Feldbach (; ) is a town in the southeast of the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...

, near the

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

n and Hungarian border. It is located in the valley around the river Raab. With 13,421 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2023), Feldbach is the fifth largest town in Styria.

History

Findings from the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period prove the early existence of a settlement in the area where Feldbach is now located. The name "Feldbach" was first mentioned in 1188 as "Velwinbach". A

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

exists since 1232. In 1469, Feldbach was devastated by rebellious troops. This is probably the reason why the , a medieval

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

, was built. In the 15th century, Feldbach was the setting of many conflicts between rival

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

families which caused destruction and pillages in the town. Finally, after the

Hajduk A hajduk (, plural of ) is a type of Irregular military, irregular infantry found in Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries, especially from Hajdú–Bihar Count ...

s (which accompanied the attacking

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

) destroyed the whole town, except the Tabor hill, a closed fortification with several gates was built. Feldbach experienced a major economic upswing after the Hungarian Western railroad was opened in 1873. At the same time the nearby

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

Bad Gleichenberg Bad Gleichenberg is a municipality in the district of Südoststeiermark in the Austrian state of Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria ...

became well known. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

existed in Feldbach.

Population

Sights

Source: * Parish church Holy Leonhard: The first church was connected to the tabor building which still exists today. Building works for the new church in renaissance style started in 1898 which was planned by Hans Pascher. The original church tower was destroyed in 1945, which was then replaced by a free-standing tower painted in multiple flecks of colour. * Steinener Metzen: The town's landmark is estimated to have been erected in the 15th century. This goblet-like measure of quantity was used as a standard measure for wooden containers for crops and is the only one of its type in Austria. * Marian column: First built in 1717, it was later destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt in 1949. It is located in the main square. * Tabor museum: The tabor was built as a fortification during the Middle Ages and now houses a museum dedicated to life in the region from the Stone Ages up until the recent past. Exhibitions include the first Austrian fishing museum, the first Austrian tailoring museum and documents from World War I and World War II. * Villa Hold: This neo-Gothic villa is situated next to the parish church Holy Leonhard and houses the music school, the city choir, the registrar's office as well as the citizenship office. * Villa Julian Burkert: this gothic villa is located in the city centre, next to the music school and between church. It was built during the 19th century. * Various chapels in the area

References

External links

* Cities and towns in Südoststeiermark District {{Styria-geo-stub