The Agricultural Loan Society of St. Pölten
The project investigates the foundation of the agricultural loan society of St. Pölten in its social and economic historical context.
https://www.ruralhistory.at/en/projects/since-2016/der-landwirtschaftliche-vorschussverein-in-st-poelten
https://www.ruralhistory.at/en/projects/since-2016/der-landwirtschaftliche-vorschussverein-in-st-poelten/@@download/image/Administrativkarte NOE (61) Section St. Pölten_Homepage-1.jpg
The project investigates the foundation of the agricultural loan society of St. Pölten in its social and economic historical context.
Funding
Raiffeisenbank Region St. Pölten
Duration
May – October 2018
Principal Investigator
Ulrich Schwarz-Gräber
Researcher
Martin Bauer
Description
This study explores developments in agricultural economy of the Lower Austrian Alpine foothills in the middle of the 19th century. The situation of peasant producers is assessed for the period between the land reform of 1848 and the “agrarian crisis” of the 1870s and 1880s. St. Pölten as an economic centre was a focal point in this transition phase.
Moreover, the project examines rural credit systems and credit cooperatives in Lower Austria. The “Landwirtschaftlicher Vorschussverein” in St. Pölten was founded in 1868, so this project marks its 150th anniversary. The “Vorschussverein” was able to meet the lending needs of the peasant population and grew into one of the largest agricultural credit cooperatives in Lower Austria. The history of this association is assessed against the background of economic trends in the 19th century.