Güssing (; hu, Németújvár, Német-Újvár, hr, Novi Grad) is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,578 (2022), and is the administrative center of the Güssing district. For centuries the town occupied an important position on the western edge of the Kingdom of Hungary. The town is now most famous for its

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, which is the oldest in Burgenland and a prominent regional landmark, built on an extinct volcano. Güssing - Pfarrkirche

History

Overview

The origins of Güssing date back to 1157, with the construction of the castle alongside a small settlement nearby. By 1355, Güssing had been granted special rights by Louis IV. During the Middle Ages, religion, art and crafts were of great importance. As a border town, Güssing was fortified in order to repel attacks from what is now Hungary. Despite the threat of invasion Güssing prospered, with residents of the town at the time including the Artois botanist Carolus Clusius, and

Johann Manlius Johann Manlius ( lat, Joannes Manlius, sl, Janez Mandelc) was an early modern era typographer who ran a printing house that served small towns in Habsburg Hungary. Also a woodcutter, he moved to Hungary in 1582. References Sources * * ...

, a typographer. There is an homage to Clusius in the town, as well as a street named after him, the ''Clusiusweg''. In the 16th century, Güssing was a free imperial city with full municipal laws. In 1619, the town was surrounded with an enceinte, a type of town wall. The town at the time contained four quarters- ''Vorstadt'', ''untere Stadt'' by the mansion of the Drašković family, ''innere Stadt'' from the monastery to the town hall and ''Hochstadt''. The lords of Güssing (in Hungarian: ''Kőszeg'', in Slovak: ''Kysak'') were a noble family in the frontier region of Austria and the Kingdom of Hungary. Note that Kőszeg is the name of a nearby Hungarian town (known as ''Güns'' in German) to which that family moved its residence from Güssing in 1274. In 1522, it became the residence of the Batthyány family, one of the most distinguished

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

families in Hungary. The family still Batthyány own the ancestral seat of Güssing Castle. In 1540, Franz Batthyány gained the magnate from

Ferdinand I Ferdinand I or Fernando I may refer to: People * Ferdinand I of León, ''the Great'' (ca. 1000–1065, king from 1037) * Ferdinand I of Portugal and the Algarve, ''the Handsome'' (1345–1383, king from 1367) * Ferdinand I of Aragon and Sicily, '' ...

, the incumbent king of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, which allowed him to open up ore mines, whilst in 1549, he was granted the right to hold markets in the town by the emperor. A market still takes place on the first Monday of every month in the town. The area, like the rest of what is now Burgenland, belonged to Hungary until 1921. From 1898, the town had to use the Hungarian place name ''Németújvár'' due to the

Magyarization Magyarization ( , also ''Hungarization'', ''Hungarianization''; hu, magyarosítás), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in Austro-Hungarian Transleithan ...

policies of the government in Budapest. After the end of the First World War, the town, as part of ''German West Hungary'' (Deutsch Westungarn), was ceded to Austria after tough negotiations in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Treaty of Trianon in 1919. The area has been part of the newly formed state of Burgenland since 1921. In 1973 the area was officially declared a town. In the 20th Century, Güssing struggled economically due to its proximity to the Hungarian border, and with it the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

during the Cold War. Many residents moved elsewhere or commuted for long distances to find work. Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:age014 value:rgb(0.3,0.3,1) id:age1564 value:rgb(0.5,0.5,1) ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:4000 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:500 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo PlotData= color:skyblue width:14 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till bar:1869 from:0 till:3183 text:3.183 bar:1880 from:0 till:3232 text:3.232 bar:1890 from:0 till:3437 text:3.437 bar:1900 from:0 till:3448 text:3.448 bar:1910 from:0 till:3552 text:3.552 bar:1923 from:0 till:3463 text:3.463 bar:1934 from:0 till:3564 text:3.564 bar:1939 from:0 till:3480 text:3.480 bar:1951 from:0 till:3515 text:3.515 bar:1961 from:0 till:3380 text:3.380 bar:1971 from:0 till:3675 text:3.675 bar:1981 from:0 till:3886 text:3.886 bar:1991 from:0 till:3945 text:3.945 bar:2001 from:0 till:3902 text:3.902 bar:2011 from:0 till:3792 text:3.792 bar:2021 from:0 till:3665 text:3.665 bar:2022 from:0 till:3578 text:3.578 TextData= fontsize:S pos:(35,20) text:"Bars: Population; Source: Statistik Austria"

Geography

The town is situated in the south of Burgenland, close to the Hungarian border, in the valley of the river Strem at a height of 229 metres above sea level. Just under half of the area is agricultural land, whilst nearly 40% is forested. The town is neighboured by

