Location: Burgenland Map
Eisenstadt is a capital city of Burgenland state in the Eastern Austria. You can travel to Vienna and then get to Eisenstadt that is located 50 km (31 miles) South. Its name in German means "Iron City" as a reference to iron mining and iron trade that was common here since the Medieval times. City of Eisenstadt situated on the banks of Wulka river was known since the 12th century, however archaeological evidence show that first human settlements were formed by Celtic tribes and later Roman legionnaires. Eisenstadt lies on a plain that descends to the Wulka River, south of the mountain range known as the Leithagebirge, about 12 km from the Hungarian border. During rule of the Habsburg Empire's Kingdom of Hungary, Kismarton (Eisenstadt) was the seat of the Hungarian noble family Eszterházy. Famous Hungarian composer Joseph Haydn lived there as Hofkapellmeister under Esterházy patronage.
Eisenstadt has a population of 14,241 inhabitants (2016). Eisenstadt lies on a plain that descends to the Wulka River, south of the mountain range known as the Leithagebirge, about 12 km from the Hungarian border.
The city of Eisenstadt was first mentioned in a
document in 1264. At that time, however, it was still called "Little
Martin" (hence the Hungarian name of the town, Kismárton), which
consisted of the "St. Martin" chapel and a few houses. The Kanizsai
family first laid the foundation stone for the city by building a
castle, which is known today as Esterházy Palace. In addition, the
city was enclosed by a wall. From then on it was considered
impregnable and iron, from which the name "Eisenstadt" was derived.
It is believed that Eisenstadt was a market town as early as the
13th century. In 1373 the manorial town charter was granted. Another
important year was 1622: Eisenstadt was given to Nikolaus Esterházy
as a pledge until it passed into his rightful possession a few years
later. The rule of the Esterházy family was to last for over 300
years.
After the First World War and the handover of
Burgenland to Austria in 1921, Eisenstadt was named the state
capital on April 30, 1925, by determining the seat of the state
government here.
Eisenstadt has four districts:
The
wine-growing town of Kleinhöflein was incorporated into the
municipality in 1970. It's west of the city.
Eisenstadt-Oberberg
is directly adjacent to Kleinhöflein. There you will find the
mountain church with the Calvary and the Haydn mausoleum.
The
Jewish quarter with the small streets characterizes
Eisenstadt-Unterberg. Today the Austrian Jewish Museum is located
there.
The district of St. Georgen am Leithagebirge is east of
the city and is known for its numerous taverns.
Jewish cemetery
In 1647, the city of Eisenstadt came under the
rule of the princely house of Esterhazy, which had a great influence
on the city and led to positive changes. In 1648, by order of
Emperor Ferdinand III, Eisenstadt became a free city, paying a
ransom fee of 16,000 guilders and 3,000 barrels of wine. In 1670
Paul I allowed 3000 Jews to settle in Eisenstadt and six nearby
settlements, who were expelled from Vienna. The city's rabbi was
Samson Wertimer, who himself was buried in the old Jewish cemetery.
There was a need for a cemetery. This is how the old Jewish
cemetery appeared in the 17th century near the Jewish quarter. The
old cemetery functioned from 1679 to 1875 and contained about 1,140
gravestones with only Hebrew inscriptions. Due to the limited space,
a new one was created next to the old cemetery. The new cemetery has
been in operation since 1875.
During the Nazi occupation,
both cemeteries were partially destroyed, and tombstones were used
to erect a fence throughout the city. After 1945, the cemeteries
were repaired and the monuments were put in place. In 1992, an act
of vandalism took place at the new cemetery: about 80 gravestones
were desecrated with Nazi symbols.
The Eisenstadt cemetery
differs from other ancient Jewish cemeteries in the absence of
vegetation. However, it bears great similarity in form and
appearance to the Vienna Cemetery. This is because the first
settlers were Viennese emigrants. Earlier, the entrance to the old
cemetery was made through a beautiful semicircular metal gate,
however, now they have not survived. Both cemeteries are open to the
public.
The Martin Kaserne or the former KuK Kadettenanstalt is a few steps away from the state government. In the middle of the 19th century, there was an extreme need for additional leaders in the Austrian army. In the course of this began planning some new educational institutions. One of them was built here in Eisenstadt in 1858. The building was built in the style of romantic historicism and its design is based on the Viennese arsenal. The building was completely restored at the end of the 20th century.
The bishop's court is on the back of the Eisenstadt cathedral.
The building was rebuilt in 1951 and contains, in addition to the
administration of the diocese and the parish, guest rooms and a
small chapel. The building was completely refurbished and restored
in 2011 for EUR 2.4 million.
