Güssing (; hu, Németújvár, Német-Újvár, hr, Novi Grad) is a town in
Burgenland
Burgenland (; hu, Őrvidék; hr, Gradišće; Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland;'' Slovene: ''Gradiščanska'') is the easternmost and least populous state of Austria. It consists of two statutory cities and seven rural districts, with a total of ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
. It is located at , with a population of 3,578 (2022), and is the administrative center of the
Güssing
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 i ...
district. For centuries the town occupied an important position on the western edge of the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. The town is now most famous for its
castle, which is the oldest in Burgenland and a prominent regional landmark, built on an extinct volcano.
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
Artois ( ; ; nl, Artesië; English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: ''Atrecht'') ...
botanist
Carolus Clusius
Charles de l'Écluse, L'Escluse, or Carolus Clusius (19 February 1526 – 4 April 1609), seigneur de Watènes, was an Artois doctor and pioneering botanist, perhaps the most influential of all 16th-century scientific horticulturists.
Life
Clu ...
, and
Johann Manlius, 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
In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...
with full municipal laws. In 1619, the town was surrounded with an
enceinte
Enceinte (from Latin incinctus: girdled, surrounded) is a French term that refers to the "main defensive enclosure of a fortification". For a castle, this is the main defensive line of wall towers and curtain walls enclosing the position. Fo ...
, a type of town wall. The town at the time contained four quarters- ''Vorstadt'', ''untere Stadt'' by the mansion of the
Drašković family
The Drašković, also spelled Draskovich in English, is a prominent Croatian noble family, supposedly descended from an old Croatian noble tribe of Kršelac, Stupić or Poletčić, while others considered the Mogorović family but it is less like ...
, ''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
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...
. Note that
Kőszeg
Kőszeg (german: Güns, ; Slovak: ''Kysak'', sl, Kiseg, hr, Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.
History
The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas ...
is the name of a nearby
Hungarian town (known as ''Güns'' in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
) to which that family moved its residence from Güssing in 1274.
In 1522, it became the residence of the
Batthyány
The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...
family, one of the most distinguished
magnate families in Hungary. The family still
Batthyány
The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...
own the ancestral seat of Güssing Castle. In 1540, Franz Batthyány gained the magnate from
Ferdinand I, 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
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
until 1921. From 1898, the town had to use the Hungarian place name ''Németújvár'' due to the
Magyarization policies of the government in Budapest. After the end of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, 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
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in Versailles on 4 June 1920. It forma ...
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 during the Cold War. Many residents moved elsewhere or commuted for long distances to find work.
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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
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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 to the north,
Strem to the east,
Heiligenbrunn to the southeast,
Kleinmürbisch and
Großmürbisch to the south,
Neustift bei Güssing to the southwest and
Gerersdorf-Sulz to the northwest.
The Güssing fish ponds are a designated
Ramsar site within the town, known for its bird populations of
little bittern,
grey heron
The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...
and
great crested grebe
The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display.
Taxonomy
The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...
.
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 heat plants were built. More recently, an anaerobic digestion plant was built. Local authorities have claimed this has led to full energy
self-sufficiency 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
Nijlen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of , Kessel and Nijlen proper. In 2021, Nijlen had a total population of 22,985. The total area is 39.09 km2.
History
In 1770, a ...
,
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
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...
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
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
, wooden carved high altar, an old chest organ and a
baroque side altar. The castle also contains a museum and a restaurant.
* A
romanesque parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
dates back to the 1200s, with a cemetery nearby.
*The town contains a
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
monastery, which was built at the same time as a
bastion of the town wall and a monastic church, the Visitation of Mary church. Built in 1863, the monastery contains a range of
renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
architectural elements. The monastery is also noted for a
parament
Paraments or parements (from Late Latin ''paramentum'', adornment, ''parare'', to prepare, equip) are both the hangings or ornaments of a room of state, and the ecclesiastical vestments. Paraments include the liturgical hangings on and around ...
al shrine in the
sacristy and the library with many unique works from the age of Protestantism. Under the monastery is the crypt of the family
Batthyány
The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...
, 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
Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
of
László Batthyány-Strattmann.
* There is a two-storey, castle like
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
in the town.
* In the east of the town is the family home of the
Drašković family
The Drašković, also spelled Draskovich in English, is a prominent Croatian noble family, supposedly descended from an old Croatian noble tribe of Kršelac, Stupić or Poletčić, while others considered the Mogorović family but it is less like ...
