German: Mostviertel (pronounced as /de/; English: Most Quarter) is the southwestern quarter of the four quarters of Lower Austria (the northeast state of the 9 states in Austria). It is bordered on the north by the Danube and to the south and west by the state borders of Styria and Upper Austria respectively. The German: [[Vienna Woods|Wienerwald]] forms the natural border to the east and gives the quarter its second name, "The Quarter over the German: Wienerwald".[1]
The name German: Mostviertel comes from the term, which refers to the perry and cider made in the region. The lands between the Rivers German: [[Ybbs]]|italic=no and German: [[Enns River|Enns]]|italic=no enjoy favorable conditions for growing fruit trees and are therefore the heart of a flourishing most industry. The Perry tree blossom in April is a regular highlight of the region. Typical in the German: Mostviertel are vast meadows of mixed orchards surrounding a farmhouse, in the center of which is usually a square courtyard, and the lightly rolling foothills of the Alps.[2]
The economy of German: Mostviertel is still mainly based on iron and steel as well as forestry. In earlier times, when iron ore was still mined at German: [[Erzberg]]|italic=no, the work was done in hammer mills; today the steel mills take the half-finished product from the blast furnaces of Linz and German: [[Leoben|Donawitz]]|italic=no and turn it into blades for machines. In the German: Mostviertel, there is one large sawmill, plus many smaller ones, which process the wood taken from the forests. However, most of the economy is made up of small and mid-sized companies.
In the German: Mostviertel region, Most (a type of perry or cider) is considered to be of great cultural importance and is seen as an identifying characteristic of the region. German: Most is frequently consumed in German: [[Heuriger|Mostheurigen]] together with local foods and pastries, and it is also made into schnaps. There is a large variety of German: Mosts, including those made from pears (the most common variety, a kind of perry), from apples (a kind of German: [[Apfelwein]] or cider), and from a mixture of apples and pears. While the term German: Most can also be used to refer to grape must, in the German: Mostviertel region it refers to the local perry and cider.
The German: Mostviertel is made up of the following districts: