Klosterneuburg lies between the eastern foothills of the Alps, the Vienna Woods and the Danube, where the Vienna Woods touch the Danube. Klosterneuburg has 25,042 residents with regular residence and 5,725 residents with additional residence. Klosterneuburg has 6 cadastral communities: Höflein, Kierling, Kritzendorf, Maria Gugging, Weidling and Weidlingbach. The highest point is the Exelberg at 515 m.
Klosterneuburg Abbey is the city's landmark and
main attraction. In the extensive complex, the Verdun Altar from
1181 is particularly noteworthy. The monastery was founded in the
12th century and shaped in its current form in the baroque era. With
the churches and high altars in the Baroque style, it is one of the
most important religious monuments in Austria. Information about
Klosterneuburg Abbey
Parish Church of St. Martin, Gothic building
with an archaeological memorial
Evangelical Church, built 1995
(architect Heinz Tesar)
Senfburg, Austria's first community
building, built in 1834.
Strombad Kritzendorf: The bathing
facility was built in the 1920s in a simple, functional style and
has been preserved to this day with the cabins and infrastructure
facilities (shops, bars). However, there is no longer an organized
swimming pool. See also activities.
Essl Museum: The museum with
one of the most important private collections of Austrian and
international art after 1945 and classical modern art by the Essl
family was opened in 1999. However, for economic reasons, it will
close on July 1, 2016 and the collection will be disbanded.
Museum of the Artists of Gugging - Art / Brut Center: The former
psychiatric hospital Gugging shows works of art created by patients.
Moravian-Silesian Museum of Local History in the Rostockvilla
Tutz column
Wienerwald-Heldendenkmal, a war memorial near the
Wiener Hameau in the district of Weidlingbach
Stauferstele
southwest of the monastery on Hohenstaufenplatz, donated on April
17, 2009 by the Kreissparkasse of the twin town of Göppingen.
Aupark with Liliputbahn
Klosterneuburg lido
Strombad Kritzendorf: Built in the 1920s in a simple, functional
style. The cabin structures and infrastructure facilities (shops,
bars) have been preserved to this day, but most of them are no
longer generally usable. Today there is no longer an organized
swimming pool. However, you can use the lawn for free. When swimming
in the Danube you have to watch out for the current. You walk a few
hundred meters upstream and then drift down. The Danube only reaches
pleasant bathing temperatures (rarely more than 22 °) after long
periods of heat and is then a special alternative to standing
bathing waters, which are no longer refreshing at 28-30 °. Swimming
in the main stream of the Danube is only recommended for experienced
swimmers. Because of the gravel on the bank, it is advisable to wear
rubber slippers. Risk of injury from sharp stones that are just
below the surface of the water and are not visible through the
cloudy water. There are no lifeguards!
Happyland leisure center:
athletics, soccer, tennis, swimming pool and much more.
Au adventure trail: the flora, fauna and natural
landscape of the Danube floodplains are explained at 16 stations
over 1.5 km.
Kritzendorf nature discovery trail
Riedenwanderweg Kritzendorf
There are some larger supermarkets in Klosterneuburg. Numerous winegrowers sell their wine in the bars (Heurigen) or directly from the farm. A well-stocked wine shop is the Augustiner Chorherrn Stiftes vinotheque at Rathausplatz 24.
By plane
Arrival from Vienna-Schwechat airport: By car via A4,
A23, A22, Nordbrücke, B14 (approx. One hour), publicly with S-Bahn
S7 to Wien-Mitte (Landstraße), then with the underground line U4 to
Heiligenstadt and from there with the S40 S-Bahn or one of the
regional buses; Travel time approx. 60-90 minutes, fare for three
zones at 2.20 euros.
