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44-531: The unit's missions primarily involve anti-irregular military, apprehension of armed and dangerous criminals, counterterrorism and hostage rescue crisis management, executive protection, high-risk tactical law enforcement situations, operating in difficult to access terrain, protecting high-level meeting areas, providing security in locations at risk of attack or terrorism, special reconnaissance in difficult to access and dangerous areas, support crowd control and riot control, and tactical special operations. The roots of

88-509: A few degrees above freezing in the daytime. Wiener Neustadt Hauptbahnhof ( German : main station ) lies on the Südbahn (German: southern railway) as well as several regional railways. It is owned and operated by the ÖBB and is the busiest railway station in Lower Austria. There are also two additional S-Bahn stations and one regional train station within the city. Wiener Neustadt lies on

132-513: A joint team from U.S. Army Special Forces 5th Group and Jordan SFG 101 among many others. These are the former ranks of EKO Cobra, before the current standard rank insignia were adopted in 2015. Lower Austria Lower Austria ( German : Niederösterreich pronounced [ˈniːdɐˌ(ʔ)øːstɐraɪç] , abbreviated LA or NÖ ; Bavarian : Niedaöstareich ; Slovak : Dolné Rakúsko [ˈdɔlnɛː ˈrakuːskɔ] ; Czech : Dolní Rakousy [ˈdolɲiː ˈrakousɪ] )

176-475: A variety of equipment designed for a variety of situations. EKO Cobra officers wear the uniform of the Austrian Federal Police with certain modifications: During tactical operations the officers wear green or black coveralls along with their tactical gear. EKO Cobra competed in the 2011 Annual Warrior Competition winning top honors. EKO Cobra defeated a United States Marine Corps 13th MEU and

220-717: Is located in Wiener Neustadt ( Lower Austria ). It performs all administrative activities and the training for the EKO Cobra officers. Further departments exist in Vienna, Graz, Linz, and Innsbruck with small field offices in Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Feldkirch. Each department contains four teams and each field office contains two. This structure allows the units to be deployed anywhere in Austria in under 70 minutes. On 1 April 2013, EKO Cobra

264-411: Is one of the nine states of Austria , located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten , Krems an der Donau , Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten , which has been the capital of Lower Austria since 1986, replacing Vienna , which became a separate state in 1921. With a land area of 19,186 km (7,408 sq mi) and a population of 1.7 million people, Lower Austria

308-414: Is the largest and second-most-populous state in Austria (after Vienna). With a land area of 19,186 km (7,408 sq mi) situated east of Upper Austria , Lower Austria is the country's largest state. Lower Austria derives its name from its downriver location on the river Enns , which flows from the west to the east. Lower Austria has an international border, 414 km (257 mi) long, with

352-668: The Kronen Zeitung . The determining step of founding today's Cobra as a unit of the Ministry of the Interior rather than a regional police unit was done in 1978, primarily as a response to the Munich massacre attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics . Its main office is in Wiener Neustadt , with sub-offices in Graz , Linz , Salzburg , and Innsbruck . GSG-9 and Sayeret Matkal trained

396-613: The A2 Süd Autobahn and the S4 Mattersburger Schnellstraße. The cities' bus network has 11 lines operating in the city and connecting it to neighboring villages. The city has two airfields (the military Wiener Neustadt West Airport , the first airfield in Austria, and the civilian Wiener Neustadt East Airport ) and is the starting point of Austria's only shipping canal , the Wiener Neustadt Canal , which

440-500: The Czech Republic ( South Bohemia and South Moravia ) and Slovakia ( Bratislava and Trnava Regions ). The state has the second-longest external border of all Austrian states. It also borders the other Austrian states of Upper Austria , Styria and Burgenland as well as surrounding Vienna . Lower Austria is divided into four regions, known as Viertel (quarters): These regions have different geographical structures. Whilst

484-655: The Erlauf river . The most important rivers north of the Danube (on its left bank) are the Ysper , Kamp , Krems , Lainsitz , March and Thaya . South of the Danube (on its right bank) are the Enns , Ybbs , Erlauf , Melk , Pielach , Traisen , Schwechat , Fischa , Schwarza , Triesting , Pitten and the Leitha . Lower Austria is rich in natural caves ; in all 4,082 have been recorded. Most of

