Güssing (; , ) is a town in

Burgenland Burgenland (; ; ; Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland''; Slovene language, Slovene: ''Gradiščanska''; ) is the easternmost and least populous Bundesland (Austria), state of Austria. It consists of two statutory city (Austria), statut ...

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 ...

. It is located at , with a population of 3,610 (2023), and is the administrative center of the

Güssing Güssing (; , ) is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 3,610 (2023), and is the administrative center of the Güssing (district), Güssing district. For centuries the town occupied an important position on the we ...

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 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. The town is now most famous for its

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, 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 ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' 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 include Arras (Dutch: ...

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 C ...

, 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 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

and the

. Note that

Kőszeg Kőszeg (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is known for its historical character. History Medieval Period The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas (Eisenburg) go back to the third quart ...

is the name of a nearby Hungarian town (known as ''Güns'' in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also 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 an ancient and distinguished Hungarian noble magnate family. The Head of the family bears the title Prince (Fürst) of Batthyány-Strattmann, while other members of this family bear the title Count/Countess ( Graf ...

family, one of the most distinguished

magnate The term magnate, 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

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 is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...

until 1921. From 1898, the town had to use the Hungarian place name ''Németújvár'' due to the

Magyarization Magyarization ( , also Hungarianization; ), after "Magyar"—the Hungarian autonym—was an assimilation or acculturation process by which non-Hungarian nationals living in the Kingdom of Hungary, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, adop ...

policies of the government in Budapest. After the end of the

First World War 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 ...

, 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 (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

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 and physical 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. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

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 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 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 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. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship displa ...

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 a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

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, being, or system needs little or no help from, or interaction with others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a sel ...

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 Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

, wooden carved high altar, an old chest organ and a

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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 (building), 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 com ...

dates back to the 1200s, with a cemetery nearby. *The town contains a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

monastery, which was built at the same time as a

bastion A bastion 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 fire from the ...

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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 Christianity, 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 us ...

and the library with many unique works from the age of Protestantism. Under the monastery is the crypt of the family

, 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 , "blessed" and , "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 name. ''Beati'' is the p ...

of László Batthyány-Strattmann. * 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 Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

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 duri ...

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 Florian may refer to: People * Florian (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Florian (Marcus Annius Florianus), Roman emperor in 276 AD * Saint Florian (250 – c. 304 AD), patron saint of Po ...

(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.

Notable people

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 (1803–18 ...

family ** Ferenc Batthyány () (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 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 (, 1704–1779) (de) * Samuel Steinherz, ''errorly "Steinberg"'' (1857–1942), Jewish historian born here, Stein''berg''

* Josef Reichl (1860–1924) *

(1526-1609) * Jenő Nagy (1898–1944) (hu) * Otto Kery (1923–2006), director, editor, actor (de) * Peter Vadasz (born 1944), City Mayor *

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

(born 1959), together with Vadas the "creator" of energy-independent Güssing * Josef Trinkl (1951–2004), politician (de) *

Heinz Janisch Heinz Janisch is an Austrian radio journalist and writer. In 2024, he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing. Janisch was born in 1960 in Güssing, Burgenland. He graduated from high school in 1978 and sub ...

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

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; ; ; or ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Austria, Austrian state of Burgenland. With a population of 15,074 (as of 2023), it is the smallest state capital and the 38th-largest city in Austria overall. It lies at the foot o ...

Sabine James The Sabines (, , , ; ) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains (see Sabina) of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines divided into ...

circus-artist, harpist, performer, theatre-director (Burgspiele Güssing) * Martin Stranzl (born 1980), football player * Michael Miksits (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 (ECRE AG) & Geraldine Faulkner (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