Township of Gross Siegharts
www.gross.siegharts.at

Up to the middle of the 20th century Gross Siegharts was an important site for the textile industry in the northwestern part of Lower Austria known as the Waldviertel (Wooded Quarter).
This situation brought the area relative prosperity, which is nowadays still noticeable by the many industrial buildings.
The reconstruction period after World War II brought a new boom in the textile branch with it. The construction of a textile vocational school in Gross Siegharts in 1952 clearly showed the immense significance of the textile industry.

The number of jobs alone in this branch amounted to over 2000 and at the beginning of the 90Õs the number was still over 500. It was unfortunately this industrial mono-structure that had negative consequences in the years following 1973 (Oil and dollar crises) above all because of the increasing cost pressure and the resulting relocation of the industry to low-wage countries. The end of the decline of the textile industry was the fall of the Iron Curtain in (opening of the border to) the eastern neighbour states in November 1989.
In rapid succession the pertinent businesses moved to the neighbouring Czech Republic (at that time still known as Czechoslovakia) in order to take advantage of the extremely low labour costs, leaving a high number of unemployed and slowly dilapidating industrial ruins.
The existing disadvantages for this town (location) - at that time as well as now - (i.e. the poor communication infrastructure) in addition to the exodus of the population, have led to a lasting structural weakness not only for the surroundings of Gross Siegharts but also for the entire upper Waldviertel.

The town and the population have not given up in spite of these immense setbacks. With a great deal of commitment an attempt to make it a new unique center for shopping and trade and to settle new businesses has been made. The areas of telecommunication and tourism (special family holidays and school sport weeks) are emphasized. Initial success has proven the credibility of this decision. The company Test-Fuchs, as largest business (250 employees) of the region delivers their products - control devices for the aircraft and space industry - in the entire world.

Spatially the Euregio + IIZ Service is in the technology and education center largely Siegharts accommodated:

www.tbz.siegharts.at