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528-708: The Georgenberg Pact . Duke Leopold V of Austria established the town called Neustadt in 1194 and financed the construction of a fortress close to the Hungarian border with the ransom paid for the English king Richard the Lionheart , whom he had previously captured and held as a hostage at Dürnstein Castle. In 1241, a small Mongol squadron raided Neustadt during the Mongol incursions in

572-531: The HRT , GIGN , GIS , NSG , ERU , GSG 9 , and the SAS have had, the EKO Cobra is the only Counter-Terrorism unit to end a hijacking while the aircraft was still in the air. On 17 October 1996, four Cobra officers were on board an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154 escorting deported prisoners to Lagos when a Nigerian man threatened the cockpit crew with a knife and demanded a diversion to Germany or South Africa. The team overpowered

616-705: The Kuruc . It was at Neustadt that the emperor Rudolf II granted to the Bohemian Protestants , in 1609, the Majestätsbrief , or patent of equal rights. The revocation of this patent helped to precipitate the Thirty Years' War . In 1751 the city received greater attention when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria decided to dedicate the First Military Academy, worldwide, inside the imperial castle. In 1752,

660-669: The Mostviertel is dominated by the foothills of the Limestone Alps with mountains up to 2,000  m (AA) (6,500 ft) high, most of the Waldviertel is a granite plateau. The hilly Weinviertel lies to the northeast, descends to the plains of Marchfeld in the east of the state, and is separated by the Danube from the Vienna Basin to the south, which in turn is separated from

704-502: The Mostviertel region, is famous for its landscape, culture, and wine . Administratively, the state is divided into 20 districts ( Bezirke ), and four independent towns ( Statutarstädte ). In total, there are 573 municipalities within Lower Austria. 48°20′N 15°45′E  /  48.333°N 15.750°E  / 48.333; 15.750 Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt ( German pronunciation: [ˈviːnɐ ˈnɔʏʃtat] ; lit.   ' Newtown in

748-586: The Theresian Military Academy took up its operations, which have continued to this day with only a few interruptions ( Erwin Rommel was appointed commandant after the Austrian Anschluss in 1938). In 1768, Wiener Neustadt was destroyed by an earthquake that damaged the castle, which was rebuilt using plans made by the architect Nicolò Pacassi . In 1785, Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg transferred

792-687: The Theresian Military Academy , which was established by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in 1751 to train officers for the Austrian army. The area once belonged to the County of Pitten , which had been inherited by Margrave Ottokar III of Styria in 1158. After the dynasty of the Otakars became extinct with the death of his son Ottokar IV , the Duchy of Styria passed to the Austrian House of Babenberg according to

836-688: The Wiener Neustadt Arena , which opened in 2019. In 1995, the Stadion Wiener Neustadt hosted the world championship round called the 1995 Speedway Grand Prix of Austria . It also hosted rounds of the Speedway World Team Cup in 1978, 1986 to 1989 and 1993 and rounds of the Speedway World Pairs Championship in 1988, 1990 and 1993. When speedway ended at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt, a smaller speedway venue

880-489: The massacre in the Linear Pottery settlement area of Schletz 7000 years ago. The history of Lower Austria is very similar to the history of Austria . Many castles are located in Lower Austria. Klosterneuburg Abbey , located here, is one of the oldest abbeys in Austria. Before World War II , Lower Austria had the largest number of Jews in the country. The names Lower Austria and Upper Austria are derived from

924-520: The 15th century, Wiener Neustadt experienced a population boom, when Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg took up a residence here and established the Diocese of Wiener Neustadt in 1469. His wife, Eleanor of Portugal , died in Wiener Neustadt in 1467, and the late Gothic church of the old Cistercian abbey contains a monument to her memory. The Wappenwand (coat-of-arms wall) at the local castle displays

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968-567: The EKO Cobra lie in the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando Bad Vöslau that was originally formed by the regional police authority of Lower Austria to protect East European Jews during their migration via Austria to Israel against terrorist threats. As the tactical skills of this unit were welcome in other fields, too, the mission of the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando became broader in the course of years, and it climbed

