Baden ( German for "

Baths Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

"; Central Bavarian: ''Bodn''), unofficially distinguished from other Badens as Baden bei Wien (Baden near Vienna), is a spa town in Austria. It serves as the capital of Baden District in the state of Lower Austria. Located about south of Vienna, the municipality consists of cadastral areas Baden, Braiten, Gamingerhof, Leesdorf, Mitterberg, Rauhenstein, and Weikersdorf. In 2021, the town became part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name " Great Spa Towns of Europe" because of its famous medicinal springs and its architectural testimony to the international spa culture on the 18th and 19th centuries.

Geography and Geology

Baden is located at the mouth of the Schwechat River's

St Helena Valley __NOTOC__ The Schwechat () is a river in Lower Austria. Its drainage basin is . River course The source is near the Schöpfl (893 m) in the Vienna Woods. The source streams are the Riesenbach, Lammeraubach, Agsbach, Hainbach and the Großkrottenba ...

(') in the Vienna Woods (') range. It takes its name from the area's 14 hot springs, which vary in temperature from and contain mineral salts including calcium carbonate, calcium chloride and magnesium sulphate. They lie for the most part at the foot of Mt Calvary ('; ) in the north-central part of town. These springs are caused by runoff from the Northern Limestone Alps and tectonic fissures within the Vienna Basin. The highest point in the area is the Iron Gate (' or '), whose can be ascended in about three hours.

History

The celebrity of Baden dates back to the days of the Romans, who knew it by the name of or . Some ruins are still visible. The settlement was mentioned as Padun in a deed from AD 869. The nearby abbey of Heiligenkreuz's Romanesque church was constructed in the 11th century; it subsequently served as the burial place for members of the

Babenberg The House of Babenberg was a noble dynasty of Austrian Dukes and Margraves. Originally from Bamberg in the Duchy of Franconia (present-day Bavaria), the Babenbergs ruled the imperial Margraviate of Austria from its creation in 976 AD until its e ...

family. The castle Rauheneck was constructed on the right bank of the river at the entrance to the valley in the 12th century; the castle Rauhenstein was built on the opposite bank at the same time. The town received its legal privileges in 1480. Although repeatedly sacked by Hungarians and Turks, it soon flourished again each time. Baden in 1-25

The town was largely destroyed by a fire in 1812 but was excellently rebuilt in a

Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...

style according to plans by architect Joseph Kornhäusel, it is therefore sometimes referred to as the "Biedermeierstadt". Archduke Charles, the victor of Aspern, constructed the Château Weilburg at the foot of Rauheneck between 1820 and 1825. In the 19th century, it was connected to the railway running between Vienna and

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, which led to thousands of Viennese visiting each year to take the waters, including members of the imperial family, who constructed extensive villas nearby. In 1820, the Sauerhof became the first freestanding spa hotel in Europe. The composer Ludwig van Beethoven stayed a number of times in Baden and his residences still form local tourist spots. The location at Rathausgasse 10 now forms a museum open to the public. Mayerling, a hunting lodge about up the valley, was the site of Crown Prince Rudolf's murder-suicide in 1889. Its primary export in the 19th century were

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

razors, which were reckoned of excellent quality. Baden bei Wien - Stadttheater

The town boasted a theater, military hospital, and casino, all constructed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The City Theater (') was built in 1909 by Ferdinand Fellner. By the time of the First World War, Baden was Vienna's principal resort: came each year, double the town's local population. In addition to a modern "spa house" ('), there were 15 separate bathing establishments and several parks. During the war, Baden served as a temporary seat of the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

high command. A new casino in 1934 made the town the premier resort throughout Austria. The Château Weilburg was destroyed during World War II. After World War II, Baden served as the headquarters of Soviet Union, Soviet forces within Allied-administered Austria, occupied Austria until 1955.

Transport

Baden can be reached by the Autobahns of Austria, Süd Autobahn (A2). It has two rail stations: the Baden bei Wien railway station, Baden railway station for Vienna S-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional trains, and the local Badner Bahn tram-train.

