Location: Stadtschlai-ning, Oberwart district Map
Constructed: 13th century
The castle was originally on an important traffic artery that ran in a north-south direction across the Bernstein Mountains. Later, the trade routes that led through the area from Steinamanger, Graz, Wiener Neustadt and Sopron crossed there.
The Friedensburg Schlaining was mentioned in 1271 as castrum Zloynuk
in a document by Ottokar Přemysl and was owned by the Counts of Güssing
at that time. After the Güssingers were defeated by the Hungarian King
Karl Robert I von Ajou, he gave the Friedensburg to the Kanizsai family.
In 1397 the reign of King Sigismund was pledged to Nikolaus Zarka von
Pecol and his son-in-law Georg Tompek (Tannpeck) of Oroszvár and given
in 1401 to Georg Tompek and his brother Johann.
In 1445 Emperor
Friedrich III. the lordship of Schlaining and pledged the castle to the
mercenary leader Andreas Baumkircher, who bought it over the next few
years along with a number of other manorial estates, so that in 1471 30
villages were wholly or partially part of the dominion of Schlaining.
The "Baumkirchfehde" (1469-1471) against Emperor Friedrich III. ended in
1471 with the execution of Baumkircher in Graz.
After several
changes of ownership, the Friedensburg Schlaining fell as a gift to
Franz Batthyány in 1471, whose successor remained the owner for more
than 370 years. The last owner from this line, Ludwig Batthyány, was
appointed the first Hungarian prime minister on March 17, 1848. After
the suppression of the revolution in 1848, he was sentenced to death by
a court-martial. After his execution on October 6, 1849, his property
and with it the castle came into the possession of the Hungarian
Chamber.
In 1849 the railway pioneer Franz Schmidt bought the
castle, in 1911 ownership changed to Demeter Salesky, who had to give
the castle to the Hungarian Hermesbank after the First World War.
In 1957 the former federal minister DDDr. Udo Illig built the
Friedensburg Schlaining, whose aim it was to preserve or restore the
devastated complex in its original state. The idea of creating a
Friedensburg came about during the turbulent times of the Cold War. For
this purpose, an association was founded in 1982 with the support of
Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, with the help of which the idea of a
dialogue between East and West was to be promoted. This association was
implemented, among other things, by the "Peace Center" at the
Friedensburg Schlaining as a place of encounter, discussion and
dialogue.
The association then established itself in 1983 as the
Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, or ÖSFK for
short, which was also given the official title of "Ambassador of Peace"
by Secretary General Perez de Cuellar in 1987.
The Friedensburg
is also a location of the Burgenland cultural operations as well as a
seminar and conference center. Various cultural events and wedding
celebrations also take place here.
In 1992 the 2nd International
Conference of Peace Museums took place there, and in 2000 the ÖSFK set
up the European Peace Museum in the castle. In 2018, the 32nd annual
conference of the future workshops took place there with guests from
Germany, Austria, Spain, Syria and Hungary: "Building bridges, creating
peace - against the division of society" was the focus.
The
Burghotel Schlaining conference hotel was installed in the 15th century
smithy and armory directly opposite the castle, taking into account
monument protection. Refurbishment and construction from March 2020
until the full opening at the end of March 2022 (continuously during the
COVID-19 pandemic) cost over 7 million euros. It has 100 beds in 64
rooms.
Knight's Hall and Castle Chapel
A decorative painting from 1740 is
located above the entrance to the knight's hall, which was already used
as a representation room in the time of Andreas Baumkirchner (15th
century). decorative focal points.
Granarium
The seminar
center of the Friedensburg with the seminar rooms and a large event hall
for larger events and conferences is now located in the Granarium (also
known as the granary).
Moat - the forbidden path
The moat has
been expanded and rebuilt in recent years. Above all, the "Forbidden
Path", which leads around the castle, invites you to visit the castle
from the outside. The castle arena itself serves as an event space with
a unique stage and grandstand system.
Black Court
The name
comes from the striking sgraffito decoration on the staircase and the
candle arches. The castle complex was built around the Black Courtyard,
making it the oldest area of the Friedensburg. Here are three cisterns
of the former water supply.
Large courtyard
The courtyard is surrounded by a ring of walls, on
which the former living and economic rooms were located. The cannon
towers date from the 15th century. At the bridgehead to the third castle
gate there are two resting sandstone rams from the 18th century. The
Baumkircher memorial stone or the so-called Baumkircher monument is
located on the northern side wall. The five chestnut trees, which were
planted in a crown shape in the middle of the castle courtyard, are
intended to commemorate the coronation of Empress Elisabeth as Queen of
Hungary.
Former synagogue
The former synagogue and the former
rabbi's house of the Jewish community are located near the main square.
Due to the tolerant attitude of the Batthyánys, the number of
Schlainingen Jewish community grew to 650 members by 1848 - at that time
over 40% of the city's population.