The Burgenland Provincial
Government building is a massive 1930s building located on
Europaplatz. Originally, after the annexation of Burgenland to
Austria, the provincial government was initially to be found
provisionally in the Martin barracks. In 1930, however, the country
house could be moved into in its current form. In the conference
room there was a mural depicting the greeting of the returned
Burgenland. This work of art by the painter Ferdinand Kitt was
destroyed in 1945. In 1973 an extension was added for the Burgenland
State Archives.
The ORF regional studio Burgenland (modern architecture from the 1970s) is located at the foot of the Leithagebirge. The visit can be combined with a walk in the forest. Like all other ORF regional studios, the building was designed by the architect Gustav Peichl, with a focus on technical aesthetics. The spiral structure is based on the Maison de la Radio in Paris.
Town Hall - The original building was erected around 1560 in the style of the early Renaissance. Despite a considerable renovation in 1648, some elements of the original structure can still be seen. In addition to the floor plan and the diamond cuboid of the portal, the wall paintings are particularly worth mentioning here. In the form of women, among other things Virtues such as loyalty, hope, charity, justice, wisdom, strength, and temperance are depicted. These were only rediscovered in 1926 and extensively restored in 1949. Inside the wedding hall is also noteworthy. This has a splendid Renaissance ceiling from the 17th century.
Plague column - When the plague raged in Eisenstadt in 1713, the
people of Eisenstadt built this column to free the city from the
plague. The column is consecrated to the Holy Trinity, which is
depicted on top of the column, and to the Holy Virgin Mary. The
figures on the base of the column show various saints, e.g. St.
Rochus, Sebastian, Kajetan, Johannes von Nepomuk and St. Rosalia.
The city coat of arms can also be seen on the base.
Parish
Church of St. Georgen - This church dates from the High Middle Ages.
The church was first mentioned in writing in 1437. However, it is
generally assumed that the building date was older. The murals "The
Last Judgment" and the "Coronation of Mary" from 1623 are
particularly worth seeing.
Kleinhöflein parish church - The church from 1462 has Gothic and Romanesque stylistic elements. The church is especially known for the fact that the so-called older Haydn organ stood here from 1797 to 1942. It has been in the auditorium of the Burgenland State Museum since 1976.
By plane
The nearest international airport is
Vienna-Schwechat Airport (IATA Code: VIE), it is located approx. 45
km northeast of Eisenstadt. Reachable by car via A3-S1-A4, with
public transport preferably with a regional bus to Vienna
(Südtiroler Platz / Hauptbahnhof), then with an ICE or Railjet
directly to the airport.
Public transport
From Vienna
first via the A 2 (southern motorway), from the Guntramsdorf
junction via the A 3 (south-eastern motorway). Exit Müllendorf,
continue on the B51.
From Graz first on the A 2 to the Wiener
Neustadt junction, there on the S 4 towards Hungary / Eisenstadt,
then exit S4 towards Hungary. Shortly before Mattersburg change to
the S 31 towards Wien / Eisenstadt. The best way to get to the
center is to take the Eisenstadt Mitte exit.
From Budapest on the
M1 to the border, then on the A4 to the Neusiedl exit, then on the
B50.
From Bratislava: A6 to the Bruckneudorf junction, then take
the A4 towards Budapest and exit at Neusiedl, continue on the B50.
The journey from Balaton and Sopron leads via the Hungarian trunk
road 84 to the former border crossing in Klingenbach. You can either
drive the A3-S31, or from Siegendorf through Drassburg on state
roads.
By train
Eisenstadt can only be reached by rail
using regional trains. From Vienna (Meidling) you take a regional
train of the ROeEE to Sopron or Deutschkreutz and change in
Wulkaprodersdorf.
Getting there is faster and easier with one
of the numerous regional buses (every 30 minutes during the day)
from Vienna (Südtiroler Platz).
Around the city
In the
center of the city there is a large bus station (Domplatz). The
surrounding places are visited several times an hour, Vienna,
Central Burgenland and Southern Burgenland several times a day or
hourly.
There is also a train station from which Neusiedl am
See and Sopron can be reached every hour within half an hour.
Wulkaprodersdorf and Mattersburg are stations where the trains stop
several times an hour.
A taxi ride within the city costs €
5.00. It is possible to get a guest card at the town hall, with
which the cost of a taxi ride in the city area is limited to € 2.00.
The districts of St. Georgen am Leithagebirge and Kleinhöflein are
not included. The costs for the nearest locations are between €
10.00 and € 15.00.
Bicycles can be borrowed from nextbike at
Esterházy Palace, the train station, the Eisenstadt technology
center and on Krautgartenweg. The current status can be called up at
any time on the Internet.
If you are driving your car in the city center, the marked
short-term parking zones must be observed. The parking fee is
payable on weekdays from Mon-Fri 8 am-4pm and Sat 8 am-12pm (€ 0.60
/ 30 minutes). However, in some shops in the pedestrian zone it is
possible to get the parking fee refunded.
