Perchtoldsdorf
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Perchtoldsdorf (; colloquially ''Petersdorf'') is a
market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
in the
Mödling District Bezirk Mödling is a district of the state of Lower Austria in Austria. Municipalities Suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters. * Achau * Biedermannsdorf * Breitenfurt bei Wien * Brunn am Gebirg ...
, in the Austrian state of
Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. It is known chiefly for its
winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
.


Geography

It is located immediately at the
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
city limits, south of the
Liesing Liesing () is the 23rd district of Vienna. It is on the southwest edge of Vienna, Austria. It was formed after Austria's ''Anschluss'' with Germany, when Vienna expanded from 21 districts to 26. Fifteen Lower Austrian districts, especially the ...
borough and about southwest of the city centre. The western parts of the municipal area border on the
Vienna Woods The Vienna Woods (german: Wienerwald) are forested highlands that form the northeastern foothills of the Northern Limestone Alps in the states of Lower Austria and Vienna. The and range of hills is heavily wooded and a popular recreation area w ...
mountain range. With a population of 14,614 (), Perchtoldsdorf is the district's second largest municipality, after the administrative seat
Mödling Mödling () is the capital of the Austrian Mödling (district), district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna. Mödling lies in Lower Austria's industrial zone (Industrieviertel). The Mödlingbach, a brook which rises ...
. It is served by the
Vienna S-Bahn The Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban commuter rail network in Vienna, Austria. As opposed to the city-run urban metro network, the Vienna U-Bahn, it extends beyond the borders of the city, is operated by the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways), and cons ...
network and can also be reached by bus and tramway lines run by the
Wiener Linien Wiener Linien (Viennese Lines) is the company running most of the public transit network in the city of Vienna, Austria. It is part of the city corporation Wiener Stadtwerke Holding AG. Governing structure and statistics Until decentralisation ...
public transport company.


History

The area formed a
coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
region of the
Paratethys The Paratethys sea, Paratethys ocean, Paratethys realm or just Paratethys was a large shallow inland sea that stretched from the region north of the Alps over Central Europe to the Aral Sea in Central Asia. Paratethys was peculiar due to its pa ...
sea during the
miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
epoch, documented by numerous fossilizations of marine creatures. Neolithic circular enclosures suggest the assumption that the plain was continuously settled from about 6000 BC onwards. Perchtoldsdorf Castle probably was laid out before 1000 AD, part of a chain of fortifications along the eastern rim of the Vienna Woods. One Lord ''Heinricus de Pertoldesdorf'' was mentioned in an 1138 deed, during 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 ...
rule, while the region belonged of the
March of Austria The Margraviate of Austria (german: Markgrafschaft Österreich) was a medieval frontier march, centered along the river Danube, between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods (''Wienerwald''), within the territory of modern Austrian provinces of U ...
. The Babenberg
margrave Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Emp ...
s had to defend the newly conquered territories from the recently displaced
Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
on behalf of the
Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxons, Saxon dynasty of List of German monarchs, German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I, Holy Roman Empe ...
and
Salian The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the l ...
emperors. Their Perchtoldsdorf vassals continued to rule from the castle even when the Babenberg dynasty became extinct in 1246. Upon the death of Otto von Perchtoldsdorf in 1286, the control passed to the
House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, uncontested rulers over the
Duchy of Austria The Duchy of Austria (german: Herzogtum Österreich) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1156 by the ''Privilegium Minus'', when the Margraviate of Austria (''Ostarrîchi'') was detached from Bavaria and elevated ...
since the 1278
Battle on the Marchfeld The Battle on the Marchfeld (''i.e. Morava Field''; german: Schlacht auf dem Marchfeld; cs, Bitva na Moravském poli; hu, Morvamezei csata) at Dürnkrut and Jedenspeigen took place on 26 August 1278 and was a decisive event for the history o ...
. During this late medieval period, the settlement was granted
market rights A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
and Perchtoldsdorf Castle was used as a ''
wittum Wittum (), Widum or Witthum is a medieval Latin legal term, known in marital and ecclesiastical law. Provide for a widow at the wedding The term referred initially to steps taken by a husband to provide for his wife if she became a widow. The wi ...
'' residence for the widowed duchess-consorts of the Habsburg dynasty, including Beatrice of Hohenzollern, the widow of Duke
Albert III of Austria Albert III of Austria (9 September 1349 – 29 August 1395), known as Albert with the Braid (Pigtail) (german: Albrecht mit dem Zopf), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria from 1365 until his death. Biography Albert III was ...
. Duchess Beatrice established a hospital in 1407, now demolished, and an attached church which is still preserved. The conflict between the Habsburg emperor Frederick III and his younger brother Archduke
Albert VI of Austria Albert VIKonstantin Moritz A. Langmaier: Erzherzog Albrecht VI. von Österreich (1418–1463). Ein Fürst im Spannungsfeld von Dynastie, Regionen und Reich (= Forschungen zur Kaiser- und Papstgeschichte des Mittelalters. Bd. 38). Böhlau, Köln ...
started an unstable period in the region. In 1446, many homes in the town were burned during the invasion of the Hungarian regent
John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...
. During this time, the castle was occupied by various rival forces, including mercenaries of King
Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
from 1477 until about 1490, when Frederick's son King Maximilian I re-established Habsburg control over the area. This turbulent period interrupted the construction of the
tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
(''Wehrturm''), the town's landmark with a height of , which started in 1450 and was finished about 1521. The tower and other fortifications permitted a successful defense of the city against the Ottoman troops during the 1529 Siege of Vienna, while the surrounding area was devastated. An Ottoman Turkish assault in a second siege in July 1683 destroyed the town and ended in a massacre. The Turks reneged on their surrender terms after the city capitulated and the keys had been handed over. When the Viennese defense commander, Count
Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg (12 January 1638 – 4 January 1701) was military governor of Vienna from 1680, the city's defender during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, Imperial general during the Great Turkish War, and President of the ...
heard of the post-surrender destruction of Perchtoldsdorf, he decided he could not trust a similar offer from the Ottoman commander
Kara Mustafa Pasha Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Pasha ( ota, مرزيفونلى قره مصطفى پاشا, tr, Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa; "Mustafa Pasha the Courageous of Merzifon"; 1634/1635 – 25 December 1683) was an Ottoman nobleman, military figure and Gr ...
to surrender Vienna. In 1842, Perchtoldsdorf received access to the Austrian Southern Railway to
Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
, whereafter the town became a tourist destination for vacations and visits to the nearby region of the Vienna Woods. It also continued a long history of
viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
and wine cultivation as the primary agricultural product.


