| Austria |
Braunau am Inn, Austria
Braunau am Inn is a city in the Innviertel (River Inn area) of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), the north-western province of Austria. It lies about 90 km west of Linz and about 60 km north of Salzburg, close to the border with the German Bundesland of Bavaria. The population in 2001 was 16,372. The town was first mentioned around 810 and received the city statute in 1260, which makes it one of the oldest cities in Austria. It became a fortress and important trading route junction, dealing with the salt trade and with ship traffic on the River Inn. Through its history it changed hands several times and was Bavarian before 1779 and again 1809—1816. Braunau has a remarkable 15th-century church with a 99m-high spire, as well as castle remains housing a museum, and parts of the former town walls. Braunau is also well known as the birthplace in 1889 of Adolf Hitler. The fact is acknowledged in town publications, and a memorial stone for the victims of Fascism was raised by Major Gerhard Skiba in front of the house of Hitler's birth in 1989. Since 1992 the Braunau Contemporary History Days have been organized by the Braunau Society for Contemporary History and the annual meeting of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service has taken place in Braunau since 1998. Nowadays, Braunau has the full range of schools and colleges; industries including electronics, metal (AMAG) and woodworking, and glass. After two successful seasons, the local football team, S.V. Braunau, reached the Austrian 1st Division before suddenly going bankrupt in 2000. The team was refounded as F.C. Braunau.
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