Sankt Pölten

Sankt Pölten stands on the Traisen in the Alpine foothills. The Roman town of Aelium Cetium once occupied its site; after a long interruption in settlement, a monastery dedicated to Saint Hippolytus became a nucleus of the medieval town and gave it its name. The bishops of Passau held the town and granted it market and civic rights in the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

In 1481 the bishop of Passau pledged Sankt Pölten to King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, who made it a stronghold against Emperor Frederick III. After Matthias's departure, Maximilian I claimed the town in 1491. The Reformation gained a strong following, but Catholic restoration brought restrictions and the closure of Protestant schools. In 1785 Joseph II transferred the bishopric of Wiener Neustadt to Sankt Pölten, making the former collegiate foundation the bishop's seat.