Waidhofen an der Ybbs is a small, old industrial town with around 12,000 inhabitants in the Lower Austrian Alpine foothills near the border with Upper Austria. The town's iron processing companies were mentioned as early as 1316 and, due to its proximity to the Erzberg in Styria, iron processing was the town's main source of income until the 20th century.
The town impresses with its medieval townscape (city of towers)
and the well-preserved fortifications.
City fortification
Waidhofen an der Ybbs: The city center of Waidhofen has a remarkably
closed historical building stock. The core of the residential
buildings in the inner city area is late medieval. In many houses
there are therefore Gothic courtyards with arcades. Most of the
facades were created from the beginning of the 19th century and
mostly belong to the Biedermeier, Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque
styles. Only remnants of the medieval fortifications are still
preserved, for example the walls around the parish church with the
tower of the former armory. In addition to the Ybbstor, described
below, there is also the historically altered Müllnerturm and the
Lachenturm, which has been adapted as a residential building. With a
little intuition, following the course of the street, you can also
discover the Eckelturm integrated into a house. You have a good
overview of the city from the Heimkehrerkreuz on the Krautberg.
Catholic parish church Waidhofen an der Ybbs Hll. Maria Magdalena
and Lambert: The late Gothic three-aisled hall church was built in
1470–1510 in place of a Romanesque predecessor church. The filigree
net, ribbed and spandrel vaults rest on slender octagonal pillars.
The galleries were built in the Baroque (1680) or in the Neo-Gothic
(1879–1881) to offer more space. The richly decorated baroque Lady
Chapel (1715) is attached to the side. The most important piece of
the interior is the striking late Gothic winged altar (around 1500),
which was taken over from the Bürgerspitalkirche in 1935. The most
valuable sculpture in the church is the late Gothic statue of St.
Leonhard (around 1500). Also noteworthy are two pictures of the two
church patrons, created by Martin Johann Schmidt (known as Kremser
Schmidt), an important Austrian baroque painter: St. Maria Magdalena
(1762) and St. Bishop Lambert (1779–1781). Another historical detail
is the church gate: this comes entirely, i.e. wood including the
fittings, from the time it was built. The church tower is
essentially Romanesque, but was redesigned in 1689 in Baroque style
through a redesign of the tower facade and an increase in the bell
storey.
Waidhofen’s most valuable work of art is not housed in
the church, but well secured in the parsonage: the Gothic knife
monstrance (created in Freising 1469–1472), which was given to the
parish by the wealthy knife guild. It can usually only be seen
during the Corpus Christi procession, where the 1.05 m high and 6 kg
heavy piece is ceremoniously carried through the city.
Kirchhof:
The cemetery was located around the parish church until 1542, which
was subsequently relocated to the location of today's Schillerpark.
This cemetery was closed in 1887 and the new cemetery opened at its
current location (Pocksteinerallee / Friedhofstrasse).
Former
armory, also called Lutherturm: Today this building is mostly
referred to as the Boy Scout Tower because the home of this youth
organization is located inside. The late Gothic three-quarter round
tower with an attached rectangular building was built at the turn of
the 15th and 16th centuries. At first the building was used as a
chapel, later it was used as an armory and today the holy grave with
a baroque, carved and gilded crucifixion group is housed in the
basement.
Rothschildschloss or Schloss Waidhofen: It is named after the
most important former owner, the banker Albert Salomon Anselm
Freiherr von Rothschild (1844–1910). From 1875 to 1938, the estate
administration of the extensive Rothschild lands in the region was
established here. The first castle on this site dates from the 12th
century. From 1365 it was the seat of the Freisingischen Pfleger
(Vögte) and thus the administrative center. Today's keep was built
around 1400. In 1881 there was a profound, high-quality neo-Gothic
redesign, albeit with extensive loss of medieval building fabric, by
the builder of the Vienna City Hall and Vienna cathedral master
builder Friedrich von Schmidt (1825-1891). The architect Hans
Hollein carried out a redesign in 2006/2007, who achieved a new
interpretation that was noticed but controversial among the
Waidhofner population with several additions that clearly stood out
from the existing building fabric through the use of modern
materials. In 2007, the castle and St. Peter in der Au Castle hosted
the Lower Austrian State Exhibition. Today the castle houses the
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museum" alongside various other facilities in the city.
