# St. Pölten

> city in Austria, capital of Lower Austria

**Wikidata**: [Q82500](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q82500)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Pölten)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/st-polten

## Summary
St. Pölten, officially named Sankt Pölten, is a statutory city in Austria that serves as the capital of the state of Lower Austria. It is a municipality with town rights and privileges that also functions as its own administrative district. The city had a population of 55,514 as of January 1, 2020.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name:** Sankt Pölten
- **Location:** Lower Austria, Austria (Coordinates: 48.2°N, 15.6167°E)
- **Population:** 55,514 (as of Jan 1, 2020)
- **Area:** 108.44 km² (as of Jan 1, 2018)
- **Elevation:** 267 meters above sea level
- **Timezone:** UTC+01:00 (standard), UTC+02:00 (daylight saving)
- **Postal Code:** 3100
- **Local Dialing Code:** 2742
- **License Plate Code:** P
- **Head of Government:** Matthias Stadler (since 2004)
- **Predecessor:** Willi Gruber (served 1985–2004)
- **Website:** www.st-poelten.gv.at
- **UN/LOCODE:** ATSTP
- **Austrian Municipality Key:** 30201

## FAQs
**What is the administrative status of St. Pölten?**
St. Pölten is a statutory city of Austria (Statutarstadt), meaning it holds both municipal and district administrative powers. It is classified as a municipality of Austria, a place with town rights and privileges, a city, and a district of Austria.

**Who is the mayor of St. Pölten?**
Matthias Stadler has served as the head of government since 2004. He succeeded Willi Gruber, who held the office from 1985 to 2004.

**What awards has St. Pölten received?**
The city was awarded The Europe Prize in 2001.

**Which organizations is St. Pölten a member of?**
St. Pölten has been a member of the Climate Alliance since 2011.

**What are the twin towns of St. Pölten?**
St. Pölten is twinned with Brno (Czech Republic, since 1990), Clichy (France), Heidenheim an der Brenz (Germany), Kurashiki (Japan), Wuhan (China), Aksaray (Turkey), Altoona (United States), and Székesfehérvár (Hungary).

## Why It Matters
St. Pölten is the political and administrative center of Lower Austria, the country's largest state by population. As a statutory city, it exercises independent administrative authority at both the municipal and district levels, a status reserved for only a few cities in Austria. The city's governance, headed by Mayor Matthias Stadler since 2004, oversees a population of over 55,000 residents. Its historical significance is underscored by its naming after Hippolytus, a Christian saint, and its documentation in major historical encyclopedic works such as the *Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary*, *Meyers Konversations-Lexikon*, and the *Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition*. The city's international profile is maintained through active participation in the Climate Alliance and a broad network of sister city partnerships across Europe, Asia, and North America.

## Notable For
- **State Capital:** Serves as the capital of Lower Austria.
- **Statutory City:** Functions as a municipality with town rights and its own district authority.
- **Europe Prize:** Recipient of The Europe Prize in 2001.
- **International Twinning:** Maintains sister city relations with eight cities worldwide, including a partnership with Brno established in 1990.
- **Historical Documentation:** Described by historical sources including *Pauly–Wissowa*, *Meyers Konversations-Lexikon*, and *Topographia Provinciarum Austriacarum*.
- **Cultural Heritage:** Contains multiple listed cultural heritage monuments, including specific lists for districts like Pottenbrunn.
- **Geographical Scope:** Comprises 41 associated cadastral districts, including Pottenbrunn, Ratzersdorf an der Traisen, and Viehofen.
- **Global Identifiers:** Indexed in major knowledge systems including GeoNames, BabelNet, VIAF, and the Library of Congress.

## Body

### Governance and Political Status
St. Pölten is the capital of Lower Austria and operates as a statutory city of Austria. This classification means it functions simultaneously as a municipality and a district. The city's administrative structure includes a head of government; Matthias Stadler has held this position since 2004, succeeding Willi Gruber who served from 1985 to 2004. The city is assigned the Austrian municipality key "30201" and the HASC code "AT.NO.PS".

