Hartberg is a town with 6795 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) and is located in the federal state of Styria in the south-east of Austria. It is the administrative center of the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district and is located in the Fürstenfeld judicial district.
Theatre
There are two theater groups in Hartberg. These are the
lover's stage Hartberg, which interprets popular works, mainly comedies,
and the tri-stage Hartberg, which has been presenting plays, among
others, since 1988. played by Shakespeare, Felix Mitterer, Friedrich
Dürrenmatt or Johann Nestroy.
The Hartberghalle serves as the
primary venue for both groups.
Museums
City Museum
The late Romanesque Hartberger Karner with frescoes dates
from the 12th century.
The late Gothic town parish church of St.
Martin was first mentioned in 1157 and expanded in the Baroque style
from 1745 to 1760. The high altarpiece is by Johann Cyriak Hackhofer.
The evangelical Jesus Christ Church was built in 1961-1964 by Waltraud
Kolb.
Hartberg Castle is a medieval castle from the 12th century. In
the 16th century it was redesigned in the Renaissance style, in the 17th
century the arcade wing was built. The castle complex is now used by the
cosmetics manufacturer and multilevel marketing company Ringana, which
has set up its administrative headquarters here. Exceptions to this are
a catering business in the former stables and the knight's hall, which
is still used for public events.
Remains of the city wall date from
the 12th to 13th centuries. It runs from the Reckturm, which was built
in the second half of the 13th century, over the terraced city park to
Hartberg Castle northwards, along the ring road eastwards to
Franz-Schmidt-Gasse. In the east, the Schölbinger tower has been
preserved with a short remainder of the city wall. Below the town parish
church and Karner, the steep step was part of the church fortress in the
narrow belt of the original town wall. The two city gates were
demolished in the 19th century.
Capuchin Church and Monastery: The
construction of the monastery lasted from 1654 to 1658 and ended with
the dedication of the church. After the monks were expropriated during
the National Socialist era, the building was converted into a nursing
home, which it remained until 1955. In 2014 the Kapuziner left Hartberg.
Since then, the Hartberg monastery has been a house of prayer in the
sense of an oratorio after Philipp Neri.
The Ringwarte was built in
1906 and is the observation tower on the Ringkogel.
The Roman
Catholic pilgrimage church of Maria Lebing is dedicated to the
consummation of Mary (ascension).
HERZ (Hartberger recreation center). Outdoor pool, indoor pool,
sauna, ice skating rink, e-bike rental.
"cycling"
By plane
Graz Airport (IATA: GRZ) is around 75 km away and
Vienna-Schwechat Airport (IATA: VIE) is around 140 km away.
By
train
Hartberg train station is a station on the Thermenbahn between
Friedberg (from there to Vienna) and Fehring (from there to Graz) with
regional trains running every two hours. A journey from Graz or Vienna
takes a little over 2 hours. Direct connections without changing trains
are only possible in the morning and evening hours.
By bus
Regional and express buses run several times a day from/to Graz, journey
time approx. 1:15 - 1:45 hours depending on the connection. An express
bus line serves Vienna several times a day, journey time approx. 1:45
hours.
In the street
Hartberg is on the A 2 south autobahn and
thus on the main artery between Vienna and Graz.
On foot
Hartberg's city center can easily be crossed on foot.
Wiener Strasse is designated as a pedestrian zone.
By bus
The
city bus runs every hour on weekdays Monday to Saturday throughout
almost the entire city area. Regional bus lines of the Verbundlinie
(http://www.verbundlinie.at) enable a trip to the surrounding towns.
By bicycle
The cycle path network in and around the city is well
developed. E-bike rental (http://www.velovital.com) is available for a
fee at the HERZ outdoor pool.
In the street
Parking: The inner
city area is a short-term parking zone free of charge, max. parking time
2 hours. The zone area is only signposted at the access roads. Outside
the short-term parking zones, there are plenty of other spacious parking
spaces available free of charge.
Rental cars and taxis
CityTaxi - Jagerhofer, Grazer Straße 18. Tel.: +43(0)664 3825462.
