town, northeastern Austria. It is situated near the Ybbs River, northeast of Steyr. Recorded in 996 as a possession of the bishops of Passau (now in Germany), it was fortified and granted market rights when it passed to the House of Habsburg (Habsburg, House of) in 1276. It achieved town status in 1897. The 14th-century parish church in the town incorporates an earlier Romanesque basilica. Amstetten has several small industrial companies, but its main economic base is the service sector. The town is also an important regional retail centre. Many of Amstetten's inhabitants commute to nearby towns for work, however. Pop. (2006) 23,060.