The current division of the territory of the Austrian Republic into confederate countries (Bundesländer) largely corresponds to the ancient feudal historical divisions of the marches and counties, which remained almost unchanged over the centuries, until after the last war, following which several of them underwent territorial modifications or variations in the borders.
Purely new are the autonomous district of the capital (Vienna) and that of the Burgenland territory, annexed in 1923. The nine countries Confederate or provinces of the Republic, are divided in their turn into political districts (Politische Bezirke) and rural citizens (Stadt – and Landbezirke), a total of 12 the former and 83 the latter, comprising 4370 municipalities (Orts – Gemeinde) and 16,993 inhabited centers (Ortschaften), including 112 cities (Städte) and 475 hamlets (Märkte), so classified not from the point of view demographic, but only administrative or historical.
The average municipal area in the Austrian republic is sq km. 19.2, maximum in the mountain provinces (Salzburg, Tyrol, Carinthia) and minimum in the foothills (Burgenland and Lower Austria). For Austria political system, please check politicsezine.com.
The nine confederate countries or provinces have their own administrative autonomy and their own provincial diets.
- Vienna (Wien). It includes the city and suburban nucleus of the capital, and covers an area of 278 sq. Km., With a single city political district, 14 juridical districts (Gerichtbezirke), 5 ecclesiastical decanates (Dekanats – Sprengel), a single municipality and a legal population, in 1923, with 1,866,147 residents.
- Lower Austria (Niederösterreich). Decreased area sold to the capital (278 sq km) and another 247 sq km. aggregated to Czechoslovakia (districts of Gmünd and Feldsberg [Valtice]), today this province, the largest in Austria, has an area of square kilometers. 19.301. It has 3 city political districts, 23 rural ones, 66 judicial districts, 62 decanates, 1707 municipalities, 4020 inhabited centers, 45 cities and 247 hamlets, and a total population of 1,480,452 residents. The average area of the municipalities is sq. Km. 11.3, the average number of residents per municipality 867. Seat of the provincial diet: Vienna.
- Upper Austria (Oberösterreich). Remained unchanged in its area and in its borders, it measures sq. Km. 11,982; it is divided into two city political districts, 15 rural, 44 judicial, 35 decanati, 506 municipalities, 6,260 inhabited centers, 15 cities, 92 hamlets, and has a total population of 875,918 residents Average area of the municipalities sq. Km. 23.6, average number of residents per municipality 1731. Capital: Linz (pop. 102,081)..
- Salzburg (Salzburg). Surface sq. Km. 7153; it has a city political district, 5 rural, 17 judicial, 14 decanati, 157 municipalities, 760 inhabited centers, 3 cities, 23 hamlets, and a population of 223,023 residents. The average municipal extension is sq. Km. 45.4, the average population per municipality of 1420. Capital city: Salzburg (37,856 residents).
- Styria (Steiermark). Decreased in favor of Yugoslavia, of 6049 sq. Km., It has a total area of sq. Km. 16,375; it has a city political district, 15 rural areas, 42 judicial offices, 45 decanates, 115 municipalities, 2056 inhabited centers, 20 cities, 61 hamlets and 978.846 residents; the average extension of the municipal area is square kilometers. 10.6, the average number of residents per municipality is 964. Capital city: Graz (residents 152,706).
- Carinthia (Kärnten). Decreased, in favor of Yugoslavia of sq. Km. 746, today counts sq km. 9530; it is administratively divided into a city district, 7 rural, 26 judicial, 23 decanati, 250 municipalities, 2801 inhabited centers, 11 cities and 23 hamlets; has 370,748 residents; an average municipal area of sq. km. 38, 1 and 1483 residents on average per municipality. Capital: Klagenfurt (pop. 27,423).
- Tyrol (Tirol). It is the smallest of the original Austrian provinces, having lost 14,038 sq km. of the so-called southern Tyrol passed to Italy. It has a total area of sq. Km. 12,645, and includes a city political district, 8 rural, 17 judicial, 19 decanati, 308 municipalities, 605 inhabited centers, including 10 cities and 7 hamlets. The residents are 314,836. The average municipal area is sq. Km. 41, and the average number of residents per municipality of 1022. Capital city: Innsbruck (pop. 56,380).
- Vorarlberg. It is the smallest of the Austrian provinces, it extends for only square kilometers. 2,602 and includes only 3 rural political districts, 6 judicial districts, 6 decanates, 99 municipalities, 163 inhabited centers, 4 cities and 5 hamlets, with a total population of residents 139,999 Municipal media area sq. Km. 23.6 and average number of residents 1313. Capital city: Bregenz (pop. 48,248).
- Burgenland. Annexed to Austria after the plebiscite of 1923, this province has 3967 sq km. surface area and has 2 city political districts, 7 rural, 7 judicial, 16 decanati, 327 municipalities, 327 inhabited centers, of which 3 cities, 17 hamlets; an average municipal area of sq. km. 12, 1 with 865 residents by municipality; total population 285,791 residents Capital: Sauerbrunn (pop. 1500).
Religious organization. – At present the dioceses of Austria are grouped around the two metropolises of Vienna and Salzburg. Vienna, bishopric since 1469, archbishopric since 1722, retained the two suffragan seats it had before the war, namely Sankt Pölten, which includes the two districts of Lower Austria, Oberwienerwald and Ober-Mannhardsberg, and Linz, which includes Upper Austria. Salzburg, on the other hand, which is the oldest seat, founded in 696 and archbishopric since 798, and which following the cession of Slovenia to Yugoslavia was deprived of the suffragan seat of Lavant (res. Maribor) placed in direct dependence of the Holy See in 1924, as a consequence of the enlargement of the northern borders of Italy up to the Brenner, he also had to renounce the seat of Trento, and to that part of the diocese of Bressanone that came to be in Italian territory; it now has only two suffragan seats, Gurk, with residence in Klagenfurt, founded in 1072, and Seckau, with residence in Graz, founded in 1219. Vorarlberg, which, although belonging to the diocese of Bressanone, was also administered by a vicar general, ordinarily conferred with episcopal dignity and residing in Feldkirch, was, following the new regulations and awaiting a less precarious arrangement, constituted in apostolic administration and entrusted to a bishop who has his residence in Innsbruck. The abbey should also be noted among the autonomous ecclesiastical circumscriptions of Austria established in apostolic administration and entrusted to a bishop who has his residence in Innsbruck. The abbey should also be noted among the autonomous ecclesiastical circumscriptions of Austria established in apostolic administration and entrusted to a bishop who has his residence in Innsbruck. The abbey should also be noted among the autonomous ecclesiastical circumscriptions of Austria nullius (v. abbot) of Wettingen-Mehrerau. The latter was an ancient Benedictine abbey, whose assets were sold when, with the Peace of Presburg, the Vorarlberg passed to Austria. They were then purchased, in 1853, by Abbot Höchle of Wettingen, a Cistercian abbey of Aargau suppressed in 1841. The new Cistercian abbey, inaugurated on 18 October 1854, was recognized as a nullius abbey in 1890.