Tobaj Tobaj (same in Croatian and Hungarian) is a town in the district of Güssing in the Austrian state of Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost ...

to the north, Strem to the east,

Heiligenbrunn Heiligenbrunn () is a town in the district of Güssing (district), Güssing in the Austrian state of Burgenland. Population References

Cities and towns in Güssing District {{Burgenland-geo-stub ...

to the southeast,

Kleinmürbisch Kleinmürbisch is a town in the district of Güssing in the Austrian state of Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state o ...

and

Großmürbisch Großmürbisch is a village in the district of Güssing in Burgenland in south-eastern Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern A ...

to the south, Neustift bei Güssing to the southwest and

Gerersdorf-Sulz Gerersdorf-Sulz (( hu, Németszentgrót-Sóskútfalu) is a municipality in the district of Güssing in the Austrian state of Burgenland Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'' ...

to the northwest. The Güssing fish ponds are a designated

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

little bittern, grey heron and great crested grebe.

Renewable energy

The town is also known for its renewable energy projects. During the 1980s, Peter Vadasz, a local councillor, and Reinhard Koch, a technical engineer, created an energy transition strategy for the town by using local wood as an energy source. In 1992, Vadasz was elected mayor of Güssing and worked towards this energy transition. This transition was not only devised for public buildings in the town, but for the whole district as well. In order to achieve this goal, public buildings were insulated and

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

heat plants were built. More recently, an anaerobic digestion plant was built. Local authorities have claimed this has led to full energy

self-sufficiency Self-sustainability and self-sufficiency are overlapping states of being in which a person or organization needs little or no help from, or interaction with, others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a self-s ...

in the district, yet this is disputed by others, who claim that transportation of goods and fuel still relies upon fossil fuels. Energy in Güssing is heavily reliant on wood, which has led to concerns about energy security.

International Relations

Güssing is twinned with: * Nijlen, Image:Ruine der Festung Güssing.jpg, Güssing Castle Image:Güssing CarolusClusius 50385.JPG, An homage to Carolus Clusius, a resident of the town Image:Holzvergaser_Güssing.jpg, Wood gasifier (commercial operation) Image:FT_kolonne.jpg, Fischer-Tropsch diesel production from gasified wood (Pilot) Image:Biogasspeicher.jpg, Biogas plant Strem Image:Bhkwgasmotor.jpg, Biogas fuelled engine Biogas plant Strem

Neighbourhoods

The neighbourhoods that make up the town area include (with the population as of January 2021 in brackets): * Glasing (123) with the Glasing mountains * Güssing (Kernstadt) (2725) with Langzeil, Ludwigshof and Rosenberg * Krottendorf (212) * Sankt Nikolaus (193) * Steingraben (182) * Urbersdorf (230)

Culture

*The main attraction of the district is Güssing castle. Built on a volcanic cone, the castle is known for its exhibition "400 years of art", the gothic castle chapel (with a neo-gothic, wooden carved high altar, an old chest organ and a

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

side altar. The castle also contains a museum and a restaurant. * A romanesque parish church dates back to the 1200s, with a cemetery nearby. *The town contains a Franciscan monastery, which was built at the same time as a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

of the town wall and a monastic church, the Visitation of Mary church. Built in 1863, the monastery contains a range of renaissance architectural elements. The monastery is also noted for a paramental shrine in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

and the library with many unique works from the age of Protestantism. Under the monastery is the crypt of the family Batthyány, which is the second largest of its kind in Austria, with a state coffin by K. Moll. There is also a shrine depicting the beatification of

László Batthyány-Strattmann László Batthyány-Strattmann (german: Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann; 28 October 1870 – 22 January 1931) was a Hungarian aristocrat and physician. Until 1914, he was known as László Batthyány. A devout Roman Catholic, he became known ...

. * There is a two-storey, castle like arcade in the town. * In the east of the town is the family home of the Drašković family. This is a classicist style mansion with empire style furniture and a gothic winged altar from 1450 in the house chapel.

Regular events

*Musical Güssing: The cultural association hosts several events each year. In late January a carnival show takes place in the heart of Güssing. Every September a well-known musical show is performed, in which amateurs and professionals work together. The actor and singer Florian Resetarits (de) began his career in these musicals. *Castle performances: For the last 500 years, Güssing has been a cultural centre, with the theatre being of particular significance. The castle performances are a highlight of the summer programme. The actor Frank Hoffmann was the most recent director of the Güssing summer programme, as part of which performances take place at Güssing castle. The Güssing castle association hosts theatre performances for adults and children on the fairground at the foot of the castle.

