Güssing (; , ) is a town in
Burgenland,
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 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 botanist
Carolus Clusius, 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
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 ...
and 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 ...
. Note that
KÅ‘szeg is the name of a nearby
Hungarian town (known as ''Güns'' in
German) to which that family moved its residence from Güssing in 1274.
In 1522, it became the residence of the
Batthyány family, one of the most distinguished
magnate families in Hungary. The family still
Batthyány 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 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 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 during the Cold War. Many residents moved elsewhere or commuted for long distances to find work.
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 within the town, known for its bird populations of
little bittern,
grey heron and
great crested grebe.
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 heat plants were built. More recently, an anaerobic digestion plant was built. Local authorities have claimed this has led to full energy
self-sufficiency 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, 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 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 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 and the library with many unique works from the age of Protestantism. Under the monastery is the crypt of the family
Batthyány, 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 style mansion with
empire style 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 (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
*
Batthyány-
Strattmann 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)
*
Carolus Clusius (1526-1609)
*
Jenő Nagy (1898–1944)
(hu)
*
Otto Kery (1923–2006), director, editor, actor
(de)
*
Peter Vadasz (born 1944), City Mayor
*
Reinhard Koch (born 1959), together with Vadas the "creator" of energy-independent Güssing
*
Josef Trinkl (1951–2004), politician
(de)
*
Heinz Janisch (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 circus-artist, harpist, performer, theatre-director (Burgspiele Güssing)
*
Martin Stranzl (born 1980), football player
*
Michael Miksits (born 1981), football player
(de)
*
Peter Traxler (born 1946), ''
Kabarettist''
*
Csákányi László (1921-1992), szÃnész, schauspieler (hu)
See also
*
Wildpoldsried
*
100% renewable energy
References
* DI
Dean Marcelja (ECRE AG) &
Geraldine Faulkner (Sustainable Solutions), 2008
External links
Official Website of GüssingBiomass gasification power plant Güssing
Biogas plant Strem
Official Website of the Batthyany FamilyOfficial 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