. This is a
classicist
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
style mansion with
empire style
The Empire style (, ''style Empire'') is an early-nineteenth-century design movement in architecture, furniture, other decorative arts, and the visual arts, representing the second phase of Neoclassicism. It flourished between 1800 and 1815 durin ...
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 Landesliga Burgenland is the Austrian Landesliga, football division of the Austrian state of Burgenland. It is in the fourth highest division in Football in Austria, Austrian football for clubs of the Burgenland Football Association (german: ...
, the fourth division of Austrian football.
The town is home to a basketball club,
UBC Güssing Knights.
Notable people
*
Batthyány
The House of Batthyány () is the name of an ancient and distinguished Hungarian Magnate family. Members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf/Gräfin) Batthyány von Német-Ujvar respectively, while the title of Prince (Fürst) vo ...
-
Strattmann family
**
Ferenc Batthyány
Ferenc Batthyány de Németújvár ( hu, németújvári Batthyány Ferenc, hr, Franjo Baćan; 28 October 1497 – 28 November 1566) was a Hungarian magnate and general, member of the prestigious Batthyány family. He served as Ban of Croatia, Dalm ...
( hr,
Franjo Baćan) (1497, Buda - 1566)
(hu)
**
Ignaz Batthyány (1741–1798),
Bishop of Transylvania
:''There is also a Romanian Orthodox Archbishop of Alba Iulia and a Greek Catholic Archdiocese of Făgăraş and Alba Iulia.''
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia ( hu, Gyulafehérvári Római Katolikus Érsekség) is a Latin Church Cat ...
(de)
**
Gusztáv, 5th Prince Batthyány-Strattmann (1803–1883), owner and breeder of race-horses
**
Prince Edmund Batthyany-Strattmann
Edmund Gustavus, 6th Prince Batthyany-Strattmann (20 November 1826 – 29 October 1914), usually known in English as Count Batthyany, was a prince and count of the Holy Roman Empire, a landowner and yachtsman, and a notable figure in Europe and ...
(1826–1914)
** Prince
László Batthyány-Strattmann (1870,
Dunakiliti - 1931), doctor and blessed of the Roman Catholic Church
*
István Beythe (1532–1612), bishop, botanist
(hu)
*
Julia Dujmovits (born 1987), snowboarder
*
Ferenc Faludi (german:
Franz Faludi, 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 bib ...
, ''errorly
"Steinberg"'' (1857–1942), Jewish historian born here
[, Stein''berg'']
*
Josef Reichl (1860–1924)
*
Carolus Clusius
Charles de l'Écluse, L'Escluse, or Carolus Clusius (19 February 1526 – 4 April 1609), seigneur de Watènes, was an Artois doctor and pioneering botanist, perhaps the most influential of all 16th-century scientific horticulturists.
Life
Clu ...
(1526-1609)
*
Jenő Nagy (1898–1944)
(hu)
*
Otto Kery (1923–2006), director, editor, actor
(de)
*
Peter Vadasz (born 1944), City Mayor
*
Reinhard Koch (born 1959), together with Vadas the "creator" of energy-independent Güssing
*
Josef Trinkl (1951–2004), politician
(de)
*
Heinz Janisch (born 1960), author
(de)
*
Ägidius Zsifkovics (born 1963), theologian, Bishop of
Eisenstadt
*
Sabine James circus-artist, harpist, performer, theatre-director (Burgspiele Güssing)
*
Martin Stranzl (born 1980), football player
*
Michael Miksits (born 1981), football player
(de)
*
Peter Traxler (born 1946), ''
Kabarettist
{{CatAutoTOC, numerals=no
Words and phrases
Germanic words and phrases
Words and phrases by language
la:Categoria:Verba Theodisca ...
''
*
Csákányi László (1921-1992), színész, schauspieler (hu)
See also
*
Wildpoldsried
*
100% renewable energy
100% renewable energy means getting all energy from renewable resources. The endeavor to use 100% renewable energy for electricity, heating, cooling and transport is motivated by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues ...
References
* DI
Dean Marcelja (ECRE AG) &
Geraldine Faulkner (Sustainable Solutions), 2008
External links
Official Website of GüssingBiomass gasification power plant Güssing
Biogas plant Strem
Official Website of the Batthyany FamilyOfficial 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