Brände

Fires: Almost every Austrian town has experienced at least one major fire in its history; almost completely destroyed were Lienz (East Tyrol, 1444), Gmunden (Upper Austria, 1450), St. Pölten (Lower Austria, 1474), Judenburg (Styria, 1504), Linz (Upper Austria, 1542 and 1800), Grein (Lower Austria, 1642) and Vöcklabruck (Upper Austria, 1793). Major fires broke out at Schwaz (Tyrol) and Schärding (Upper Austria) in 1809, at Baden (Lower Austria) in 1812, at Imst (Tyrol) in 1822, at Leibnitz (Styria) in 1829, at Wiener Neustadt (Lower Austria) in 1834, at Knittelfeld (Styria) in 1842 and at Waidhofen an der Thaya (Lower Austria) in 1873. Only in the 20^th century did fires become less frequent due to improved building techniques.

The largest fires in Vienna since 1880 have been: The fire at the Ringtheater on December 8, 1881 (386 casualties); at the Justizpalast on July 15, 1927 (arson during a demonstration); at the Rotunde (world exhibition hall in the Prater park) on September 17, 1937; in the Goldkabinett in the Belvedere on March 31, 1950; in the Stock Exchange building on April 14, 1956; in the main hall of the Academy of Sciences on February 8, 1961; at the Parkhotel Hietzing (two floors burnt out) on January 7, 1963; at the Hotel am Parkring on September 29, 1977; at the Gerngross department store on February 8, 1979; at the National Bank on September 28, 1979; at the Hotel am Augarten on September 28, 1979 (25 casualties, largest ever hotel fire in Austria); at the Steyr-Haus on the Kärntner Ring on September 12, 1987; at the main building of the Zentralsparkasse on April 13, 1990; in the Hofburg (Redoutensäle destroyed) on November 27, 1992.