1938–1945 → → → Today part of Austria | Flag Coat of arms 1939 1,698,658 | |
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The Reichsgau Niederdonau (English: Gau Lower Danube) was an administrative division of Nazi Germany consisting of areas in Lower Austria, Burgenland, southeastern parts of Bohemia and southern parts of Moravia. It existed between 1938 and 1945.
Contents
History
The Nazi Gau (plural Gaue) system was originally established in a party conference on 22 May 1926, in order to improve administration of the party structure. From 1933 onwards, after the Nazi seizure of power, the Gaue increasingly replaced the German states as administrative subdivisions in Germany. In 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria, with the latter being sub-divided into Reichsgaue.
At the head of each Gau stood a Gauleiter, a position which became increasingly more powerful, especially after the outbreak of the Second World War. Local Gauleiter were in charge of propaganda and surveillance and, from September 1944 onwards, the Volkssturm and the defence of the Gau.
The position of Gauleiter in Niederdonau was held by Hugo Jury for the duration of the existence of the Gau.
Administrative divisions
The administrative divisions of the Gau:
Urban districts / Stadtkreise
- City of Krems
- City of Sankt Pölten
- City of Wiener Neustadt
Rural districts / Landkreise
- Landkreis Amstetten
- Landkreis Baden
- Landkreis Bruck an der Leitha
- Landkreis Eisenstadt
- Landkreis Gänserndorf
- Landkreis Gmünd
- Landkreis Hollabrunn
- Landkreis Horn
- Landkreis Korneuburg
- Landkreis Krems
- Landkreis Lilienfeld
- Landkreis Melk
- Landkreis Mistelbach an der Zaya
- Landkreis Neubistritz
- Landkreis Neunkirchen in Niederdonau
- Landkreis Nikolsburg
- Landkreis Oberpullendorf
- Landkreis Sankt Pölten
- Landkreis Scheibbs
- Landkreis Tulln
- Landkreis Waidhofen an der Thaya
- Landkreis Wiener Neustadt
- Landkreis Znaim
- Landkreis Zwettl