City
tower: The landmark of the city, the mighty, square tower, has to be
climbed. With the booty from the expulsion of the Turkish troops
(1532), the tower was raised to 50 m in 1535–1542. However, the view
that the tower was built as a symbol of victory over the Turks
cannot be substantiated, as the well-known inscription from 1932
suggests. One of the four clocks always shows a quarter to twelve,
not because of a technical problem, but to announce the hour of
legendary victory.
Citizens Hospital Church and Former Citizens
Hospital: Originally it was the church of the hospital founded in
1274 in front of the city wall (asylum for the poor and elderly).
The current two-aisled building with a polygonal choir and diamond
vault dates from the middle of the 15th century and is thus the
second late Gothic church in the old town. The stone pulpit and a
statue of the Virgin Mary date from the time it was built; the
renovated late Gothic fresco cycle is also of interest. From the
outside, the baroque tower (1777) is particularly striking. Since
2005, the church, which is owned by the city, has been shared by
Catholics and Protestants. The Bürgerspital has been the spiritual
center of the Order of St. John in Austria since 2010. Since 2015,
the Bürgerspital has been the seat of the Lower Austria Sub-Coming
of the Austrian Coming of the Order of St. John.
Ybbsturm with
city gate: On the only surviving medieval gate tower of the city
fortifications there is an inscription with the motto of the city:
Ferrum chalybsque urbis nutrimenta. “Iron and steel feed the city.”
The facade was redesigned several times in the 19th century.
Marian column: In the course of the Counter-Reformation under Pastor
Pocksteiner in 1665 the baroque Marian column was erected on the
site of the pillory.
Klosterkirche (formerly Capuchin Church):
The Capuchins, who were called to Waidhofen in 1663, were an
essential support for the Counter-Reformation. The simple hall
church was built in 1644–1652 in front of the city wall. A late
Gothic Madonna (around 1520) is remarkable inside. The youngest part
of the church is the simple main facade (1833-1834) with a stone
relief Pietà from the time after the Second World War. In the past,
the monastery church was shaped by the Konvikt, the school and
student church in Waidhofen. This tradition is still maintained by
the Catholic-Austrian student union Norika in the MKV, who celebrate
mass there several times during the semester together with other
visitors to the fair.
Schloss Zell an der Ybbs: The Hotel Schloss
an der Eisenstrasse was the former administrative seat of the Gleiß
rulers and was built in the early baroque style when the importance
of the market in Zell, which they owned, increased due to its
favorable location next to Waidhofen.
City Hall: This building
consists of several Gothic houses under a uniform exterior facade, a
legacy from the Nazi era (1942). In 1994 the interior was redesigned
to uncover and incorporate the mediaeval building fabric (e.g. the
Gothic arcade courtyard). The exterior, familiar for the Waidhofner,
in this architecturally sensitive area of the old town remained
untouched.
Schwarzbach Viaduct of the Ybbstalbahn: This bridge
leading past the city center and spanning the Schwarzbach valley is
also the largest bridge structure on the Ybbstalbahn. It was built
in 1896 as a “fish belly construction” using steel lattice
construction.
Zeller Hochbrücke: When the simple footbridge that crossed the
deep cut of the Ybbs between Waidhofen and Zell was once again very
dilapidated, in 1898 the then poor Markt Zell decided to find a
sustainable solution to the problem: without any support from the
city administration The first flood-proof Ybbs bridge in the area
was built in just one year. The project was carried out as a
reinforced concrete structure based on the Monier system, with a
slim, 42 m long arch spanning the Ybbs.