Taxi and rental car company Manfred Glatz, Neusafenauerstraße 60. Tel.:
+43(0)664 2200306.
Taxi company Rynesch Dominik, Wiener Straße 31.
Tel.: +43(0)664 1822211.
It is best to buy pumpkin seed oil and wine (Morillon, Schilcher) directly from the farmer.
Cheap
The Buschenschanken - the Styrian wine taverns - are only
open for a limited time a year. There is only wine from our own
production and cold dishes.
Postal, Ring. Wonderful view over
Hartberg.
Pusswald, Brühlgasse.
Rescuer Kneissl, Loffelbach.
In-house breeding of wool pigs.
Römerbuschenschank Pöltl, Schildbach,
near Villa Rustica.
Schmallegger, Kalvarienbergstrasse. organic wine.
Middle
Gasthaus zur Lebing Au
Gasthof zum Brauhaus Großschedl
Upscale
Hotel & Restaurant Pusswald, Grazer Straße 18. Tel.:
+43(0)3332 62584. Gault Millau 2 toques. Feature: ★★★★.
Evening
restaurant in the castle
From the discotheque to the dignified pub, there is something for
every taste.
Voodoo. Techno, House, Electro.
yoyo Disco-pub.
KMK. Hard rock alternative.
Chili. American cocktail bar.
Jon Cor.
Irish Pub.
NuChester. lounge bar
Cheap
1 campsite, Augasse 35. Tel.: +43(0)3332 603603.
Haus
Elfriede, Ring 282. Tel.: +43(0)3332 63430.
Oswald, Ring 272. Tel.:
+43(0)3332 63772.
Steiner, Ring 123. Tel.: +43(0)3332 65451.
2 The
Lind family, Pointstrasse 91, 8295 Eggendorf. Phone: +43(0)3332 64824.
Middle
3 Hotel Alter Hof, Herrengasse 4. Tel.: +43(0)3332 63356.
Feature: ★★★.
Schreiners Berghof, Ring 3. Tel.: +43(0)3332 62305.
Feature: ★★★.
Hotel Die Sonne, Hauptplatz 9. Tel.: +43(0)3332 62342.
Feature: ★★★.
Claddagh Ring, Ring 25. Tel: +43(0)676 6808422. Holiday
home.
Upscale
4 Hotel & Restaurant Pusswald, Grazer Straße 18.
Tel.: +43(0)3332 62584. Feature: ★★★★.
5 Ring Bio Hotel, Schildbach
51. Tel.: +43(0)3332 6080. Feature: ★★★★.
Tourism association Hartberg and surroundings, 8230 Hartberg,
Rochusplatz 3 (at the end of Wiener Straße near the city pond). Phone:
+43 (0)3332 665050, email: tourismus@hartberg.at. Open: Mon-Fri: 9am -
5pm, Sat: 9am - 1pm.
Post office, Fritz-Stachel-Platz 1. Open: Mon –
Fri 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hartberg is located on the eastern edge of the Styrian Joglland at
the transition to the East Styrian hill country. The city is located in
the east of Styria and is about 40 km north-east of the provincial
capital Graz.
The Hartberger Safen flows through the eastern part
of the city. Their tributaries drain the municipal area. The highest
point in Hartberg is the Ringkogel (789 m) in the northwest.
In
the south is the Natura 2000 European nature reserve Hartberger Gmoos.
The area around Hartberg was settled in prehistoric times, as
evidenced by a Neolithic settlement on the nearby Ringkogel. In the
Hallstatt and La Tène period there was a fortified Celtic hilltop
settlement on the Ringkogel. There are also traces of settlement
from Roman times, such as the Villa Rustica; Remains of Roman
buildings from the second century were also found under the town
parish church of Hartberg and the vicarage.
Hartberg was
planned and expanded from 1125 to 1128 by Margrave Leopold I of
Steyr. In 1286 the settlement was first mentioned as a town. The
Hungarian invasion of 1418, which was later reworded as a Turkish
invasion, also affected Hartberg. The town remained in the hands of
the sovereign until 1529, before it was sold to the then governor
Siegmund von Dietrichstein.
