Sandl is a municipality in the district of

Freistadt Freistadt (, literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

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 ...

Geography

Sandl is located in the northeast of

in the Austrian part of the

Gratzen Mountains The Gratzen Mountains (german: Gratzener Bergland or, more rarely, ''Gratzener Gebirge''; cz, Novohradské hory) are part of the Bohemian Massif and run along either side of the border between the Czech Republic and the Austrian states of Upper ...

. Located in the west of the town centre, the Viehberg, with 1112 m, is the highest mountain of the Gratzener Bergland and the second highest of the Mühlviertel.

History

The area surrounding Sandl came under the dominion of the Bavarian Duchy in the seventh century. The first settlers of Sand came in 1376 during the rule of Austrian Duke Albrecht III, clearing the woods between

Weitra Weitra (; cs, Vitoraz) is a small town in the district of Gmünd in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. Geography The municipality is situated amidst the extended forests of the rural Waldviertel region, close to the border with the Czech Rep ...

and

. The free clearing of the forest ended in 1627, when Emperor Ferdinand II handed the woods over to Leonhard Helfried Graf Meggau. Graf Meggau was the caretaker for the Lordship of Freistadt. In 1603, there were 46 houses, 2 glassworks, and a manor for the Zelkinger family mentioned in the area. In 1615, the first document mentioning the place named "Sandl" states it contained 3 houses. However, in 1957 a beam in Sandl No. 38 was found dated 1508, a full century before official mention of Sandl's existence. By 1700, there were 22 houses in Sandl. In 1739, Alois Thomas Raimund Reichsgraf von Harrach founded Sandl's parish, and in 1742 construction of the church and school was begun. From 1717 until 1754, a glassworks operated on the Hengstberg, then in the locality of Gugu. Efforts to expand the factory failed, but a bottling firm remained for years, until it was turned into a museum. The area suffered French incursions in 1805 and 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars. Since 1918, Sandl has been part of Bundesland Upper Austria. Following 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 ...

with Germany on 13 March 1938, the locality was part of Gau Oberdonau but in 1945 was restored to Bundesland Upper Austria.

Notgeld

Like many municipalities of Upper Austria, Sandl issued

Notgeld ''Notgeld'' (German for "emergency money" or "necessity money") refers to money issued by an institution in a time of economic or political crisis. The issuing institution is usually one without official sanction from the central government. This ...

for collectors in 1920. Sandl was more prolific than most, with all but one of its localities issuing special series (Sonderserien) in limited prints. Several hundred varieties exist.

Population

Since 1961 the population is continuously shrinking. Sandl is facing similar problems like other peripheral villages (shortage of jobs, etc… ), which may be the cause of emigration. 2001 98.5% of the inhabitants declared German as their common language.

Localities

References

{{authority control Cities and towns in Freistadt District