Catholic parish church
Konradsheim hl. Nicholas
Catholic parish church St. Georgen in
der Klaus
Catholic parish church St. Leonhard am Wald
Catholic
parish church Windhag hl. Nicholas
Catholic parish church Zell an
der Ybbs hl. Florian
Museums and permanent exhibitions
In
the 5e Museum, which was opened in 2008 (named after the five
classical Chinese elements), visitors are brought closer to the
history of Waidhofen by working on the themes of fire, water, earth,
wood and metal. The 500 most interesting exhibits of the museum
association, which draws from a fund of over 8000 objects, are
shown. In addition, 50 experiments provide insights into scientific
contexts.
The private rural folklore collection Piaty is set
up on the upper floor of the pastry shop of the same name. 2500
exhibits from the Waidhofen area can be viewed, including a mountain
farmer's parlor from 1614.
A tour of the museum's Schwellöd
power station on the Ybbs River takes you back to the pioneering
days of electrical energy generation. A jump into the present of the
energy supply follows immediately afterwards, with a visit to the
new Ybbs power plant of EVN built next door.
Culture city
Waidhofen
Waidhofen was awarded the title “City of Culture” in
1992 by the state of Lower Austria.
Waidhofen has three event
centers: Castle Center, City Hall and Home Hall. A varied program of
events with classical music, cabaret and concerts of contemporary
music from pop to jazz is offered all year round.
The
Waidhofen Chamber Music Orchestra, an amateur orchestra founded in
1972, mainly performs classical and romantic works. The music school
in Waidhofen, one of the largest in Lower Austria, forms the basis
of musical training.
The Pendel gallery positioned itself in
the visual arts sector. It presents the works of visual artists from
the region, but also international contemporary artists. Under the
motto "raumimpuls" there are also regular exhibitions in the
multifunctional hall, which the architect Ernst Beneder realized for
the Waidhofner Museum on the upper town square.
The amateur
theater association Waidhofner Volksbühne performs on summer
evenings in the arcade courtyard of the Rothschild Castle. There are
also plays in the town hall in spring (every two years) and in
autumn. With the modern Plenker Hall in the school center, Waidhofen
also has a professional stage for concerts and theater events.
Activities
In the immediate vicinity of Waidhofen is the
Forsteralm ski area.
By train
By train every hour from Amstetten. International
trains don't always stop in Amstetten.
By road
You can
reach Waidhofen by car via the A1 (Westautobahn) exit Amstetten West
and continue on the federal road 121.
Name
The origin of the name is uncertain. According to old
tradition, it is derived from a Waidhof (i.e. hunting seat) owned by
the Bishop of Freising. A more recent theory assumes a connection
between the name and pasture farming.
Middle age
In 1033
the possessions of the Freising diocese in the area of the lower
Ybbstal, which had existed since 955, were extended to the Styrian
border by donations from Emperor Konrad II (990-1039). The first
mention of the name Waidhouen and a capella (pastoral care office)
is in 1186 in a confirmation document from Pope Urban III.
(1120-1187). In 1215 the term forum (market, business location) is
used for Waidhofen for the first time.
The importance of the
castle, which was built in the 12th century, was initially very low,
as the administrative seat for the Freising areas in the upper
Ybbstal was Konradsheim Castle (3 km from the city center). Since
the Freising Vogt Konrad II. Count von Peilstein († 1195), who
himself owned large areas in what is now Lower Austria, built this
castle without the permission of the lender, a lawsuit that lasted
generations broke out, which only began with the extinction of the
Peilsteiners (or one of the last Sideline) ended in 1218 with the
relapse of all Freising possessions.
In the decades that
followed, the city was first fortified and expanded as planned on
the strategically favorable terrace at the confluence of the Ybbs
and Schwarzbach rivers. Waidhofen does not have a town census
document, but it is referred to as civitas (town) for the first time
in a document as early as 1273. Since then, the typical layout of
the two parallel city squares has also existed at different heights.
In the course of a dispute between the Habsburg Duke Rudolf IV
(1339–1365) and the Hochstift Freising, Konradsheim Castle and the
city were occupied in 1360. The castle was demolished under
circumstances that were not exactly clarified, which is why, after
the conclusion of peace five years later, the already quite
important Waidhofen became the seat of the Freising keepers and thus
the regional jurisdiction.
