Braunau

Braunau, town, northern Austria, on the Inn River, opposite the Bavarian town of Simbach and north of Salzburg. The name is derived from Brunnenau, meaning a “place with many springs.” Originally a possession of the dukes of Bavaria, it was chartered in 1260; it was strongly fortified in 1672–76. In 1779 it passed with the Innviertel (Inn District) to Austria. Braunau was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, who was born (1889) in the former Gasthaus Pommer. The town has many 16th- to 17th-century houses and two Gothic churches—St. Stephan (1439–92) and the Spitalkirche (1417–30). Austria’s largest aluminum plant is in the suburb of Ranshofen, and Braunau manufactures scales, fire extinguishers, and wood products. The town also is a market center for the rural environs. Pop. (2006) 16,362.