Wiener Neustadt, the largest city and the economic center of the industrial quarter, is about 40 km south of Vienna at 265 m above sea level and has almost 40,000 inhabitants. The city is simply called "Neustadt" (in dialect: Neistott) by the local population. The city is a supraregional center for southern Lower Austria and northern Burgenland, an important industrial center, transport hub, shopping and school town. Wiener Neustadt is the eleventh largest city in Austria.
Districts
The statutory city of Wiener Neustadt is divided
into a total of eight city districts:
Inner city
Hungarian
Quarter
Gymelsdorf suburb
Ten quarters
Airfield
Josefstadt
Civitas Nova
Heather settlement/ Heideansiedlung
There were plans in the 1970s and 1980s to incorporate numerous
neighboring communities into Wiener Neustadt. But that didn't
happen. Thus, the urban area of Wiener Neustadt no longer includes
any other localities, the development continues in part across the
municipal boundaries.
Background
History
In 1192 the
city was founded by Duke Leopold V of Babenberg as a bulwark to
secure the border to the south and east. Much of the ransom for King
Richard the Lionheart was used to build it. In the 15th century the
city was the residence of Emperor Friedrich III. and in 1459 Emperor
Maximilian I was born here. Conquered by the Hungarian king Matthias
Corvinus in 1487, Maximilian was only able to recapture the fortress
in 1490. As a result, the city lost its importance, but proved to be
a valuable fortress against the advancing Ottomans. In 1752 the
"Theresian Military Academy" founded by Maria Theresa was opened in
the rooms of the imperial castle, which still trains officers for
the Austrian Armed Forces. In 1909 Wiener Neustadt received the
first airfield in Austria, which is still used by the military
today.
Due to the great importance of the city in rail
traffic and the armaments industry, Wiener Neustadt was the target
of numerous Allied bombings between 1942 and 1945. The city was
almost completely destroyed.
Name
When the city was
founded in 1192, the appropriate name for a new establishment was
also given: Neustadt. As a result, the city was referred to as
Neustadt bei Wien to distinguish it from other new towns. The name
Wiener Neustadt became established in the 18th century (see also
Wiener Neudorf).
The castle in Wiener Neustadt is known today as the seat of the
Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt. The first castle in
Wiener Neustadt was built in 1193/94, at the same time as the city
wall of Wiener Neustadt was being built. They were paid from Richard
the Lionheart's ransom demands. This castle is said to have stood on
the northeast corner of the city, but there is no archaeological
evidence for this.
However, when this became too small, the
newer castle was built on its current location by the Babenberg Duke
Leopold VI, the glorious at the beginning of the 13th century. Since
the area is quite swampy, it was built on wooden pilots. Under Duke
Friedrich II the Arguable, it was finally surrounded by a moat,
outer walls and corner towers.
In 1246 the Battle of the
Leitha took place east of the castle, in which Frederick II was
killed. A memorial on Pöttschinger Strasse still reminds of this.
The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1260. However, the
wall was torn down again in 1253 under Ottokar II and rebuilt
towards the end of the 13th century.
The castle collapsed in
an earthquake in 1348. This led to an enlarged new building under
the Habsburg Duke Leopold III, which began in 1378. On the terrace
that was built above the crypt chapel by Leopold IV, Peter von
Pusika built the Divine Corpus Christi chapel on behalf of Duke
Ernst and later the St. George's Chapel in the newly created west
wing on behalf of Emperor Friedrich III. In many places you can
still find the inscription A.E.I.O.U., which refers to Friedrich
III. going back.
When Friedrich III. refused to release
Ladislaus Postumus from his guardianship, this led to a siege of the
manor by the estates with an army of 16,000 men as a result of the
Mailberger Bund. Friedrich released his ward only after negotiations
and subsequently founded the Order of St. George, to which he made
the castle available as a seat. However, the seat was repealed in
1598.
In 1486 there was another siege by Matthias Corvinus,
which ended after two years with the defenders giving up. After the
death of Corvinus, the occupying troops were driven out of the
castle and town.
Under Emperor Maximilian I, the castle lost
the status of a permanent residence and only a hermitage of the
emperor was created. Emperor Maximilian is buried in the St.
George's Chapel.
In 1521 Archduke Ferdinand, who later became
Emperor Ferdinand I, withdrew to the castle due to the resistance of
the Protestant class. As a result, however, the Vienna city
government was arrested and executed here on the basis of the Wiener
Neustädter blood court.
But other well-known personalities
were also imprisoned in the castle tower, the Rákócziturm, which was
adapted as a state prison, such as Franz Rákóczi or Count Peter
Zrin.
During the first Turkish siege of Vienna in 1529, the castle was
attacked but not taken. During the Second in 1683 she was not
attacked. In the meantime, however, fires in 1608 and 1616 wreaked
havoc.
In 1743 1400 French prisoners of war were housed in
the castle. A little later, a plague-like epidemic broke out,
claiming many victims. Because of the risk of infection, the castle
remained closed for two years after the survivors had left. After
that it was hardly used and was neglected.
