Reichsgau Niederdonau


The Reichsgau 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.

History

The Nazi Gau 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. On 12 March 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria and on 24 May the Austrian provinces were reorganized and replaced by seven Nazi party Gaue. Under the Ostmarkgesetz law of 14 April 1939 with effect of 1 May, the Austrian Gaue were raised to the status of Reichsgaue and their Gauleiters were subsequently also named Reichsstatthalters.
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 Gauleiters 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 Lower Danube 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''

  1. City of Krems
  2. City of Sankt Pölten
  3. City of Wiener Neustadt

    Rural districts / ''Landkreise''

  4. Landkreis Amstetten
  5. Landkreis Baden
  6. Landkreis Bruck an der Leitha
  7. Landkreis Eisenstadt
  8. Landkreis Gänserndorf
  9. Landkreis Gmünd
  10. Landkreis Hollabrunn
  11. Landkreis Horn
  12. Landkreis Korneuburg
  13. Landkreis Krems
  14. Landkreis Lilienfeld
  15. Landkreis Melk
  16. Landkreis Mistelbach an der Zaya
  17. Landkreis Neubistritz
  18. Landkreis Neunkirchen in Niederdonau
  19. Landkreis Nikolsburg
  20. Landkreis Oberpullendorf
  21. Landkreis Sankt Pölten
  22. Landkreis Scheibbs
  23. Landkreis Tulln
  24. Landkreis Waidhofen an der Thaya
  25. Landkreis Wiener Neustadt
  26. Landkreis Znaim
  27. Landkreis Zwettl