After extensive renovation, the Friedensburg Schlaining is the venue
for the anniversary exhibition "We are 100. Burgenland makes history",
which opens on August 15th. In 2021, Burgenland will celebrate 100 years
of belonging to Austria, a historic anniversary dedicated to
togetherness. In the last century, Burgenland has developed from one of
the poorest areas of Europe to a model region in Austria, but also
within the entire European Union. The strong sense of togetherness and
the positive sense of unity among the population made a significant
contribution to this.
Interesting facts about the emergence of
the easternmost province of Austria, political history, identity and
homeland, economy and environment, emigration and refugee movements as
well as the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the country
are discussed. Gripping life stories and memories of personalities from
Burgenland or interesting facts about typical local cuisine and
enjoyment are also in the spotlight.
The impressive development
of Burgenland is shown based on the moments when Burgenland was in the
limelight of world events. For example, during the Hungarian uprising in
1956, the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 or the refugee crisis of
2015.
The exhibition is curated by the renowned contemporary
historian Univ. Prof. DDr. Oliver Rathkolb The versatile costume and
stage designer Christoph Cremer is responsible for the design of the
show.
The anniversary exhibition at Friedensburg Schlaining forms
the foundation for the house of Burgenland history, which is expected to
open its doors in 2023.
Restoration of the Friedensburg
Schlaining
In 2019, the Burgenland state government decided to
realize the anniversary exhibition at the Friedensburg Schlaining. This
was accompanied by a decision on general renovation. In cooperation with
the Federal Monuments Office, the renovation of the outer facade and the
historic interior was carried out. Particular attention is paid to
accessibility and fire protection during the renovation.
During
the renovation, not only the original wooden floors were found, but also
extraordinary wall paintings. The frescoes that were uncovered in the
tower room probably date from around 1500. The color "Egyptian blue" was
used, which only exists in this type at two other locations in Europe.
From the point of view of monument protection, this find is a sensation.
Former Synagogue Schlaining - part of the anniversary exhibition
An important part of the anniversary exhibition is the former
synagogue of Stadtschlaining, which is still the best-preserved
synagogue in Burgenland. On the main square, in the immediate vicinity
of Friedensburg Schlaining, is the former synagogue founded in the 18th
century and the rabbi's house, which is also a listed building.
Due to the tolerant attitude of the Batthyánys, Stadtschlaining's large
Jewish community grew to 650 members by 1865, making up over 40% of the
town's population. With the liberalization of the “Jewish Laws” in what
was then Hungary, many Jews decided to leave Stadtschlaining. The once
large Jewish community continued to shrink and in 1938 all the remaining
Jews were expelled and their property Aryanized. After the Second World
War, the synagogue stood empty for a long time before the building was
acquired by the "Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict
Resolution" (ASPR) in the 1980s.
In 1446 Duke Friedrich III.
the Styrian knight Andreas Baumkircher built Schlaining Castle, which he
had expanded further. After a few years, Baumkircher swore allegiance to
the Hungarian King Ladislaus V. Later he stayed with Friedrich III again
for a while. and finally became the banner lord of Matthias Corvinus. In
order to get rid of this fickle subject, Emperor Friedrich III lured
him. in 1471 to Graz by having a safe-conduct letter delivered to him,
in which he assured him of protection and free departure until the
Vesper bell rang.
Baumkircher appeared in Graz with his comrade
Andreas Grissenecker, although he had been warned against treason. When
the two knights realized that the negotiations with them had been
deliberately drawn out, they wanted to leave the city an hour before the
bells for Vespers. When the emperor heard this, he had the vespers bell
rung before its time, the gates fell, the drawbridges went up, and the
two knights fell into captivity. Between the two murtors, they were
immediately beheaded. The corpses of the executed were buried in the
cloister of the Franciscan church, Baumkircher's corpse was later
transferred to Schlaining.
When Martha, Baumkircher's courageous
daughter, found out about her father's insidious capture, she rushed to
Graz to rescue her father. But it was already too late! Already the
decapitated father lay in his blood under the gates. Seized with
nameless pain, Martha dipped her cloth in the blood of the executed man
and threw it in the faces of the accomplices present with a curse. She
placed her father's body in a silver coffin and took it to Schlaining,
where she had it buried in the Marienkirche. The Marienkirche has long
since disappeared, and only a few remains of the wall on the city wall
reveal its former existence.
On misty nights, the ghost of
Andreas Baumkircher can be seen at Friedensburg Schlaining, haunting the
castle with his head under his arm.
August 6,
1945: A US plane drops an atomic bomb over Hiroshima. The consequences
are fatal: 80,000 people die immediately or a few days later.
A
little girl named Sadako also becomes a witness. At first it seems as if
she survived the attack unharmed. But at the age of twelve she fell ill
with leukemia - a late consequence of the atomic bomb dropping. Their
only hope lies in an old Japanese belief: if you fold 1000 paper cranes,
you will grant your heart's desire. So Sadako gets down to it and folds
crane after crane. But when the 1000 cranes are finished, she feels
worse than before and finally dies shortly before her 13th birthday.
Her family decides to carry the little girl's cranes out into the
world and with them the message of peace. One of these cranes is kept at
the Friedensburg Schlaining and can also be found in the logo.