"Wiener Neustadt ..." a Wiener Neustadt Travel Page by desert_princess

In 1194 The Babenberg Duke Leopold V founded "Nova Civitas" in the Valley Between the Rosalien river and Leitha Mountains. A part of the ransom money of the English King Richard the Lionheart was used for the construction of this new city. The town became a significant bastion against Hungarians - a good start for the development of craft and other trades that originated at that time.
The town's most important building - the Parish Church ( Pfarrkirche ) - dates back to the beginning of the 13th century and was made a cathedral in 1469. The four-towered castle complex in the south-east of the town also originates from the 13th century.
In the 15th century the town enjoyed its cultural , political and economic heyday as the residence of Emperor Friedrich III. The frequent presence of the emperor attracted a series of important personages to Wiener Neustadt, triggering off brisk building activity in the town.
In August 1487 the Hungarian king Matthias Corcinius succeeded in conquering Wiener Neustadt after almost two years of siege - Th Corvinius goblet, a gift from the Hungarian monarch to the "valiant" population, is a relic of these times. Not until three years later did the young king Maximilian I , Friedrich III's son, manage to recapture his hometown.
In 1752 Empress Maria Theresia opened a "military college for nobility" at the castle - which later became the Military Academy, Austria's only training facility for officers. In 1998, the courses in the oldest military Academy in the world, received a higher education status
Wiener Neustadt, the former imperial city, is the second largest city of Niederosterreich / Lower Austria /situated at 265 above sea level has more than 37 000 inhabitants.
Once upon a time the whole town was surrounded by fortified walls, from which you can still see the remains today, aswell as the towers that were guarding the corners.

In april 1945 over 52 000 bombs were dropped over the town, making it Austria's most heavily hit target. because of its importance in the war industry in the production of planes and locomotives.
When you walk today through Wiener Neustadt , just remember that the people of this town have a very special skill - despite adverse circumstances, always to start and achieve what seems to be impossible....
As a result to raise the status of education and further training, Wiener Neustadt is now the town with the most schools in Lower Austria. A wide range of renowned establishments, grammar schools, vocational collges, Conservatory and the Military Academy underscore the town's status.
The present "Civitas 'Nova" project demostrates the importance of the economic factor - it represents a new town district with an international business park , offering future-oriented companies everything they expect to find at a modern business location.

In the 16th century Wiener Neustadt lost its importance as royal residence. The original function of a Bastion against the east , was accomplished just once - in 1487 against the troups of the Hungarian king Matthius Corvinius.
In the year 1752, Maria Theresia founded in the Royalty castle a Militar Academy that became soon the most famous Academy for officers of the Monarchy.

Page built july 2005

I am just visiting by a friend, but aslong as I'm here , I might just dig out some info about the town and put it on VT for the future generations....

22 juni 2005 First Impressions; Wiener Neustadt is a lazy little austrian town , some 44 km from Vienna. Life is flowing at a slow pace as people sit around cafes in the town center or take theit kids for a walk...
19 juli 2005 - I was taking a walk in the streets around the main square today...Amazing , I'm almost a month here, and the more I get to know from this town , the more interesting it gets....I was taking pics of some buildings that were destroyed by the bombardments of the second World War and rebuilt afterwards.
31 juli 05 - Thanxx to VT member lasseg I've found out that next year the city of Wiener Neustadt will host whe world masters orienteering champonship 2006

Wiener Neustadt Official Webpage

at www.herold.at you can order the yellow and white pages for the area