Berndorf is a town in the district of
Baden in
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 ...
in
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 ...
. Because of its historic development in the 19th century it is also referred to as the
Krupp town.
Districts
The town consists of 4 districts:
* Berndorf-Stadt
* St. Veit
* Ödlitz
* Veitsau / Steinhof
Settlements
*
Kolonie
History
Artefacts from various epoques of the Stone Age prove that there was a settlement in this region.
''Perindorf'' is likely to have its name from a man named ''Pero'', who settled here in 1070. The name ''Perendorf'' was first mentioned in 1133.
Throughout the following centuries, Berndorf was ravaged by the Magyars and the Ottomans.
In the 18th century, metal-working companies such as ''Neuhirtenberger Kupferhammer'', which used the first steam engine in all of Lower Austria in 1836, settled in this region. Before that, hydropower coming from the
Triesting was the main energy source.
In the 19th century the majority of the inhabitants of Berndorf and its neighbouring villages worked in the metal industry. In 1844, Berndorf consisted of no more than 50 houses with about 180 inhabitants, when the
cutlery factory of
Alexander Schoeller
Alexander is a male given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the oth ...
and
Hermann Krupp was founded. Initially, there were 50 workers, but throughout the years, the company developed and turned into a multi-national combine with over 6,000 employees. The development of the city of Berndorf was closely related to the history of the
Krupp family.
Arthur Krupp, son of Hermann Krupp, founded a private
elementary school and a public swimming pool, as well as the neo-baroque St. Margaret's church.
In 1923, the communities of Berndorf, St. Veit, Ödlitz and Veitsau were united and formed the city of Berndorf.
After the
Anschluss in 1938, the Arthur Krupp company became a part of the German Krupp combine.
Because of its industrial importance, Berndorf was also an important target of air attacks. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Berndorf was not even spared the forces of nature. The floods in 1939 and 1944 were the most destructive floods in the history of the
Triesting river.
When the war had ended, the metal company was confiscated by the Soviet Army and incorporated into the USIA. In 1957, it was given back to the State of Austria and merged with the
''Vereinigte Aluminiumwerke Ranshofen (VAW)''.
Because of financial problems of the socialised industries in the 1980s, the
Berndorf consortium was spun off and passed into private hands.
Population
Culture
Theatre
The annual theatre festival takes place in the
municipal theatre of Berndorf every summer.
Sights
*
Municipal Theatre of Berndorf
*
Krupp schools
*
Guglzipf with its look-out
*
Krupp Stadt Museum
* The iron bear
*
St. Margaret's Church
*
St. Mary's Church
Image:BerndorfTownFromGuglzipf.jpg, Berndorf from Guglzipf
Twin cities
*
Ōhasama (
Japan, now a part of
Hanamaki)
*
Sigmundsherberg
References
Further reading
* Dietmar Lautscham: ''Arthur, der österreichische Krupp.''
External links
the city of Berndorf, only in GermanKrupp Stadt Museum, only in German*
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Baden District, Austria
Krupp