| Weitra | |
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Weitra
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| Country | Austria |
| State | Lower Austria |
| District | Gmünd |
| Mayor | Werner Himmer |
| Area | 52.53 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 562 m (1844 ft) |
| Population | 2,769 (1 January 2011)[1] |
| - Density | 53 /km2 (137 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) |
| Postal code | 3970 |
| Area code | 02856 |
| Website | www.weitra.gv.at |
Weitra (Czech: Vitoraz) is a small town in the district of Gmünd in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is located within the rural Waldviertel region on the upper Lužnice (Lainsitz) river, near the border with the Czech Republic. The municipality consists of the Katastralgemeinden Brühl, Großwolfgers, Oberwindhag, Reinprechts, Spital, St. Wolfgang, Sulz, Walterschlag, Weitra and Wetzles.
The first castle of Weitra was established in 1201 by the Austrian Kuehnring noble family, which fell from grace with the rise of the Habsburg dynasty, as they had sided with Ottokar II Přemysl. Duke Albert I of Austria acquired Weitra in 1296, it was held as a fief by the princely House of Fürstenberg from the early 17th century. They left a Renaissance castle erected on mediæval foundations, which has later been rebuilt in a Baroque design.
Beside its historic textile industry, Weitra is known as the oldest beer-producing site in Austria with several breweries documented since the 14th century. After World War II the economy suffered from the town's peripheral location near the Iron Curtain.
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Seats in the municipal council (Gemeinderat) as of 2005 elections:
Klara Hitler, mother of Adolf Hitler, was born on 12 August 1860 in the hamlet of Spital.
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