Gmunden
Gmunden () is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,204 inhabitants (estimates 2016 ). It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc. It is also an important centre of the salt industry in Salzkammergut. Geography. Gmunden covers an area of and has a median elevation of . It is situated next to the lake Traunsee on the Traun River and is surrounded by high mountains, including the Traunstein (mountain) (), the Erlakogel (5150 ft ), the Wilder Kogel () and the Höllengebirge. Municipal arrangement. Gmunden is divided into the following boroughs: Gmunden, Gmunden-Ort, Schlagen, Traundorf, Unterm Stein. Population. As of 2001, Gmunden had a population of 13,336; Approximately 88.4% were Austrian by nationality, 1.5% are from other European Union states, and 10.2% are other foreigners. Largest non-EU minorities were from Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.6%) and the former FR Yugoslavia (i.e. present-day Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo; 2.7%), followed by Turks (1.2%) and Germans (1.1%). The majority (69.3%) are Roman Catholic by faith. Evangelicals make up the largest minority at 7.3%, followed by 5.9% Muslims and  3.3% Eastern Orthodox. Approximately 10.3% are irreligious. History. In 1000 BCE the Illyrians were mining salt here. A settlement was already in existence in the fifth century CE. By 1186 Gmunden was a fortified place surrounded by walls, although it did not receive a church until about 1300. In 1278 Gmunden became a town. On November 14, 1626, an army of rebellious peasants was completely defeated at Gmunden by General Pappenheim, who had been ordered by Maximilian I to suppress the peasant rebellion in Upper Austria. The dead peasant insurgents were buried in nearby Pinsdorf, where an obelisk styled memorial  known as the "Bauernhügel" in their honour can still be seen. Gmunden supplied naval ships to Austria during the 17th century and helped wounded soldiers in hospitals in World War I. During World War II, an SS maternity home was located here, "to insure racial purity" in accordance with Nazi racial theories. Politics. The local council consists of 37 members. In the last municipal election in 2021, the following are seats won by the political parties: 16 ÖVP, 7 GRÜNE, 5 SPÖ, 5 FPÖ und 4 NEOS. Mayors: Main sights. There are a great number of excursions and points of  interest round Gmunden, specially worth mentioning being the Traun Fall, north of Gmunden, a castle called Schloss Ort, and a ceramic factory producing Gmundner Keramik branded pottery. The town hall is also a popular tourist destination. Education. In Gmunden there are four kindergartens, four elementary schools and three Hauptschulen. The three high schools are BG/BRG Gmunden, BRG Schloss Traunsee, and Gymnasium Ort.