GMUNDEN

gmunden, a town and summer resort of austria, in upper austria, 40 m. s.s.w. of linz by rail. pop. (1900) 7126. it is situated at the efflux of the traun river from the lake of the same name and is surrounded by high mountains, as the traunstein (5446 ft.), the erlakogel (5150 ft.), the wilde kogel (6860 ft.) and the hollen gebirge. it is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, &c. there are a great number of excursions and points of interest round gmunden, specially worth mentioning being the traun fall, 10 m. n. of gmunden. it is also an important centre of the salt industry in salzkammergut. gmunden was a town encircled with walls already in 1186. on the 14th of november 1626, pappenheim completely defeated here the army of the rebellious peasants. see f. krackowizer, _geschichte der stadt gmunden in oberosterreich_ (gmunden, 1898-1901, 3 vols.). gnat (o. eng. _gnaet_), the common english name for the smaller dipterous flies (see diptera) of the family _culicidae_, which are now included among "mosquitoes" (see mosquito). the distinctive term has no zoological significance, but in england the "mosquito" has commonly been distinguished from the "gnat" as a variety of larger size and more poisonous bite.