Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt (
Hungarian:
Bécsújhely) is located south of
Vienna in the state of
Lower Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of
Wiener Neustadt-Land.
The city was founded by the
Babenberger Duke
Leopold V in
1194, who financed the construction of the city with the ransom paid for the English king
Richard the Lionheart, who had previously been held as a hostage in Austria at
Dürnstein. Wiener Neustadt, meaning more or less
New Vienna, first served as a fortress to defend against nearby
Hungary. Important privileges were given to the city in order to enable it to prosper. In the
15th century, Wiener Neustadt experienced a population boom, when Emperor
Friedrick III took up his residence here and in
Graz. The
Wappenwand (coat of arms wall) at the local castle displays the coats of arms of his possessions in the middle. His son
Maximilian I maintained his court in Wiener Neustadt and is buried there in the St. George's Cathedral.
King
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary conquered the city in August of
1487 after having laid siege to it for two years. He dedicated the
Corvinus Cup to the inhabitants. Maximilian I managed to reconquer his native city in
1490. During the
16. Century, Wiener Neustadt lost its status as imperial residence and much of its importance. However, it still fulfilled its function as bulwark against the
Turks and the
Kuruc. In
1751 it received greater attention when Empress
Maria Theresa of Austria decided to dedicate the First Military Academy worldwide inside the imperial castle. In
1752, the
Theresian Military Academy took up its operations, which have continued to this day with only a few interruptions. In
1768, Wiener Neustadt was destroyed by an earthquake. The castle, which had suffered strongly, was rebuilt using plans made by the architect
Nicolò Pacassi. In
1785, Emperor
Joseph II transferred the diocese of Wiener Neustadt to
St. Pölten.
In
1909, an airfield north of the city was inaugurated. It later served as a training ground for the flight pioneers
Igo Etrich,
Karl Illner and
Adolf Warchalowski, who conducted their tests there.
During World War II, Wiener Neustadt was a major centre for the manufacture of ME-109s and A-4 rockets, and so was heavily bombed, leading to 80% of the city being destroyed and very heavy loss of civilian life.
Wiener Neustadt is one of the most important traffic junctions of Austria. It is connected to other major centers of population by
railway and by
highway. The city has two airfields (a military one which was the first airfield in Austria and a civil one owned by Diamond Aircraft) and is the starting point of Austria's only
shipping canal, the
Wiener Neustaedter Kanal, which was meant to reach out to
Trieste but was never finished.
Austria's first and largest
University of Applied Sciences for economics and technology is located here.
*
Monheim am Rhein,
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany*
Desenzano del Garda,
ItalyThe most recent extension of the city is the
CIVITAS NOVA, Latin for
new city, an ambitious project for an industrial, research and commercial center. In 2008, on the area of the Civitas Nova, a cancer research center for
ion therapy will be opened under the name of
Med Austron (link in German).
In
1996 Wiener Neustadt became internationally famous as a so-called "sidewalk" (http://www.dade.at/sidewalk/sidew.htm) designed by a Japanese artist was built around the main square. The
aerodrome is a big music venue (link in German).
*
City Museum (in German)
*City archives
Aviaticum flight museum] (in English)
*
Industrial museum (in German)
*Hospital museum
*
Kurt Ingerl-Gedenkraum*Mineralogical museum
*Tower museum in the cathedral
Buildings include:
*Water tower (a landmarks)
*
Mariensäule (a
plague column at Hauptplatz)
*
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*
Joseph Matthias Hauer, composer.
*
Karl Merkatz, actor.
*
Kurt Ingerl, sculptor.
*
Viktor Gernot, actor and comedian.
*
Arnold Grabner,
politician and Vice President of the
OeOC*
The city's history (in English)*
The city's history (in German)