With public transport
There are two
train stations in the city center of Klosterneuburg: 1 Weidling
(south of the city center) and 2 Kierling (north of the city center
- best access to the city square, monastery, LKH, lido and Essl art
museum). The Unter-Kritzendorf and Kritzendorf train stations
(access to the power pool) serve the Kritzendorf district, the
Höflein stop the district of the same name
The S-Bahn line
S40 stops at all four stations mentioned. It runs between Vienna
(Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, Spittelau, Heiligenstadt) and Tulln every
half hour during the day. Regional express trains from Vienna
(Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, Spittelau, Heiligenstadt) to the Waldviertel
and Krems do not stop in Klosterneuburg. If you are traveling by
train from there you have to change to the S40 in Tulln / Donau.
Only individual courses per day of the S40 go beyond Tulln to St.
Pölten. The free travel time with the S40 from the state capital to
Klosterneuburg takes almost two hours. It is much faster with a
regional express train and change at Tullnerfeld station or via
Vienna Meidling, with the U6 to Spittelau and then with the S40.
There are numerous regional bus connections from Vienna
(Heiligenstadt train station, 12.-Februar-Platz), which also open up
the more remote parts of the city as well as the neighboring
communities (e.g. Sankt-Andrä / Wierter). During the day you catch
one of these buses every 15 minutes at the Heiligenstadt station
forecourt; Travel time approx. 15 min.
Klosterneuburg is in
the first outer zone of the VOR, so for trips to / from Vienna by
public transport (whether bus or train), two zones have to be solved
(4.40 euros). Holders of a Vienna network card (zone 100) only have
to pay for one zone (2.20 euros).
By car
You can reach
Klosterneuburg by car from Vienna or Tulln via the B14, in both
cities you have a connection to the Austrian motorway network:
S5 Stockerauer Schnellstraße, symbol: AS 9 Tulln for the journey
from western Austria (via St. Pölten, Danube bridge Traismauer)
A22 Danube bank motorway, north bridge junction for the journey from
southern Austria or Hungary and Slovakia (via A23 Vienna south-east
bypass from A2 or A4)
By boat
A roller ferry crosses the
Danube between Klosterneuburg and Korneuburg; Cars, bicycles and
pedestrians can be taken along. Current information on ferry
operations can be found on 0664 215 54 43 or
http://www.donaurollfaehre.at/. Seasonally changing operating times
(approx. Sunrise to sunset), no operation during high water. Fares:
pedestrians 2.30 euros, bicycles 3.40 euros, motorcycles 4.20 euros,
cars 5.70 euros. The prices for vehicles also include the driver's
fare.
Private motorboats or yachts can moor in the Kuchelau
marina, in the 19th district of Vienna, approx. 200 m south of the
municipal border.
By bicycle
The Danube Cycle Path
Passau-Vienna leads along the Danube through Klosterneuburg.
Klosterneuburg can be reached in around an hour from both Tulln and
Vienna, without having to negotiate any significant inclines or
drive through heavy traffic.
Those who like it sportier can
also use some designated mountain bike trails through the Vienna
Woods.
On foot
Hikers can quickly reach Klosterneuburg
from Vienna via hiking trails over the Kahlengebirge (Dreimarkstein,
Herrmannskogel, Cobenzl, Kahlenberg, Leopoldsberg). The walking time
from Leopoldsberg (line 38A) to the monastery is about one hour,
from Salmannsdorf (35A) via Dreimarkstein just under three hours.
The city center is small enough to get around on foot. However,
there are some inclines to overcome between the Wienerwald slope and
the banks of the Danube. To the districts further in the Vienna
Woods (e.g. Weidlingbach, Scheiblingstein) great distances have to
be overcome from the city center. The city bus (see below) is often
not a viable option for this. A journey from Vienna (Neuwaldegg or
Sievering) can sometimes be a better option.
There are four
city bus routes that open up small areas of the city. All of these
four lines run on circular routes and are connected to Kierling
station. The regional bus routes that can be used to travel from
Vienna can also be used for city traffic. From Höflein via
Kritzendorf to Klosterneuburg, you can also take the rapid transit
train (line S40). Within the city area, the local tariff of 1.80
euros for a single trip or 3.60 euros for a day ticket also applies
in VOR.