In 1469 the city was conquered by
insurgents under the imperial mercenary leader Andreas Baumkircher,
and a few years later it was devastated by the soldiers of the
Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus. In 1532 Turkish troops passed the
city but destroyed the suburbs. In 1605, the Haiducken
unsuccessfully besieged Hartberg; At that time, too, the suburbs
were burned again.
In 1715 the town burned down except for a
few houses.
In 1944, during the time of National Socialism, a
resistance group formed around the Wehrmacht deserter Gustav Pfeiler
in Hartberg, which hid in the mountains and was partly voluntarily
supported by farmers in the area with food and accommodation. In
March 1945, the approximately 40 members of the group became active
in the military. They were able to blow up three Fieseler Fi 156
aircraft and tried to arrest the Hartberg local group leader Erich
Heumann. They shot members of his family and seriously wounded him.
As a result, more and more people joined the group, but the SS also
used more and more men to pursue the group and arrested numerous
farmers in the area who were suspected of supporting the partisans.
On May 4, 1945, nine freedom fighters were shot dead after a
court-martial in the city park, and four more were hanged on the
main square. As the Red Army approached on May 7, 1945, SS units
took other partisan sympathizers with them as they retreated and
shot them on the way. These executions or murders claimed a total of
27 lives.
In 1946 a commemorative plaque for this group was
placed on the stretcher tower in the city park. A memorial stone in
the cemetery bears the unspecific inscription "In memory of the
victims of the last days of the war in 1945." The graves of the
resistance fighters were also adapted to those of the Wehrmacht
soldiers.
The population increased steadily from 1869 to 2001, with
particularly strong growth between 1869 and 1880 (+13.1%), 1880 and 1890
(+12.1%), 1900 and 1910 (again +12.1%, compared to only 2.0% in the
previous decade) and from 1939 to 1953 (+21.2%). Only from 1923 to 1934
was there a drop of 1.6%. The population has remained almost constant
since 2001, the negative birth balance is offset by a positive migration
balance.
religions
The inhabitants of Hartberg are
predominantly Roman Catholic (88.2%). The second largest religious
community is the Evangelical Church with 2.9%, closely followed by Islam
with 2.6%. Other religions score less than 1%. 4.1% have no religious
affiliation.
In addition to a Roman Catholic parish, Hartberg has
also been the seat of a Protestant parish since 1948.
A good half (51%) of the companies based there are active in the service sector (particularly personal, social and public services); over a third of the companies (37.3%) are trading companies. There are also technical service companies, construction companies and production companies in the fields of metal processing, textiles and carpets, plastics (manufacture of spectacle frames) as well as food and beverages. Tourism also plays an increasing role in summer.
Hartberg is on the A 2 south autobahn and thus on the main traffic
artery from Vienna to Graz. The city is also crossed by the B 54 Wechsel
Straße from Wiener Neustadt to Gleisdorf, which has lost its national
importance since the completion of the Süd Autobahn. The city is also
the starting point of the Burgenland Straße B 50, which leads via
Oberwart to the Hungarian border in the direction of Szombathely.
The Thermenbahn also connects Hartberg by rail with Vienna, Graz
(via Fehring) and Fürstenfeld with regional trains running every two
hours; however, the route is only of secondary importance compared to
the southern railway. Hartberg station is the third largest station in
the district after Fürstenfeld and Friedberg stations.
Graz
Airport is around 75 km away, Vienna Airport around 140 km away.
The district-wide published week - HBZ, the Hartberger district newspaper, as well as the small newspaper are represented with a regional office in Hartberg. From 2007 to December 2010, Radio Hartberg, a regional web radio, was online.
The local gymnastics and sports club (TSV) consists of the sections
women's gymnastics, men's gymnastics, judo, karate, athletics, modern
sports gymnastics, chess, skiing as well as the member clubs youth
sports, tennis, HCH (ice hockey), which has meanwhile merged with a Weiz
team to form the "Hartberg-Weiz gaming community", ballooning, football
and volleyball.
