Jennersdorf is a district capital in southern Burgenland. The town of Jennersdorf also includes the towns of Henndorf, Grieselstein and Rax; as well as parts of the scattered settlements Laritzgraben and Rax-Bergen.
The first documentary mention as Janafalu took place in 1187 in a
bull by Pope Urban III. The name is derived from the Slovenian
"Ženavci", which can best be translated as "Frauendorf". Since there
was no “zs” (which corresponds to the Slovenian ž today) in
Hungarian, the sound was replaced by “gy” and the ending “-vci”
(“-dorf”) was replaced by the Hungarian “-falu” ("-Village").
The place was owned by the Szentgotthárd Monastery until 1848.
The place belonged, like the whole of Burgenland, to Hungary
(German-West Hungary) until 1920/21. From 1898 the Hungarian toponym
Gyanafalva had to be used due to the Hungarian government's policy
of Hungarianization.
After the end of the First World War,
after tough negotiations, German-West Hungary was awarded to Austria
in the Treaties of St. Germain and Trianon in 1919. The place has
belonged to the newly founded federal state of Burgenland since 1921
(see also the history of Burgenland).
In the last months of
the Second World War, Jennersdorf formed the V / 7-Jennersdorf
subsection of the southeast wall due to its geographical location.
In addition to the local population, Hungarian Jews who were housed
in various objects in the village itself and in the district of
Grieselstein were also used for its construction. Following the
outbreak of disease, there were several massacres that killed an
unknown number of slave laborers. After the war, the victims were
rescued by a Red Army commission and, in the 1960s, by Simon
Wiesenthal. After the failure of the Balaton offensive of the German
Wehrmacht, the Red Army occupied Jennersdorf, with violent fighting
in the area around the place.
Jennersdorf has been a district
suburb since 1921 and was elevated to a town in 1977. The city motto
is: "Jennersdorf, the city by the thermal baths."
By plane
Nearest airports with scheduled services in Graz
(approx. 80 km), Maribor (approx. 80 km) and Zagreb (approx. 150
km).
By train
Jennersdorf is located on the Styrian
Eastern Railway and is a stop for regional and long-distance trains
that run between Graz and Hungary. There are direct connections
among others with Graz, Gleisdorf, Feldbach, Szentgotthárd, Körmend
and Szombathely. The train station is located 200 m south of the
city center.
By road
Former Federal road B57
Oberwart-Güssing-Heiligenkreuz-Eltendorf-Jennersdorf-Fehring-Feldbach
Former Federal road B58 Jennersdorf-Bonisdorf-Slovenia
From Graz
or Vienna: Autobahn A2, exit 138 Ilz-Fürstenfeld, continue on the
319 to Fürstenfeld, then on the state roads via Loipersdorf and
Grieselstein.
From Hungary: trunk road F8 to the border, in
Heiligenkreuz turn left onto the L116.
By boat
The Raab is
accessible by canoe and paddle boat.
By bicycle
Jennersdorf is connected to the Raabtal cycle path.