Because of the hillside location of Klosterneuburg in
three valleys and the associated gradients, bicycles are a
comfortable option, mainly along the Danube, whereby cyclists,
especially on the winding Wienerwald roads (Exelberg,
Scheiblingstein, Weidlingbach), have good training conditions on
well-developed but relatively weak roads (many curves and
gradients).
There is a taxi stand in the center of the city.
City buses and regional buses on klosterneuburg.at:
https://www.klosterneuburg.at/en/The_City/Services/Traffic_Center/Bus
The earliest traces of human settlement in Klosterneuburg date back to the Neolithic period. Underground historical facilities under the city center are dated to the Neolithic or Roman times.
A first continuity of settlement developed only from the middle of the first century AD with the establishment of a Roman military camp for auxiliary troops, the westernmost of the province of Pannonia. Numerous archaeological excavations bear witness to the life of the Romans and the settlement of the square up to the 5th century; several theories have been developed in the past for the name of this castle, according to recent findings, this was "Arrianis".
After the final conquest of the Avar Empire by the Frankish Emperor
Charlemagne, a manor house with a St. Martin's Church was built in the
Omundesdorf of the Bavarian Ostland, which could possibly be today's
Klosterneuburg. A verifiable settlement of the plateau did not begin
again until the 11th century.
The oldest surviving written
mention as "Nivvenburc" (Neuenburg) dates from 1108. It can be found in
the tradition book of the monastery Klosterneuburg.
The city
became very important around 1113, when Margrave Leopold III and Agnes
of Waiblingen created a handsome residence here. They built a new
residence on the outskirts of the Upper Town, which corresponded in
layout and extent to the proper position of imperial princes. Agnes and
Leopold founded the monastery Klosterneuburg here, the foundation stone
for a new monumental collegiate church was laid in 1114. The church was
originally a college for secular canons and was not converted into an
Augustinian monastery until 1133. At that time, Neuburg already had the
expansion that it had maintained for centuries. The Danube posed a great
threat to the inhabitants of this settlement, but it was also their
lifeblood at the same time, since a large part of the trade goods were
transported by water. The frequent floods pushed the inhabitants beyond
the Danube more and more inland, so that at the beginning of the 13th
century the two districts had developed into Neuburg klosterhalben
(Klosterneuburg) and Neuburg markthalben (Korneuburg). This natural
division brought great difficulties for the inhabitants, which also did
not go unnoticed by Albrecht I, who had a new castle built as a
residence in Neuburg in 1288. In 1298, Albrecht I separated the two
halves of the city and granted Neuburg klosterhalben, the actually older
settlement core, a new town charter.
As part of the succession
battles between the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus and Emperor
Frederick III for the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Hungarian army commander
Tobias von Černahora conquered the city in April 1483, whereupon
Frederick III left Vienna and retreated to the safe Viennese Neustadt.
Ten days later, on May 5, Klosterneuburg became the first of the
conquered Austrian cities to receive confirmation of their privileges.
The poorly defended and therefore difficult to defend Lower Town
(today's town square and Martinsviertel) had to be repeatedly
surrendered to the enemy sieges. It was plundered and destroyed several
times, while the population went to the protection of the heavily
fortified Upper City. Especially during the Turkish sieges of 1529 and
1683. The fact that the city was able to hold out to the last in 1683,
despite its weak forces, and thus could form an important flank
protection during the advance of the allied Christian armies to the
relief of Vienna, was primarily the merit of two canons and the strong
solidarity between the monastery and the city.
In 1763 Wilhelm Rudolph Freiherr von Ripke founded the Klosterneuburg
shipyard, which was the first Austrian shipyard at all. In the 18th
century, Emperor Charles VI wanted to convert Klosterneuburg Abbey into
an Austrian escorial, i.e. a stately monastic residence. However, after
the death of Charles VI, the project came to a standstill and was worked
on more and more slowly in the following decades, until it was no longer
continued in 1842. Only one of a total of four planned courtyards and
only two of nine domes were completed. The latter can be seen from afar
and present the imperial crown and the Austrian Archduke's hat, which
symbolize the titles of the House of Habsburg.
