Schönau im Mühlkreis

By 1869, 1667 people lived in the village. Until 1971 the population fluctuated roughly around this point, and did not change much. In 1991 the community contained 1823 residents, though according to the 2001 census, only 1818 people were located within the village, representing a 0.3% decrease. On 1 January 2008 the community contained 1885 residents, which was the highest number of residents in the history of the town.[3] The population also experienced a positive change following the building of new construction. Through the continual improvement of the roads, Schönau has become more and more easily reached by Linz: it is now possible to reach the northern entrance of the city in half an hour.

As determined by the 2001 census, the proportion of residents who were 60 years or older was 18.3%. Of the residents, 20.6% were under the age of 15. The proportion of the population that is female was 49.8%.[4]

Of the 1443 inhabitants of Schönau who were over 15 years old in 2001, 1.9% completed university, Fachhochschule, or study at an Academy. A further 5.4% had completed a Matura (the Austrian equivalent of the Abitur), while 46% had attended an Apprenticeship or berufsbildende mittlere Schule (a kind of vocational training program). Another 46.6% of all Schönau residents had completed only the minimum level required by the compulsory education laws of Austria.[5]

The German dialect spoken in Schönau, as well as all over Austria, is the Central Bavarian dialect of the larger Bavarian language. As of 2001, 99.7% of Schönau residents listed the German language as the language they speak natively. A further 0.1% spoke mainly Czech, with a handful of others speaking yet other languages.

The percentage of Schönau residents coming from other countries (as of 2001) was 0.9%, far below the average for Upper Austria. Roughly 0.1% of Schönau residents come from Bosnia-Herzegovina, 0.4% are from Germany, with the rest coming from other nations. Overall, about 0.8% of Schönau residents, as of 2001, were born in other countries.[4]

St James in Schönau

St James Parish Church was first mentioned in the written record in 1230, originally as a subsidiary church of the parish in nearby Naarn. Though the walls of the nave date to the Romanesque period, the low, squat bell tower was constructed sometime in the 13th or 14th century. In 1516 the nave was remodeled in the Gothic style. In 1968 the church was enlarged: the Gothic, Baroque choir area and the Gothic west gallery were removed, as was the Neo-Gothic furnishings. The modern additions are asymmetrically attached to the nave and include the Chancel, the baptistry, sacristy and the new organ loft. The furnishings are constructed from various materials. The organ (1993), with its two keyboards and 18 registers, comes from the Upper Austrian St. Florian Organ Company. In the church tower, there are four bells (G, B-flat, D, B).

The Prandegg Castle is a medieval, ruined hill castle that lies within the borders of Schönau. It is open to the public.

• Burgstall Rametstein, an archaeological site containing the remains of a wooden fort dating back to the 13th century and rediscovered in the 20th century, is also located within the town's borders.

• Herrgottsitz: Shale stone that supposedly served as an early Christian site of worship and sacrifice.

Schönau contains the small ski area Stoaninger Alm, which contains a ski tow and two slopes. In the summer, Stoaninger Alm operates a Sommerrodelbahn, which is a type of dry toboggan run.

Schönau im Mühlkreis is crossed from the northeast to the southwest by the Riedmark Landesstraße (L 576). The town is also crossed by a regional hiking and pilgrimage path (Johannesweg).

In Schönau there is a Kindergarten, a Volksschule and a library in operation. There is also a general practitioner working in the town.

Within the community, there are three volunteer fire departments: one in Schönau, one in Oberndorf and one in Prandegg.