The club TSV Hartberg (football section) has been
playing in the Bundesliga, the highest Austrian level, since the 2018/19
season.
TSV Hartberg (Volleyball Section) is currently playing
with the women's team in the Austrian Volleyball Bundesliga and with the
men's team in the second division. The men's team has taken part in the
European Cup four times and won the Austrian Volleyball Cup in 2007 and
2013, while the women's team has already taken part in the European Cup
three times.
The local ice hockey club (HC Hartberg, also a
member of TSV) was the champion of the 2007/08 season in the Styrian
state league.
In addition to TSV, there are numerous other clubs
in Hartberg. Among other things, the curling club ESV Flugrad Hartberg
and the ice hockey club Naughty Dogs.
The Archery Club Hartberg
(BSC Edelweiss Hartberg) is also among the front runners in Austria and
around the world. This club has been in Hartberg for more than 20 years
and has won countless titles during this time. A total of 455 medals
have been won since 1984. Of these, 211 were gold, 139 silver and 105
bronze medals. Every year an international tournament or an Austrian
state championship is held in Hartberg. Training opportunities exist in
summer in Habersdorf and in winter in the training hall of HSVU
Edelweiss Hartberg.
As the district capital, Hartberg is the regional center and thus the
seat of offices, authorities and other public institutions.
town hall
office
District Authority
Tax office
surveying office
police
inspection
District offices of the chambers for agriculture and
forestry, workers and employees as well as the Chamber of Commerce
Labor Market Service
state hospital
Hartberg acts as a school town for the area. In the city there are two elementary schools and two new middle schools, which offer the main focus on sports, computer science and music. In addition, the grammar school in Hartberg includes a grammar school, a Realgymnasium, a Oberstufenrealgymnasium in the same school center there is also a Federal Educational Institute for Kindergarten Education, a Higher School for Economic Professions, a Technical School for Agriculture and Food Management in Hartberg, a Home Economics School, a Federal Commercial Academy and a Federal Commercial School. There is also a special education center and a music school. There is also a private school in the town of Hartberg, which consists of an elementary school and a secondary school and is located in the Hartberg eco-park.
The Ostösterreichische Grenzlandweg (Austrian long-distance hiking
trail 07) leads through the urban area of Hartberg, which in this
section runs parallel to the Styrian state circular hiking trail (local
trail number 950).
The local hiking trail no. 1 (marked blue and
white) leads around the town, here other local hiking trails, such as
trail variants to the Ringwarte, connect.
2004-2016 Karl Pack (ÖVP)
since 2016 Marcus Martschitsch (ÖVP)
The municipal council consists of 25 members and is composed as
follows according to the result of the municipal council elections of
March 22, 2015:
11 mandates of the ÖVP
6 mandates SPÖ
3
mandates FPÖ
4 mandates The Greens
1 NEOS mandate
In order
to secure the municipal council majority, the ÖVP formed a coalition
with the SPÖ. In March 2016, a group of four ÖVP local councilors left
the ÖVP local council club. They remained as free mandataries in the
municipal council. A local councilor from this group resigned in October
2016. The successor on the ÖVP list was again a member of the ÖVP
municipal council club.
In July 2015, an FPÖ local council
resigned from the party and has been a member of the ÖVP local council
club since 2016.
In January 2017, the SPÖ canceled the coalition
agreement with the ÖVP.
In April 2017, SPÖ, Die Grünen, FPÖ and
the three “free” ÖVP mandaters formed a coalition under the name “Future
Pact for Hartberg”, which has the majority with 15 mandates. The mayor
will continue to be provided by the ÖVP, since a two-thirds majority is
required to vote out.
In October 2017, the only municipal council
of NEOS resigned for professional reasons. No successor could be found
within the list for the vacant seat. Since November 20, 2017, only 24 of
the 25 municipal council seats have been occupied by municipal
councillors. Nine of them belong to the ÖVP, 15 are attributed to the
"Future Pact for Hartberg".
