. Her comments have drawn criticism from other parties, especially the social democratic SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...

.
District Directors from 1945
Theodor Köpl (KPÖ
KPO
Meanings of KPO:* Knowledge process outsourcing.* KPÖ , Communist Party of Austria.* Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands , Communist Party Opposition....

)
April 1945-August 1945
Fritz Schuckeld (SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...

)
August 1945-October 1945
Adolf Planek (SPÖ
SPO
- Technology :SPO: Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Cloud Computing, Office 365. See Microsoft Online Services-Economics:* Secondary Public Offering, an equity capital market instrument...

)
October 1945-1946
August Altmutter (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
1946–1948
Franz Eichberger (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
1948–1951
Otto Friesinger (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
1951–1968
Heinrich Anton Heinz (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
1968–1987
Richard Schmitz
Richard Schmitz
Richard Schmitz was the last Social-Christian mayor of Vienna, Austria.Richard Schmitz served as Vice Chancellor of Austria, as well as its Minister of Social Welfare and of Education, and as Commissioner of Vienna...

 (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
1987–2001
Franz Grundwalt (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
2001–2005
Ursula Stenzel
Ursula Stenzel
Ursula Stenzel is an Austrian politician and was a Member of the European Parliament until 2006...

 (ÖVP
OVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...

)
2005-

Coat of arms

The first district's coat of arms is a white cross on a red background. It is also the coat of arms for the City of Vienna and the State of Vienna. The current coat of arms dates back to around 1270, when it first appeared on the minted "Wiener Pfennige" coins. It may have been based on the flag of the King of the Romans
King of the Romans
King of the Romans was the title used by the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire following his election to the office by the princes of the Kingdom of Germany...

' forces during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, as the combat flag of Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I of Germany
Rudolph I was King of the Romans from 1273 until his death. He played a vital role in raising the Habsburg dynasty to a leading position among the Imperial feudal dynasties...

featured a similar design.

External links

History of Innere Stadt at the City of Vienna homepage. UNESCO rationale for inclusion of Vienna inner district into world cultural heritage list. General information about Innere Stadt from the Green party. Historical core of Vienna
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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