Government

Kurt Staska (Austrian People's Party, ÖVP) was Baden's Burgomaster, Bürgermeister as a result of elections of 2015, but he resigned at the end of 2016 and Stefan Szirucsek became the new Bürgermeister (Mayor). His deputy is Helga Krismer from The Greens – The Green Alternative, the Greens. City council (german: link=no, Gemeinderat) consists of 41 seats: * Austrian People's Party, ÖVP holds 15 places * local bloc – 10 places * Social Democratic Party of Austria, SPÖ has 8 members * The Greens – The Green Alternative, the Greens hold 5 places * Freedom Party of Austria, FPÖ has 2 members * NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum, NEOS has 1 place

Population

Notable people

Natives

* Louis V. Arco (born ''Lutz Altschul''; 1899–1975), Austrian actor * Vincent Bach (1890–1976), virtuoso trumpeter and brass instrument maker * Hugo Bettauer, (Maximilian) Hugo Bettauer (1872–1925), Austrian writer * Caterina Canzi (1805–1890), opera singer * Mario Dorner (born 1970), football player * Willi End (1921–2013), Austrian mountaineer * Lucie Englisch (1902–1965), Austrian actress * Bert Fortell (1924–1996), actor * Josef Frank (architect), Josef Frank (1885–1967), Austrian-Swedish architect * Mizzi Griebl (1872–1952), Austrian singer and actress * Marianne Hainisch (1839–1936), Austrian feminist, women's rights activist * Erwin Hoffer, Erwin "Jimmy" Hoffer (born 1987), association football, footballer * Natalie von Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, Ratibor und Corvey (1911 — 1989), 2nd daughter of Maria Henriette Erzherzogin von Österreich * Karl Holdhaus (1883–1975), Austrian Entomology, entomologist * Georg Michael Höllering (1897–1980), Austrian-British author and film director * Besian Idrizaj (1987–2010), Austrian professional association football, football player * Johann Baptist Klerr (1830–1875), composer and kapellmeister * Max Kuttner (1883 (1880) – 1953), German opera- and operetta tenor, Phonograph, gramophone/record- and Radio programming, radio singer * Karl Landsteiner (1868–1943, New York City), physician, Discovery (observation), discoverer of the blood type * Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (1918–2007), Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (1918–2007), 5th child of Kaiser Karl I von Österreich and Zita von Bourbon-Parma, Kaiserin Zita * Heinrich von Lützow (1852–1935) Austro-Hungarian diplomat * Hertha Martin (born 1930), Austrian actress * Heribert Meisel (1920–1966), a legendary Austrian sport-journalist and Sports presenter, sport-presenter of the Österreichischer Rundfunk, ORF and ZDF * Maximilian Melcher (1922–2002), artist and lecturer * Eduard Melkus (born 1928), Austrian violinist and Viola, violist * Josef Müllner (1879–1968), Austrian Sculpture, sculptor * Amalia Schütz Oldosi (1803–1852), Austrian soprano * Rosa Papier (1859–1932), Austrian opera singer and singing-Teacher, educator Baden rainermuseum

* Jakob Pazeller (1869–1957), composer * Karl Pfeifer (born 1928), Austrian journalist * Arnulf Rainer (born 1929), Austrian painter * Max Reinhardt (''Maximilian Goldmann''; 1873–1943, New York City), theatre director and theatre manager * Franz Josef Reinl (1903–1977), Austrian composer * Franz Reznicek (born 1903), Austrian architect * Rollett family: ** Alexander Rollett (1834–1903), Austrian physiologist and Histology, histologist ** Georg Anton Rollett (1778–1842), Austrian collecting, collector, Natural science, natural scientist and doctor Georg Anton Rollett ** Hermann Rollett (1819–1904), Vormärz-poet, writer on art, archivist of the city * Herbert Schambeck (born 1934), jurist * Karin Scheele (born 1968), Austrian Social democracy, social democratic politician and previously a member of the European Parliament * Katharina Schratt (1853–1940), actress * Anton Maria Schwartz (1852–1929), Catholic priest * Rudolf Steinboeck (1908–1996), actor, director * Marlene Streeruwitz (born 1950), writer * Theodor Tomandl (born 1933), Austrian Jurisprudence, jurisprudent * Carl Ignaz Umlauf (1824–1902), composer, teacher * Thomas Vanek (born 1984), retired professional ice hockey player who mostly played in the National Hockey League, NHL * Ignaz VitzIgnaz Vitzthumb (Witzthumb) (1724–1816, Brussels), Austrian composer; acted in the Austrian Netherlands#Austrian Netherlands, Austrian Netherlands * Erik Werba (1918–1992), Austrian pianist, composer and academic teacherErik Werba
oxfordreference.com * Ralph Wiener (born 1924), ''Kabarettist'', author * Elisabeth Woska (born 1938), actress

Residents

* Karel Komzák II (1850–1905), Czech-Austrian composer * Michael Korobkov (born 1957), nobleman, philanthropist and businessman; CEO of IMM Birest International * Sigi Maron (1944–2016), singer-songwriter * Mirabehn (1892–1982), Indian freedom fighter * Hans-Joachim Roedelius (born 1934), German experimental, ambient and electronic musician

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *Harald Salfellner, Julius Silver: ''The Imperial City of Baden bei Wien.'' Vitalis, Prague 2017, .