In the years 1805
and 1809, the city was occupied by French troops, on December 20, 1805,
Napoleon I stayed briefly in the monastery of Klosterneuburg.
In
the middle of the 19th century, Klosterneuburg was still a
self-contained wine-growing town with almost 5,000 inhabitants. With the
expansion of transport links to Vienna, many Viennese officials and
workers chose Klosterneuburg as their new residence. From 1908 to 1919,
the electric trolleybus automobile company of the municipality of
Weidling, one of the first trolleybuses in Austria, also operated
between Klosterneuburg-Weidling station and the village of Weidling. In
the 1930s, Klosterneuburg already had over 15,000 inhabitants.
In
1924, there was a street fight between Nazi provocateurs and Social
Democratic workers, who held a sports festival, at which shots were
fired.
With the "annexation" to the German Reich in 1938, not only Austria lost its independence, Klosterneuburg also lost its independence. The city was incorporated into Greater Vienna on 15 October 1938 and, together with the towns of Gugging, Kierling, Höflein an der Donau, Kritzendorf, Weidling and Weidlingbach, formed the 26th municipal district of Vienna.
In July 1946, the National Council decided to return Klosterneuburg
and a further 79 municipalities to Lower Austria. However, the Allied
Council refused to approve this law for years, so that the reintegration
could not be completed until September 1, 1954. The entire area of the
formerly independent municipalities of Gugging, Kierling, Höflein,
Kritzendorf, Weidling and Weidlingbach before October 15, 1938 were
incorporated into the re-established municipality of Klosterneuburg.
This made Klosterneuburg the (today) third largest city in Lower
Austria.
With the reorganization, Klosterneuburg became part of
the district of Wien-Umgebung (WU), from 1991 until its dissolution on
December 31, 2016, it was the seat of the district headquarters.
The plan to dissolve the WU district was announced in September 2015.
Klosterneuburg has been part of the Tulln district since January 1,
2017, as it was already the case until 1938. However, since this was
controversial, further options, such as obtaining a separate city
statute or incorporation into Vienna, were discussed as further options.
On July 1, 2016, the municipal council decided to integrate it into the
Tulln district, on the condition that Klosterneuburg will receive its
own branch of the district headquarters. This branch has been located
since 1. January 2017 in the building of the former district
headquarters in Leopoldstraße.
Required by a municipal council
decision of December 2017, approved by the Ministry of Transport in
December 2019, the new license plate "KG" for Klosterneuburg has been
assigned to new vehicle registrations since April 2020, previous ones
(WU and TU) on request. The reason for the introduction is the
simplification of monitoring for parking management with privileges for
residents of the municipality.
Klosterneuburg is located on the right bank of the Danube, which flows here in a right turn initially to the east and later to the south, and immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and the Leopoldsberg. It has been separated from its sister city Korneuburg on the left bank by the Danube since the late Middle Ages. Part of the municipal area is protected as the Eichenhain Nature Park. To the south and west of the main town, the municipality has a share in the Vienna Woods. Here, in the extreme south of the municipal area, is the Exelberg, with 516 m above sea level. A. the highest point of the city. The lowest point at 161 m is in the Schüttau at the outflow of the Danube towards Vienna. In the east, the course of the Danube is also part of the municipal area, since the municipal border runs along the left bank of the river. Furthermore, due to the regulation of the Danube, small strips on the left bank and the northernmost part of the Danube Island, including the inlet structure, are located within the municipal boundaries.
The municipal area includes seven localities (population as of
January 1, 2023 in brackets):
Höflein an der Donau (802)
Kierling
(3158)
Klosterneuburg (16,259)
Kritzendorf (2652)
Maria Gugging
(1404)
Weidling (3302)
Weidlingbach (530)
The municipality
consists of seven cadastral municipalities (area as of December 31,
2019):
Gugging (450.70 ha)
Höflein on the Danube (391.00 ha)
Kierling (1,144.33 ha)
Klosterneuburg (1400.99 ha)
Kritzendorf
(1,066.64 ha)
Weidling (1,453.48 ha)
Weidlingbach (1,712.69 ha)