The Bishop of Freising, Berthold
von Wehingen, who was also Chancellor of Austria, had the city's
defense system thoroughly modernized between 1390 and 1410
(including the construction of 13 towers along the walls).
Iron processing center
Iron ore mining began on the Styrian
Erzberg in the 12th century. In Waidhofen, at the intersection of
two trade routes (from the Ybbstal and from Weyer im Ennstal), the
first blacksmiths developed quickly. In 1236 the minstrel Neidhart
von Reuenthal celebrated the quality of a Waidhofner sword.
Eisenwurzen as a decentralized - but well-organized - economic area
did not emerge until the late Middle Ages. At that time 10% of
European iron production was handled in this region, and around the
middle of the 16th century even 20%.
Along with Steyr,
Waidhofen became the most important iron processing center. At the
time of its heyday in the 14th and 15th centuries, 200 blacksmiths
from different sectors were active in the city and not only traded
in the products throughout the Habsburg Empire, but also exported
them via Venice to the Middle East. The Waidhofen motto comes from
this time: Ferrum chalybsque urbis nutrimenta, German "Iron and
steel feed the city". The late Gothic parish church and the unique
knife monstrance are signs of the prosperity of this time.
Hungarians and Turks
Numerous dangers threatened the city over
the centuries: The Hungarians fought in vain in front of the city
walls and then tried to force Waidhofen to its knees through a
siege, but this was caused by the surprising death of the Hungarian
king Matthias Corvinus (1443 - 1490). was prevented.
The most
striking event in the city's history took place in 1532: after the
first Turkish siege of Vienna (1529), mounted, lightly armed
auxiliary troops (Akıncı) marched through Lower Austria as runners
and burners and devastated the country in a kind of terror war. The
500 armed men Waidhofen was able to muster succeeded in driving the
enemy to flight in three casualties without any significant
fighting. They had to leave rich booty behind, as well as their
prisoners, most of which had been murdered by them beforehand: 339
civilians were killed in this way. Thanks to funds from the “Turk
Treasure”, the city tower was increased to 50 m. In Waidhofen
historiography, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries,
this event was stylized as a heroic test of Waidhofen.
Decline in the 16th century
In the 16th century there was an economic decline of the city,
which was mainly based on the preference of the princely city of
Steyr by Emperor Maximilian I (* 1459; † 1519) in the tough
competition for metal processing. Serious city fires and pests are
also reported from this time.
The greatest catastrophe in
Waidhofen developed in the course of the Reformation: In line with
the extensive trade relations, numerous young Waidhofers were
enrolled at the University of Wittenberg in Saxony. One of them, the
playwright Paul Rebhun, even became a close associate of Martin
Luther. The new ideas quickly gained a foothold in Waidhofen and at
the end of the 16th century the city was largely Protestant. At the
same time the city acted as de facto independent of Freising. Using
the burgeoning Counter-Reformation, the bishop succeeded in getting
the sovereign on his side and in 1587/88 the entire Protestant city
council was deposed by an imperial commission and expelled from the
country. The town clerk Wolf Ebenperger, leader of the Protestant
community, was imprisoned in the castle tower under miserable
conditions, where he died after two years. Especially around 1600,
the recatholicization was uncompromisingly enforced by the Freising
carers and many blacksmith families emigrated to Protestant areas.
Almost half of the houses were empty. The crisis was lasting: 100
years later, 87 houses in Waidhofen were uninhabited.
Counter-Reformation and heyday of the 18th century
In the 17th
century Waidhofen was looked after by several pastors, under whose
work there was an inner renewal of the social life of the city.
Bernhard and Augustin Pocksteiner were of outstanding importance.
Construction projects from this time are the Baroque transformation
of the hospital church, the parish church, the extension of the
Marienkapelle and the erection of the Marian column. In economic
terms, too, things went uphill again with the introduction of the
water-powered forge hammers, the switch to scythe production and the
permanent inclusion of Waidhofen in the food production for the
Erzberg. In the heyday of the 18th century, 360,000 scythes and
200,000 sickles were produced annually.
