About Austria

     Austria (German: Österreich) (Österreich (help·info)), officially the Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) (Republik Österreich (help·info)), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The capital city is Vienna.

    The German name Österreich can be translated into English as the "eastern realm", which is derived from the Old German Ostarrîchi. The name was Latinized as "Austria", although it has no etymological connection with the name of Australia (which derives from Latin Australis meaning The South). Reich can also mean "empire," and this connotation is the one that is understood in the context of the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian Empire, Holy Roman Empire, although not in the context of the modern Republic of Österreich. The term probably originates in a vernacular translation of the Medieval Latin name for the region: Marchia orientalis, which translates as "eastern marches" or "eastern borderland", as it was situated at the eastern edge of the Holy Roman Empire, that was also mirrored in the name Ostmark, for a short period applied after Anschluss to Germany.

    The current official designation is the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich). It was originally known after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1918 as the Republic of German Austria (Republik Deutschösterreich), but the state was forced to change its name to "Republic of Austria" in 1919 by the peace Treaty of Saint-Germain. The name was changed again during the Austro-fascist regime (1934–1938), into Federal State of Austria (Bundesstaat Österreich), but restored after regaining independence and the birth of the Second Austrian Republic (1955–present).

About Voecklabruck

      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.

     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.

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