Blazon: "In a red shield crossed by a silver bar, the figure of Saint
Martin appears on a green ground, seated on a brown horse with a gray
bridle, walking to the left."
His head, with a full white beard,
is covered with a pointed brown hat adorned with an ermine cuff and
surrounded by a golden halo. His clothing consists of a red doublet,
trousers of the same kind, a green coat lined with yellow, and brown
boots with ermine tips.
The saint turns to a white-haired,
white-bearded beggar, dressed only in a brown cloak and a gray apron,
kneeling on his right knee beside the horse and raising his right hand.
The shield is surrounded by an ornamented steel-colored border.
Hartberg has been a member of Cittàslow since 2009, a movement founded in Italy in 1999 to slow down and improve the quality of life in cities.
1961: Tobias Udier (1911–1985), Deputy Governor
1971: Franz Weart
(1918–2009), deputy governor
Laurenz Pansipp (1752–1827), master stonemason
Karl von Culoz
(1785–1862), Feldzeugmeister and Theresa Knight
Josef Knar
(1800-1864), mathematician and university teacher
Othmar Rieger
(1904–1966), Germanist, teacher and poet
Erna Lesky (1911–1986),
medical historian
Othmar Meißl (1917-2008), businessman and
politician (FPÖ)
Alois Rechberger (1935–2009), politician
Grete
Walter-Klingenstein (born 1939), historian
Maria Hampel-Fuchs (*
1940), politician (ÖVP)
Siegfried Herrmann (born 1942), politician
Ulrike Truger (born 1948), sculptor
Linde Prelog (born 1949),
actress, author, songwriter and cabaret artist
Rudolf Gigler (born
1950), writer
Martin Loeschberger (born 1957), actor
Helmut Hirt
(born 1958), politician (SPÖ)
Johann Ertl (born 1959), politician
(FPÖ)
Erika Kronabitter (born 1959), writer and artist
Regina
Sackl (born 1959), alpine skier
Werner Kogler (born 1961), politician
(Greens)
Margret Almer (born 1962), yodeller and folk singer
Franz
Amtmann (born 1963), electrical engineer and inventor
Werner Herbert
(* 1963), police officer and politician (FPÖ)
Lisa Lercher (born
1965), author
Johannes Feichtinger (born 1967), historian
Wolfgang
Dolesch (* 1970), politician (SPÖ)
Sha. (b. 1972), artist
Claudia
Haagen-Schützenhöfer (* 1975), physics teacher
Karin Ammerer (born
1976), author of children's books
Marcus Pöttler (born 1977), writer
David Preiß (born 1978), football player and coach
Alexander Glehr
(born 1980), film producer
Carina Laschober-Luif (* 1981), politician
(ÖVP)
Jochen Pack (born 1981), politician (ÖVP)
Daniela Riedl
(born 1982), artist and musician
Jürgen Rindler (born 1986), soccer
goalkeeper
Christian Falk (born 1987), soccer player
Lukas
Schnitzer (born 1988), politician (ÖVP)
Wolfgang Waldl (born 1989),
soccer player
Jörg Wutzl (born 1989), beach volleyball player
Daniel Gremsl (born 1992), soccer player
Katharina Schützenhöfer
(born 1993), volleyball and beach volleyball player
Lucas Wabnig
(born 1995), soccer player
Manuel Pfeifer (born 1999), soccer player
Jonas Karner (born 2004), soccer player
Mariella El Sherif (born
2004), soccer player
Philip Wilhelm von Hornick (1640–1714), parish administrator from
1668 to 1672 in Hartberg
Matthias Macher (1793–1876), Austrian
physician and writer, lived in Hartberg from 1829 to 1850
Fritz Ries
(1907–1977), German industrialist, set up a carpet factory in Hartberg
in the early 1970s
Ludwig Hirsch (1946–2011), songwriter and actor
Friedrichario (1825-1903), lawyer and self-taught artist
Ernst
Vasovec (1917–1993), writer, lived in Hartberg from 1949 to 1964
Karl
Stull, from 1935 to 1945 district captain and district administrator