Crisis, anti-Semitism
and reorientation in the 19th and 20th centuries
In 1786 the
function of the city judge as the highest representative of the city
was replaced by the office of mayor. In 1803 Freising's reign ended
and “Bayrisch Waidhofen” became part of the Habsburg family.
The 19th century brought hard times for Waidhofen: In 1809, 40,000
French soldiers had to be cared for by the population of Waidhofen
for eight months. After the French Wars, the developing economic
crisis hit the scythe trade existentially. And finally, from 1860
onwards, industrialization led to the disappearance of the small
iron industry with the switch to mineral coal instead of charcoal,
steam engines instead of water power and the construction of
railways that disadvantaged valleys off the main transport routes.
Despite some rescue attempts, such as the opening of a teaching and
research institute for metal processing (1890) and the construction
of the narrow-gauge Ybbstalbahn (1896–1899), the future belonged to
large companies such as the Böhler works.
In the 19th
century, the fortifications fell into disrepair and were finally
razed to make way for the growing city. In 1868 the district
administration was relocated to the prosperous Amstetten; as
compensation, Waidhofen became an autonomous city with its own
statute. The Kronprinz-Rudolfs-Bahn was opened in 1872, thus
connecting Waidhofen to the monarchy's railway network. Waidhofen
was then able to achieve a certain importance in tourism as a summer
resort. The liberal mayor Theodor Freiherr von Plenker (in office
from 1894 to 1911) made great contributions to the reorientation of
the city.
Due to the decline of the iron industry in the Eisenwurzen at the
end of the 19th century, the entire region became impoverished. The
Rothschild family became the largest landowners in Lower Austria in
the Waidhofen and Gaming area, built up Waidhofen Castle and
financed infrastructure, school and cultural projects. In addition,
they became the initiators of tourism in the region through hiking
tours, skiing and cycling tours. Despite this commitment and the
renewed blossoming of the region, especially Waidhofen, which had
fallen behind the growing railway town of Amstetten, the region
became a model region for anti-Semitism in Austria.
On May
24, 1890, the anti-Semitic Waidhofner Association of the defensive
associations of German students in the Ostmark was founded in
Waidhofen, the local German national-minded gymnasts, singers and
innkeepers met to implement Georg von Schönerer's racist program in
their statutes. In 1893 they passed the Waidhofner resolution, with
which all Jewish professors and students were to be excluded from
the connections involved. In 1896 the Waidhofen principle was
enshrined, according to which "Jewish students are dishonorable and
lacking in character and devoid of any honor and consequently no
satisfaction is to be given to them". To be Mr. Waidhofner as a
middle school pupil, student or old man was considered an
anti-Semitic trademark. Theodor Herzl, who is generally considered
to be the founder of Zionism, was originally a German national
fraternity. Only when he was expelled from his association because
of the Waidhofen resolution did he begin to campaign for the Jewish
nation and vehemently demand the establishment of a Jewish state in
Israel. He expressed this view in 1896 in his book "Der Judenstaat".
In July 1919, workers from the Ybbstal marched to Waidhofner
Rathaus and demanded the expulsion of all Jews from the city, then
to the Bundeskonvikt, where they demanded the dismissal of all
Jewish schoolgirls, and then to the Jewish businessmen and the
Rothschild Castle. This Waidhofner event was propagated as a model
for all of Austria.
In the 20th century, Waidhofen also
gained supraregional importance as a school town. In 1972 the large
community of Waidhofen was established, which meant a doubling of
the population and a multiplication of the area. Thanks to several
successful medium-sized companies, Waidhofen has been able to detach
itself somewhat from the economic stagnation in the upper Ybbstal in
the last few decades. In the last few decades tourism has also
played an increasingly important role. In 2018, a plan of measures
to regenerate the town center last affected by vacancies and
business closings was adopted.