1012-589: The European leg of Woodstock '99 over the weekend of July 16 to 18 1999. It was intended that up to 300,000 people would the festival, but the European leg of Woodstock '99 was ultimately canceled. 1. Wiener Neustädter SC and then 1. Wiener Neustädter SC (2008) played in the Austrian Football First League at the Stadion Wiener Neustadt before the stadium was demolished and replaced by

1056-763: The German Police in the Munich shooting . In 2017, 20 EKO Cobra operatives were directly involved to end the severe riots in the Schanzenviertel area during the G20 Hamburg summit , three operatives were wounded. EKO Cobra also is assisting in the manhunt of the remaining suspect who was involved in the 2020 Vienna attack . Any member of the Austrian Federal Police may apply to the EKO Cobra. The tests consist of medical examinations, psychological tests, and vigorous physical tests. Upon successful completion of

1100-685: The Holy Roman Empire but was later repulsed by Duke Friederich and his knights. In 1246 it was the scene of a victory of the Hungarians over the Austrians. Neustadt gained important privileges given to the city in order to enable it to prosper. It remained a part of Styria, which after the 1278 Battle on the Marchfeld fell to the House of Habsburg and in 1379 became a constituent duchy of Inner Austria . In

1144-746: The Marchfeld on 26 August 1278 marked the beginning of the ascendancy of the House of Habsburg in Austria and Central Europe. During the Ottoman wars in Europe , Lower Austria was the target of repeated raids by the Tatars and Ottoman Akinji mounted paramilitary units , with many people taken into slavery . Lower Austria was the site of the Battles of Wagram and Aspern , fought between invading French troops under Napoleon and an Austrian army led by Archduke Charles in 1809. The gross domestic product (GDP) of

1188-720: The Vienna Woods by a line of thermal springs (the Thermenlinie ) running north to south. Other mountains in Lower Austria may be found at Category:Mountains of Lower Austria . The state border with Styria runs over both passes. Almost all of Lower Austria is drained by the Danube. The only river that flows into the North Sea (via the Moldau and the Elbe ) is the Lainsitz in northern Waldviertel ,

1232-497: The area of the Civitas Nova, a cancer treatment center for ion therapy was opened under the name of MedAustron . In 1996 Wiener Neustadt received international attention as the so-called "sidewalk" designed by Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata was built around the main square. Wiener Neustadt is the setting for the book Reluctant Return: A Survivor's Journey to an Austrian town . It was announced that Wiener Neustadt would host

1276-768: The caves have formed in limestone and dolomite rocks and are therefore called karst caves . Cavities also form in the marble of the Central Alps and the Bohemian Massif. Among the largest caves in Lower Austria are: The last two are open as show caves , along with the Allander stalactite cave, the Unicorn Cave , the Hochkarschacht , the Nixhöhle and the Ötschertropfsteinhöhle . More than 200 Neolithic people were killed during

1320-508: The city in August 1487 after having laid siege to it for two years . According to legend he dedicated the magnificent Corvinus Cup to the inhabitants after his victory. Maximilian I managed to reconquer his native city in 1490. During the 16th century, Wiener Neustadt lost its status as imperial residence and much of its importance. However, it still fulfilled its function as bulwark against the Turks and

1364-417: The coats of arms of his possessions in the middle. His son Maximilian I maintained his court in Wiener Neustadt and is buried here at St. George's Cathedral. The town then also had a significant Jewish commune with Rabbi Israel Isserlin as its most notable member, until all Jews were expelled by order of Emperor Maximilian I in 1496. Habsburg's long-time rival King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary conquered

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1408-606: The earlier names Austria below the Enns and Austria above the Enns , references to the river Enns . Going down from its source on the northern edge of the Central Eastern Alps , the river crosses Upper Austria, then on its lower reaches forms the boundary between Upper Austria and Lower Austria. In the mid-13th century, it became known as the Principality below the river Enns ( Fürstentum unter der Enns ). The Battle on

1452-522: The first operators of the GEK. The Federal Ministry of the Interior changed the unit's name from GEK to EKO Cobra in 2002. The 450 men of EKO Cobra have trained with some of the most elite special forces units. EKO Cobra was involved in a hostage rescue in the Graz-Karlau Prison in 1996, and numerous other operations. Although it has never participated in the same type of hostage rescue operations that