Eisenstadt is located at the southern foot of the Leithagebirge on a
terrace gradually sloping down to the Wulka plain at an altitude of 182
m (meteorological station 230 m). The east-west course of the terrace
was originally followed by the expansion of the city from
Oberberg-Eisenstadt in the west to the barracks in the east. Only later
did it begin to spread south towards the Wulka plain and in recent
decades also north up the slopes of the Leitha Mountains, where the
vineyards gradually had to give way to new settlements.
Grapes,
apricots, peaches and almonds ripen on the climatically favorable
slopes, protected by the ridge of the Leithagebirge, which towers over
400 m and is covered by dense deciduous forests. As far as the eye can
see, everything is planted with vines, which also surround the city on
all sides.
The highest point in the city area, in the north-west,
is in the Leitha Mountains at an altitude of 450 m and is called "Beim
Juden".
The neighboring municipalities are (clockwise) Stotzing,
Oslip, Trausdorf/Wulka, Siegendorf, Wulkaprodersdorf, Großhöflein and
Hornstein.
City outline
The municipal area includes the
following three localities (number of inhabitants in brackets as of
January 1, 2022):
Eisenstadt (9537)
Kleinhöflein in Burgenland
(3171)
Sankt Georgen am Leithagebirge (2532)
The community
consists of the cadastral communities of Eisenstadt, Kleinhöflein in
Burgenland, Oberberg-Eisenstadt, St. Georgen and Unterberg-Eisenstadt.
Incorporations
The winegrowing village of Kleinhöflein, west of
Eisenstadt, was part of the Eisenstadt lordship in the Middle Ages, came
into the possession of the Esterházy family in the 17th century and was
incorporated on January 1, 1971, as was the community of Sankt Georgen
am Leithagebirge.
Bodies of water
The Wulka flows through the
southern part of the city and finally flows into Lake Neusiedl.
Furthermore, the Eisbach is a tributary of the Wulka, which flows
through the city area and flows into it between Oslip and Schützen am
gebirge.
The Schloss-See and the Maschinenteich are located in
Eisenstadt Castle Park.
Climate
The long-term mean annual
temperature (determined in the years 1961 to 1990) is 9.4 °C. The
average for 2007 was 11.8 °C. The average annual precipitation (between
1961 and 1991) is 589 mm. Current values can be found on the ZAMG
website for weather values in Burgenland.
Before the birth of Christ, the area was part of the Celtic kingdom
of Noricum and belonged to the area surrounding the Celtic hilltop
settlement of Burg on the Schwarzenbacher Burgberg.
Later under
the Romans, today's Eisenstadt was in the province of Pannonia.
Finds show that the Eisenstadt area was already inhabited in the
Hallstatt period. Celts and Romans settled a little later. At the time
of the migration of peoples, various Germanic peoples and the Huns
settled in the Eisenstadt area. Around 800, at the time of Charlemagne,
the settlement by the Bavarians began. Eisenstadt appeared in 1118 for
the first time as "castrum ferrum". The first written mention was in
1264 as "minor Mortin" (corresponding to Hungarian "Kismarton"). The
Eisenstadt area was one of the westernmost parts of the Kingdom of
Hungary.
In 1373 the city came into the possession of the
Hungarian noble family Kanizsai. The family had the walls fortified and
built a moated castle within the walls. The name "Eysenstat" (strong,
iron, hence Eisenstadt) comes from this period. In 1388 Eisenstadt
received market rights. West Hungary, which was populated by Germans,
was pledged to the House of Habsburg: in 1445 Duke Albrecht VI. the
town; for the next 150 years, Eisenstadt remained under Austrian
administration (as if it were part of what would later become Lower
Austria), acting from Vienna. During the Turkish War, the Turks
conquered Eisenstadt in 1529 and 1532 while advancing on Vienna.
The Hungarian nobility demanded that the Habsburgs, who in the meantime
also functioned hereditarily as kings of Hungary, fully reintegrate
western Hungary into Hungary and end direct Austrian administration. In
order to take the Hungarian noble family Esterházy for the House of
Habsburg, they were in 1648 by the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III. In
his function as King of Hungary, he was enfeoffed with the Eisenstadt
region, among other things, and raised to the rank of imperial prince in
1687 by his successor Leopold I. The princely family permanently changed
the image of the city through lively building activity.
At the
same time, on October 26, 1648, Eisenstadt (in its former extent within
the city walls) was raised by the emperor to the status of a royal free
city at the urgent request of the citizenry, which was subject to no one
but the king, and paid 16,000 guilders and 3,000 buckets of wine worth
9,000 guilders. In 1670, Paul I. Esterházy de Galantha settled outside
the city walls, in an area administered by him, directly next to what
was then Eisenstadt and in six surrounding towns, the so-called
Siebengemeinden, around 3,000 Jews who had previously been expelled from
Vienna. Samson Wertheimer (1658–1742), who worked as a court factor in
Vienna, worked as a rabbi in Eisenstadt.
