Berndorf is a town in the district of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Because of its historic development in the 19th century it is also referred to as the

Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...

town.

Districts

The town consists of 4 districts: * Berndorf-Stadt * St. Veit * Ödlitz * Veitsau / Steinhof

Settlements

* Kolonie

History

Artefacts from various epoques of the Stone Age prove that there was a settlement in this region. ''Perindorf'' is likely to have its name from a man named ''Pero'', who settled here in 1070. The name ''Perendorf'' was first mentioned in 1133. Throughout the following centuries, Berndorf was ravaged by the Magyars and the Ottomans. In the 18th century, metal-working companies such as ''Neuhirtenberger Kupferhammer'', which used the first steam engine in all of Lower Austria in 1836, settled in this region. Before that, hydropower coming from the

Triesting The Triesting is a river of Lower Austria, in the southeastern part of the Vienna Woods. Its drainage basin is . The Triesing has a length of . It discharges into the smaller Schwechat at Achau and is part of the catchment area of the River Danube ...

was the main energy source. In the 19th century the majority of the inhabitants of Berndorf and its neighbouring villages worked in the metal industry. In 1844, Berndorf consisted of no more than 50 houses with about 180 inhabitants, when the

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

factory of

Alexander Schoeller Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

and Hermann Krupp was founded. Initially, there were 50 workers, but throughout the years, the company developed and turned into a multi-national combine with over 6,000 employees. The development of the city of Berndorf was closely related to the history of the

family. Arthur Krupp, son of Hermann Krupp, founded a private

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

and a public swimming pool, as well as the neo-baroque St. Margaret's church. In 1923, the communities of Berndorf, St. Veit, Ödlitz and Veitsau were united and formed the city of Berndorf. After the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

in 1938, the Arthur Krupp company became a part of the German Krupp combine. Because of its industrial importance, Berndorf was also an important target of air attacks. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Berndorf was not even spared the forces of nature. The floods in 1939 and 1944 were the most destructive floods in the history of the Triesting river. When the war had ended, the metal company was confiscated by the Soviet Army and incorporated into the USIA. In 1957, it was given back to the State of Austria and merged with the ''Vereinigte Aluminiumwerke Ranshofen (VAW)''. Because of financial problems of the socialised industries in the 1980s, the Berndorf consortium was spun off and passed into private hands.

Population

Culture

Theatre

The annual theatre festival takes place in the municipal theatre of Berndorf every summer.

Sights

* Municipal Theatre of Berndorf * Krupp schools * Guglzipf with its look-out * Krupp Stadt Museum * The iron bear * St. Margaret's Church * St. Mary's Church Image:BerndorfTownFromGuglzipf.jpg, Berndorf from Guglzipf

Twin cities

* Ōhasama (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, now a part of

Hanamaki is a Cities of Japan, city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace ...

) *

Sigmundsherberg Sigmundsherberg is a municipality in the district of Horn in Lower Austria, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a ...

References

External links

the city of Berndorf, only in German

Krupp Stadt Museum, only in German
* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Baden District, Austria Krupp