In 1752 the
Theresian Military Academy was established in the castle. Numerous
modifications had to be carried out for this purpose. This was
carried out by the Viennese master builder Matthias Gerl.
A
severe earthquake in 1768 caused major damage again, making the
building uninhabitable. Three of the four towers had to be removed.
New imperial rooms were set up in the east wing. The main staircase
was drawn in in place of the Corpus Christi chapel.
After the
end of the First World War, the military academy was closed, but
reopened in 1934.
Towards the end of the Second World War in
1945, the castle was almost completely destroyed by aerial bombs,
fires and looting. The castle was set on fire and burned down
completely in almost 14 days in April and May 1945. The remaining
ruins were restored to their historical form during the
reconstruction between 1946 and 1959. As far as this was possible,
the historical foundation walls were left, but the room layout
inside was adapted to meet the times. The military academy was able
to resume operations in 1958.
The castle, which was always
owned by the rulers, is now owned by the Republic of Austria.
The seven wonders of Wiener Neustadt
As a reference to the
Seven Wonders of the World, they are intended to point out seven
special features that existed in the history of the city of Wiener
Neustadt and some still exist today. See also Wikipedia: The seven
wonders of Wiener Neustadt
The fluctuating ground: The city
was founded in 1194 because of its outstanding strategic position on
extremely swampy ("fluctuating") ground.
The lettuce that grows
on the trees: To secure the swampy ground, wooden stakes were driven
into the ground. The gardener's lettuce literally grew "on the
trees".
The house without a nail was supposedly built without a
single nail and was located at the Wiener Tor; it was demolished in
the 19th century.
The grave between heaven and earth: Emperor
Maximilian (1459-1519) decreed in his will that he would like to be
buried in Wiener Neustadt (instead of Innsbruck). The church in the
castle, St. George's Cathedral, is located on the first floor, thus
also the grave "between heaven and earth".
The church, under
which a hay cart can pass: The St. George's Cathedral, already
mentioned in the previous miracle, is located above the main gate of
the castle.
The church under the bridge: The two towers of the
cathedral were connected by a bridge, but it was destroyed in a fire
in 1834.
Two brooks that flow over each other: the Wiener
Neustädter Canal once began in Vienna (today in Laxenburg) and led
to Wiener Neustadt. In the urban area, the canal crosses the Warme
Fischa on a bridge and a few hundred meters further south also the
Kehrbach.
By plane
The Wiener Neustadt Ost airfield (LOAN, Wiener Straße
120) has a 1,067 m long asphalt runway, but there are no scheduled
flights to it. Arrivals and departures are only possible under
visual flight conditions, the usual operating times are from 9:00
a.m. to 10:00 p.m. local time.
The Wiener Neustadt West airfield
(LOXN, Flugfeldgürtel 19) is used exclusively for military purposes.
The closest airport with scheduled service is Vienna Schwechat, the
best way to get there by public transport is by Railjet or ICE to
Vienna Meidling and from there by express train, regional train or
S-Bahn.
Other airports are in Bratislava (approx. 90 km) and Graz
(approx. 130 km).
By train
All international trains on the
southern route (Vienna - Graz / Villach) stop in Wiener Neustadt
Hauptbahnhof, the journey time from Vienna Hauptbahnhof is approx.
30 minutes, from Graz approx. 2 hours and from Klagenfurt approx. 3
hours.
From Vienna you can take the S-Bahn (e.g. from
Floridsdorf, Praterstern, Wien-Mitte, Hauptbahnhof, Meidling) to
Wiener Neustadt. Since the S-Bahn stops everywhere, the journey time
from Vienna Central Station is about an hour. S-Bahn trains also
stop in Wiener Neustadt Nord (S1, S2, S3) and Wiener Neustadt
Civitas Nova (S60).
There are regional trains from Vienna (via
Mödling and Baden or via Ebreichsdorf and Pottendorf), Gloggnitz
(via Ternitz and Neunkirchen), Hartberg and Sopron (via
Mattersburg).
By car
Wiener Neustadt can be reached by car
via the A2 (Südautobahn) from Vienna in just under 30 minutes, exit
39 Wöllersdorf. From Graz you also follow the A2 (approx. 1:15
hours) to the Wiener Neustadt West exit. From Sopron it is best to
drive via Eisenstadt and Mattersburg (B16-S31-S4) to the Wiener
Neustadt Süd exit. Parking spaces in the city center are short-term
parking zones, but there are some parking garages.
By bicycle
From Vienna, you can cycle along the Wiener Neustädter Canal
(approx. 50 km, little traffic, slight inclines).
Around the city
Wiener Neustädter Hauptbahnhof is the starting point for many regional train lines and a stop for all long-distance and local trains. All city bus routes of the WNSKS (Wiener Neustädter Stadtwerke und Kommunal Service GmbH) depart from the station forecourt, including the regional buses operated by the WNSKS to Burgenland and the Bucklige Welt, as well as most of the regional bus routes operated by the M. Partsch bus company. Most of the WNSKS and Partsch buses also go around the Ring and thus serve Neustadt's second major bus hub, the main square, in addition to the train station. The Blaguss and Postbus routes depart from Ungargasse.