Vöcklabruck

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Vöcklabruck
Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Austria
State	Upper Austria
District	Vöcklabruck
Mayor	Herbert Walter Brunsteiner (ÖVP)
Basic statistics
Area	16 km² (6.2 sq mi)
Elevation	433 m (1421 ft)
Population	11,715 (15/05/2001)
- Density	732 /km² (1,896 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	VB
Postal code	4840
Area code	07672
Website	www.voecklabruck.at Coordinates: 48°02′23″N 13°40′06″E / 48.03972, 13.66833

Vöcklabruck (IPA: [fœklaˈbʁʊk]) is the administrative center of the Vöcklabruck district, Austria. It is located in the western part of Upper Austria, close to the A1 Autobahn as well as the B1 highway, and has been ranked in the top 10 most-visited cities in Austria^{[citation needed]}.

Vöcklabruck's name derives from the River Vöckla which runs through the town, whose name in turn originates from a person's name ('Vechela') and 'Ache', meaning 'flowing water' or 'river'.

Vöcklabruck has many shops as well as services and schools. It was chosen for Europäisches Schützentreffen (the European Meeting of Marksmen) in 2003, and has and will play host to other events such as the Internationale Musiktage (International Music Gathering), Landesgartenschau (provincial garden show) 2007, and an Erdbeerfest (strawberry festival), among others.

The flea market for antiques, materials, etc. is usually held on Fridays. Alongside this, food markets selling bread, fish, flowers, fruit, meat, sausages and vegetables etc. take place every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

It has a newly built hospital which has been declared the most modern in Europe^{[citation needed]}.

1 Main sights
2 Famous residents
3 Sister cities
4 External links

[edit] Main sights

The distance to Salzkammergut's lakes from Vöcklabruck (11 km to the Attersee, 16 km to the Traunsee, 40 km to the Mondsee, 68 km to the Hallstättersee and 72 km to the Wolfgangsee) has led to the town's description as "the gateway to the Salzkammergut". Near the town there are many recreational facilities where people can enjoy both indoor and outdoor activities. Alongside these, Vöclkabruck offers:

In the town square's tower, frescos discovered in the 1960s. They date from 1502 and were painted by Tyrolean Jörg Kölderer.
Dörflkirche/Ägidiuskirche' (St. Giles' Church), Baroque church constructed between 1688-1691.
Schöndorfer Kirche, an early medieval fortified church, built before 824.
Museum Heimathaus with Wolfsegg Iron

[edit] Famous residents

Leonhard Schiemer, an important figure in the Anabaptist movement was born in Vöcklabruck around 1500
Princess Alexandra of Hanover, the daughter of Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover and Caroline, Princess of Hanover was born in Vöcklabruck on July 20, 1999
Jim Silye, Canadian politician and sportsman
Wolfgang Holzmair, renowned baritone recitalist and opera singer, born in Vöcklabruck in 1952