The Mürzsteg Hunting Lodge is a small lodge in
Mürzsteg
Mürzsteg is a former municipality in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Neuberg an der Mürz.
Culture and sightseeing
Museum ...
,
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 ...
which has served as the summer residence of the
president of Austria
The president of Austria () is the head of state of the Austria, Republic of Austria.
The office of the president was established in 1920 by the Constituent National Assembly (Austria), Constituent National Assembly of the First Austrian Repu ...
since 1947.
History
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
built a small lodge in the imperial hunting grounds in
Neuberg an der Mürz
Neuberg an der Mürz is a municipality in the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag in the Austrian state of Styria.
Geography
Neuberg lies in the upper valley of the Mürz at the foot of the Schneealpe northwest of Mürzzuschlag.
History
Otto, Duk ...
in 1869 using his own funds. The plans for the lodge, which was built in a Swiss style, came from
August Schwendenwein von Lanauberg and his partner, the court architect . The lodge soon proved to be too small, and was expanded in two phases, first in 1879 and then again in 1903.
In 1883 a riding trail was established for
Empress Elisabeth between Kuhhörndl and Hocheck. Elisabeth was a good and enthusiastic rider, but did not take part in the hunting activities at the lodge. Three years later in 1886, the park around the hunting lodge was established and water pipes were built into the house.
The hunting lodge was established not for appearances but for the local hunting groups. It was only after the last expansion that the lodge became a political hub. Czar
Nicholas II
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...
was a guest of the emperor at the lodge in 1903. The two leaders signed the
Mürzsteg Agreement there on October 3, 1903, concerning the future of the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
.
The lodge, which was
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
private property, was seized after
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 ...
and was taken up by the Austrian Republic. A small museum was furnished in the official rooms, with some mementos of the Emperor as a hunter. The other rooms were rented out to summer guests.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the hunting lodge remained mostly empty. Toward the end of the war,
Ferenc Szálasi
Ferenc Szálasi (; 6 January 1897 – 12 March 1946) was a Hungarian military officer, politician, Nazi sympathizer and founder of the far-right Arrow Cross Party who List of prime ministers of Hungary, headed the government of Hungary duri ...
, the leader of the
Arrow Cross Party
The Arrow Cross Party (, , abbreviated NYKP) was a far-right Hungarian ultranationalist party led by Ferenc Szálasi, which formed a government in Hungary they named the Government of National Unity. They were in power from 15 October 1944 to ...
, hid treasures in the lodge in order to keep them from the advancing
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
. The treasure included the
Holy Crown of Hungary
The Holy Crown of Hungary ( , ), also known as the Crown of Saint Stephen, named in honour of Saint Stephen I of Hungary, was the coronation crown used by the Kingdom of Hungary for most of its existence; kings were crowned with it since the tw ...
, as well as royal garments, scepters, an orb, and a sword. The cellar of the lodge stored the Holy Dexter, the preserved right hand of
Stephen I of Hungary
Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( ; ; ; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his bi ...
. Szálasi himself fled further west.
Today the hunting lodge is owned by the
Republic of 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 ...
. Since 1947 it has served as a summer resort for the sitting
Austrian president. The lodge has been continuously renovated, though the official rooms have remained essentially unchanged. The Burghauptmannschaft of Austria now manages the lodge. According to the campaign promises of
Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer Order of Prince Henry, GColIH, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI, Order of the Seraphim, RSerafO, Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, GCollSE (; born 9 October 1938) is an Austrian politician who served as the pre ...
from 2004, the lodge should soon be sold, which has in any case not yet happened.
diepresse.com - "Zwischen Amtsvilla und Dienstwohnung"
/ref> Many foreign guests, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
, have been received at the lodge.
Construction
The lodge has an upper floor which is disguised as a wooden-shingled roof. It has three third-floor doors with steep tops. The interior furnishing is simple and humble, with the exception of some works from Rudolf von Alt and Franz von Pausinger.
Literature (in German)
* Herwig Ebner: ''Burgen und Schlösser Mürztal und Leoben'', 1965
* Anna Maria Sigmund: ''Das Haus Habsburg/Habsburgs Häuser'', 1995
* Georg Clam Martinic: ''Österreichisches Burgenlexikon'', 1992
* Gabriele Praschl-Bichler: ''So lebten die Habsburger'', 2000
* Gerhard Stenzel: ''Von Schloß zu Schloß in Österreich'', 1976
* Franz Preitler: ''Entlang der Mürz'', 2013
Links (in German)
„Jagdschloss Mürzsteg“ – Presentation from the Mürzsteg municipality with several images
*
Wilhelm II: The first trip to Mürzsteg
– Both heirs Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen and Rudolf von Habsburg, 1882
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murzsteg Hunting Lodge
Castles in Styria
Hunting lodges in Austria