### Geography and Demographics
Located in Lower Austria, St. Pölten is situated within the Mostviertel region. The city's coordinates are 48.2°N, 15.6167°E, with an elevation of 267 meters above sea level. It covers an area of 108.44 square kilometers as of January 1, 2018.
Demographic data shows a consistent population growth:
- 52,145 (Jan 1, 2014)
- 53,445 (Jan 1, 2016)
- 54,649 (Jan 1, 2018)
- 55,514 (Jan 1, 2020)

The city borders 11 neighboring municipalities and districts: Karlstetten, Obritzberg-Rust, Herzogenburg, Kapelln, Böheimkirchen, Pyhra, Wilhelmsburg, Ober-Grafendorf, Gerersdorf, Neidling, and the St. Pölten District. It contains 41 associated cadastral districts, including Altmannsdorf, Pottenbrunn, Ratzersdorf an der Traisen, Viehofen, and Waitzendorf.

### International Relations
St. Pölten maintains extensive international connections through city twinning agreements. These include:
- **Brno** (Czech Republic) – partnership since 1990
- **Clichy** (France)
- **Heidenheim an der Brenz** (Germany)
- **Kurashiki** (Japan)
- **Wuhan** (China)
- **Aksaray** (Turkey)
- **Altoona** (United States)
- **Székesfehérvár** (Hungary)

Additionally, the city has been a member of the Climate Alliance since 2011.

### Heritage and Historical Documentation
The city is named after Saint Hippolytus. It has been the subject of entries in numerous historical and encyclopedic works, such as *Pauly–Wissowa* (referencing "Cetius mons"), the *Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary*, *Meyers Konversations-Lexikon* (4th edition, 1885–1890), *Topographia Provinciarum Austriacarum*, the *Great dictionary of geographical names* (Russian, 2003), and the *Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition*. St. Pölten hosts several cultural heritage monuments, with dedicated lists for sites within the city and its districts, such as St. Pölten-Pottenbrunn.

### Infrastructure and Services
The city uses the postal code 3100 and the local dialing code 2742. Vehicles registered in the city bear the license plate code "P". St. Pölten operates official social media accounts on Twitter (@st_poelten), Facebook (stpoelten), and Instagram (st.poelten). Its official website is accessible at https://www.st-poelten.gv.at, with an email contact for tourism at tourismus@st-poelten.gv.at. The city's location is identified by the UN/LOCODE "ATSTP" and the GADM ID "AUT.3.17_1". It is also indexed by OpenStreetMap (Node ID: 240038219) and has a Who's On First ID of 101784541.

## References

1. archINFORM
2. [Source](https://www.st-poelten.at/news/154-kulturnews/75-internationale-kontakte/8551-staedtepartnerschaften?highlight=WyJiclx1MDBmY25uIl0=)
3. [Source](https://www.brno.cz/w/st.-polten-rakousko)
4. [Source](https://en.brno.cz/w/partnership-agreements)
5. Virtual International Authority File
6. [Source](http://www.klimabuendnis.org/nc/kommunen/das-netzwerk.html)
7. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
8. [Source](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bresu/oe_gemeinden/a41434c7941c8902852ad6849e48a78cf475a80c/gemeinden_CSV.csv)
9. MusicBrainz
10. [Source](http://sdb.statistik.at/superwebguest/login.do?guest=guest)
11. [Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018. Statistics Austria](https://www.statistik.at/web_de/klassifikationen/regionale_gliederungen/gemeinden/index.html)
12. GeoNames
13. [Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018. Statistics Austria](http://www.statistik.at/web_de/klassifikationen/regionale_gliederungen/dauersiedlungsraum/index.html)
14. BabelNet
15. Quora
16. [Source](https://www.govdirectory.org/austria/)
17. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)
18. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
19. [Source](http://www.statoids.com/yat.html)
20. Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands
21. [Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands](https://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/records/02805c5d-999c-4aaf-927c-6301af00c0cc)
22. museum-digital