Population


Media

The early full-colour feature film ''The Miracle'' was partly shot on location in and around the parish church in October 1912.


Politics

Seats in the municipal council (''Gemeinderat'') elections: *
Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is currentl ...
(ÖVP): 24 *
Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...
(SPÖ): 6 *
The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties * Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' * Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina * Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *G ...
: 4 *
Freedom Party of Austria The Freedom Party of Austria (german: Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Austria. It was led by Norbert Hofer from September 2019 to 1 June 2021.Staff (1 June 2021"Aust ...
(FPÖ): 2 * Perchtoldsdorf Citizens' List (PBL): 1


Twin towns — sister cities

Perchtoldsdorf is twinned with: *
Donauwörth Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...
, Germany (since 1973)


Notable people


Born in Perchtoldsdorf

*
Tilly Bébé Mathilde Rupp (27 March 187911 April 1932), known by the stage name Tilly Bébé, was an Austrian circus performer. She was noted for her performances with large predators and is considered a pioneer in the performance aspects of lion taming. In ...
(1879-1932), lion tamer and circus performer *
Friedrich Eckstein Frederick Eckstein (February 17, 1861 in Perchtoldsdorf, Lower Austria – November 10, 1939 in Vienna) was an Austrian polymath, theosophist and a friend and temporary co-worker of Sigmund Freud. Emil Molt states: 'He was the benefactor of Bruc ...
(1861–1939), polymath and theosophist * Alfred Merz (1880–1925), geographer and oceanographer * Oswald Tschirtner (1920–2007), artist


Notable residents

*
Hans Fronius Hans Fronius (12 September 1903 - 21 March 1988) was an Austrian painter and illustrator. He was born in Sarajevo, which was then a territory of Austria-Hungary (now Bosnia and Hercegovina). His father was descended from an old, aristocratic Tr ...
(1903–1988), painter and illustrator, lived in Perchtoldsdorf from 1916 *
Josef Hyrtl Josef Hyrtl (7 December 1810 – 17 July 1894) was an Austrian anatomist. Biography Hyrtl was born at Kismarton, Hungary (now Eisenstadt, Austria). He began his medical studies in Vienna in 1831, having received his preliminary education in ...
(1810–1894), anatomist, lived in Perchtoldsdorf from 1869 *
Siegfried Ludwig Siegfried Ludwig (14 February 1926, Vlasatice, Czechoslovakia – 16 April 2013, St. Pölten, Austria) was an Austrian politician and List of governors of Lower Austria, Governor of Lower Austria from 1981 to 1992. See also *List of governors ...
(1926–2013), politician and Lower Austrian governor, Mayor of Perchtoldsdorf *
Johann Siegmund Popowitsch Johann Siegmund Valentin Popowitsch ( sl, Janez Žiga Valentin Popovič; February 9, 1705 – November 21, 1774) was a Duchy of Styria, Styrian philologist and natural scientist. His advocacy of a standardized Upper German paved the way for Austri ...
(1705–1774), philologist and natural scientist * Franz Viehböck (born 1960), electrical engineer and first Austrian astronaut, lived in Perchtoldsdorf for decades *
Hugo Wolf Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Ro ...
(1860–1903), composer, lived in Perchtoldsdorf in his later years, as did composer Franz Schmidt (1874–1939)


References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Mödling District