The Esterházy family
soon developed into one of the richest noble families in Central Europe
and had numerous castles to choose from. She chose Eisenstadt as her
princely headquarters, converted the former fortified castle into a
representative palace and maintained a very elaborate, impressive court,
which even led to visits from Empress Maria Theresia. With the
appointment of Joseph Haydn as the princely court music director in the
1760s, a 30-year heyday of artistic life began here. In 1809, during the
Napoleonic Wars, Eisenstadt was occupied by French troops.
From
1865 to 1898, the House of Esterházy had to do without the usual large
expenses for representation, since they had overreached themselves
financially and had only escaped bankruptcy with imperial help. It
became quiet in Eisenstadt. The western Hungarian city was culturally
aligned with Vienna and tried to evade the Magyarization pursued by
Budapest in the last decades of the 19th century. In 1897 Eisenstadt was
connected to the Hungarian railway network.
After the First World
War and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, a three-year struggle took
place over the future citizenship of "German-West Hungary" and thus of
Eisenstadt. Through the peace treaties of St. Germain in 1919 with
Austria and of Trianon in 1920 with Hungary, the area became part of
Austria in 1921 as Burgenland (the new name). Ödenburg (Hungarian:
Sopron), originally intended to be the state capital, was added to
Hungary as a result of a referendum. On October 19, 1925, instead of
Ödenburg, Eisenstadt became the seat of the Burgenland state government
and thus the de facto state capital. However, it was not mentioned as
such in the Burgenland constitution at the time.
A Roman Catholic
apostolic administration was set up in Eisenstadt so that the
Burgenlanders would no longer be subordinate to a Hungarian bishop. The
surrounding communities were attached to the Freistadt Eisenstadt: 1923
Eisenstadt-Schlossgrund, 1938 Unterberg-Eisenstadt, 1939
Oberberg-Eisenstadt, 1970 Kleinhöflein and St. Georgen.
In July 1932, on the occasion of Haydn's 200th birthday, the Haydn
Foundation organized a large Haydn celebration in Eisenstadt in
cooperation with the then “Mittelstelle Deutscher Jugend in Europa”
(German youth center in Europe) with a clearly nationalistic, Greater
German character. From all German-speaking settlement areas in Central
Europe, young people brought soil from their homeland (e.g. Heligoland),
important historical sites (e.g. from the Wartburg near Eisenach), from
graves of historically important Germans (e.g. from the imperial graves
of Speyer Cathedral and Martin Luther's grave), memorials (e.g.
Friedrich Schiller's birthplace in Marbach am Neckar), battlefields
(e.g. the Monument to the Battle of the Nations and the Langemarck
Cemetery) and workplaces (e.g. the Warndt area in Saarland) to
Eisenstadt as a commitment to national Germanness. The Haydnmal in the
form of a large cube urn bore the inscription "Youth came from all
Marche and brought earth to their homeland, to honor Joseph Haydn, the
singer of the German song, as pledge to the eternal empire of the
Germans."
Burgenland was dissolved during the Nazi era; its
northern part with Eisenstadt was made into the Gau Niederdonau. The
Jewish Eisenstadt residents were expelled or murdered. During World War
II, Eisenstadt was bombed once, resulting in 40 casualties. In 1945 the
Red Army took Eisenstadt and the city remained under Soviet occupation
until 1955. In 1956 Eisenstadt became the seat of the Evangelical
Lutheran Superintendency of Burgenland and in 1960 the seat of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Eisenstadt.
It was not until 1965 that
Eisenstadt anchored the status of the state capital in the city
constitution. It was only in the state constitution in 1981.
After the annexation of Burgenland to Austria, the ethnic-linguistic
structure of the population changed significantly. In 1910 the Magyar
population was still around 27%; In 1934, however, the proportion of
Hungarian-speaking residents was around 5%. This change is due on the
one hand to the retreat of many Magyar civil servants, military
personnel, etc. to Hungary, and on the other hand to the
language-national self-definition of the inhabitants.
In the last
census, Eisenstadt (excluding districts) had a proportion of 2.7% and
4.0% respectively of the Hungarian and Croatian-speaking population
(resident population with Austrian citizenship). The latter is mainly
due to the influx from the surrounding Croatian and mixed-language
communities in recent decades.
The denominational composition of
the population also changed: the number of Protestants rose from 52 in
1890 to 493 in 1961. The number of Jews was 906 in 1836 and then fell
continuously until 1923 to 445 people. The emigration went mainly in the
direction of Vienna. Of the more than 400 Jews in Eisenstadt, around 250
survived the Shoah. Only two Eisenstadt Jews returned after 1945.