In German, a Vorstadt (, literally "fore city") is an area of a city that is outside the Altstadt (city center) but tightly connected to it and densely populated, thus distinguishing itself from a '' Vorort'' (suburb). Historically, a ''Vorstadt'' ("suburb" in German) was a settlement outside the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

s, sometimes dedicated to specific

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

s. Later, large Vorstädte appeared in the

Gründerzeit The (; ) was a period of Economic history of Europe (1000 AD–present), European economic history in mid- and late-19th century German Empire, Germany and Austria-Hungary between Industrialization in Germany, industrialization and the great P ...

era. Places named ''Vorstadt'' include Vorstadt (Königsberg) and Oranienburger Vorstadt. Its French equivalent is '' faubourg'', the Dutch equivalent is ''Voorstad'', e.g. ''Voorstad St. Jacob'' in

Roermond Roermond (; or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received City rights i ...

Vienna

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, the historical ''Vorstädte'' need to be distinguished from the '' Vororte''. The Vorstädte were located outside the city walls, but within the '' Linienwall'', a second ring of fortifications outside the city. The city walls were located in the place of the modern

Ringstraße The Ringstrasse or Ringstraße (pronounced Help:IPA/Standard German, �ɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə:File:De-Ringstraße.ogg, ⓘ, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic city centre, ...

, while the ''Linienwall'' has been removed to give way for the '' Gürtel'' (both being rings of streets around the central city). The ''Vorstädte'' therefore correspond to the so-called "inner districts" of Vienna ( 2nd to 9th and 20th districts). German words and phrases Urban studies and planning terminology Geography of Vienna {{Vienna-geo-stub