Sport

The town has a football club, SV Güssing, which play in the Landesliga Burgenland, the fourth division of Austrian football. The town is home to a basketball club,

UBC Güssing Knights UBC Magnofit Güssing Knights is a professional basketball club based in Güssing, Austria. The team played in the Austrian ÖBL, but in April 2016 the team was disqualified from the league. History In the 2013–14 season, the Knights shocked Au ...

Notable people

* Batthyány-

Strattmann Strattmann is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Theodor von Strattman (1637–1696), an Austrian statesman * Countess Eleonore Batthyány-Strattmann (1672–1741), a Viennese Court lady * Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (1803–188 ...

family ** Ferenc Batthyány ( hr,

Franjo Baćan Franjo is a Croatian masculine given name. In Croatia, the name Franjo was among the top ten most common masculine given names in the decades up to 1949. Notable people with the name include: *Franjo Arapović (born 1965), former Croatian basketb ...

) (1497, Buda - 1566) (hu) ** Ignaz Batthyány (1741–1798), Bishop of Transylvania (de) ** Gusztáv, 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (1803–1883), owner and breeder of race-horses ** Prince Edmund Batthyany-Strattmann (1826–1914) ** Prince

(1870,

Dunakiliti Dunakiliti, german: Frauendorf, Croatian: Kliće, is a village in the Győr-Moson-Sopron county of Hungary. Location Dunakiliti is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary. It is in a region commonly referred to as the Little Hungarian P ...

- 1931), doctor and blessed of the Roman Catholic Church *

István Beythe István () is a Hungarian language equivalent of the name Stephen or Stefan. It may refer to: People with the given name Nobles, palatines and judges royal * Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975–1038), last grand prince of the Hungarians and first ki ...

(1532–1612), bishop, botanist (hu) *

Julia Dujmovits Julia Dujmovits (born 12 June 1987) is an Austrian snowboarder. Dujmovits won silver in the parallel giant slalom at the 2013 FIS Snowboarding World Championships. She won a gold in the same discipline at the 2013 Winter Universiade. At the So ...

(born 1987), snowboarder *

Ferenc Faludi Ferenc Faludi (born in Güssing on 11 April 1704; died in Rechnitz on 18 December 1779) was a Hungarian poet who has been referred to as "the father of the new Hungarian lyric." Because of Suppression of the Society of Jesus he switched to being i ...

(german:

Franz Faludi Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

, 1704–1779) (de) *

Samuel Steinherz Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

, ''errorly "Steinberg"'' (1857–1942), Jewish historian born here, Stein''berg''

*

Josef Reichl Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

(1860–1924) * Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) *

Jenő Nagy Jenő () is a Hungarian male given name, equivalent to Eugene. In Austria and Germany the name is often simplified to Jenö (which in Hungarian is a shorter vowel) and pronounced as German umlaut ö. Jenő is also the legendary founder of one of Hu ...

(1898–1944) (hu) *

Otto Kery Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

(1923–2006), director, editor, actor (de) *

Peter Vadasz Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(born 1944), City Mayor *

Reinhard Koch Reinhard is a German, Austrian, Danish, and to a lesser extent Norwegian surname (from Germanic ''ragin'', counsel, and ''hart'', strong), and a spelling variant of Reinhardt. Persons with the given name * Reinhard of Blankenburg (after 1107 – 1 ...

(born 1959), together with Vadas the "creator" of energy-independent Güssing *

Josef Trinkl Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

(1951–2004), politician (de) *

Heinz Janisch The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six continen ...

(born 1960), author (de) * Ägidius Zsifkovics (born 1963), theologian, Bishop of

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074. In the Habsburg ...

Sabine James The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divide ...

circus-artist, harpist, performer, theatre-director (Burgspiele Güssing) * Martin Stranzl (born 1980), football player *

Michael Miksits Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

(born 1981), football player (de) *

Peter Traxler Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(born 1946), '' Kabarettist'' * Csákányi László (1921-1992), színész, schauspieler (hu)

References

* DI

Dean Marcelja Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

(ECRE AG) &

Geraldine Faulkner Geraldine may refer to: People * Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named. * The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor * Geraldine of Albania, th ...

(Sustainable Solutions), 2008

External links

Official Website of Güssing

Biomass gasification power plant Güssing

Biogas plant Strem

Official Website of the Batthyany Family

Official Website of the Foundation of the castle of Guessing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gussing Batthyány family Cities and towns in Güssing District Siebengemeinden Renewable energy Ramsar sites in Austria