Sankt Poelten became the official capital of Lower Austria only in 1986 after the state moved its government from Vienna. The result is a city with two distinct layers: a genuine Baroque old town around the Rathausplatz (the cathedral is a former Augustinian monastery church rebuilt in the 17th century) and a 1990s government quarter built to assert the new capital status. The Festspielhaus St. Poelten is a major cultural venue with a strong contemporary program from October to May. Westbahn trains from Vienna take about 40 minutes. Most travelers pass through rather than staying, but the Festspielhaus and the Landesmuseum make an overnight stay worthwhile if the programming aligns.
city
St. Pölten
Sankt Poelten was the former Roman settlement of Aelium Cetium and became a city by charter around 799, making it one of the oldest cities in the German-speaking world by that measure. It only became the capital of Lower Austria in 1986, after centuries of Klosterneuburg and then Vienna functionally serving that role.