1496-617: The hierarchy, from being a regional unit to becoming assigned directly to the Generaldirektion für öffentliche Sicherheit , the leading authority for public security within the Ministry of the Interior. The name Cobra was coined by the press. It was a reference to the US TV series Mission: Impossible , which was aired in German under the title Kobra, übernehmen Sie . It first appeared in June 1973 in

1540-402: The land of Vienna ' [i.e. Lower Austria ]; Central Bavarian : Weana Neistod , pronounced [ˈvɛɐ̯nɐ ˈnɔɪ̯ʃtɔt] ) is a city located south of Vienna , in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria . It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land District . The city is the site of one of the world's oldest military academies,

1584-580: The man and handed him over to authorities after landing. In the course of the 2006 Lebanon War EKO Cobra assisted in the evacuation of Austrians and other EU citizens from Lebanon. 135 EKO Cobra operatives together with units of the Austrian Armed Forces were involved in the search for Alois Huber in the Annaberg shooting , who killed three police officers and one Red Cross EMT on 17 September 2013, in Lower Austria. In 2016, 42 officers supported

1628-537: The marshalling yards, the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke (WNF) factory, and two Raxwerke plants which used forced laborers imprisoned at Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp , were repeatedly bombed . Bombing operations such as Operation Pointblank left only 18 of 4,000 buildings undamaged. The average monthly temperatures are generally cool ( see table below ), with summer months reaching 21–26 °C (70–79 °F) and winter months reaching

1672-531: The see of the Wiener Neustadt diocese to Sankt Pölten . In the 19th century the city, which was almost entirely rebuilt after a destructive fire in 1834, became an industrial town, especially after the opening of the Austrian Southern Railway in 1841. In 1909, the "first official Austrian airfield" was inaugurated north of the city. It served as a training ground for the flight pioneers Igo Etrich , Karl Illner and Adolf Warchalowski , who conducted their tests there. The Austro-Hungarian strike of January 1918

1716-459: The state was 61.0 billion € in 2018, accounting for 15.8% of Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 32,300 €, or 107% of the EU27 average in the same year. Lower Austria is the state with the second-lowest GDP per capita in Austria. Lower Austria is divided into four regions: Waldviertel , Mostviertel , Industrieviertel , and Weinviertel . The Wachau valley, situated between Melk and Krems in

1760-451: The tests the recruits attend 6 months of specialized training which includes marksmanship, tactical training, sports, driver courses, abseiling/rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, language classes, etc. Besides the courses taught in the basic training, further specialization is possible in fields, such as parachuting, diving, explosives, or sniping. Since its establishment in 1978, 1,140 officers have served in EKO Cobra. The unit's headquarters

1804-489: Was ignored and they marched on the Town Hall. Here they were joined by other workers from the locomotive factory , the radiator works, the aircraft factory and local ammunition plants of G. Rath and the Lichtenwörther. On 14 January over 10,000 workers gathered outside the town hall to complain about the halving of the flour ration. Inspired by the Russian Revolution the workers set up Workers Councils . During World War II , strategic targets in Wiener Neustadt, including

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1848-425: Was meant to reach out to Trieste but was never finished. Elections in January 2020: Total: 40 seats Austria's first and largest Fachhochschule for business and engineering, the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt , is located here. The most recent extension of the city is the Civitas Nova , Latin for new city , an ambitious project for an industrial, research and commercial center. In 2015, on

1892-507: Was merged in the newly established Special Operations Directorate - DSE ( Direktion für Spezialeinheiten ). This organisation serves as a unified command for the units with special tasks of the Austrian Federal Police . Further units of the DSE are the police's bomb disposal units , the observation units and special investigative units. EKO Cobra is armed mainly with Austrian weaponry, but sometimes foreign-produced arms are used too. Steyr AUG A1, Steyr AUG A2, Steyr AUG A3 EKO Cobra use

1936-406: Was started in Wiener Neustadt by workers from the Austro-Daimler factory, which was engaged in arms production, and inspired by the Bolshevik seizure of power to take strike action to oppose the war. A key factor in the strike was the halving of the flour ration. Porsche met the workers and agreed to drive to Vienna to speak to the Minister of Food. However his plea to the workers to return to work

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