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Hohenems (
High Alemannic High Alemannic is a branch of Alemannic German spoken in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg and in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Intelligibility of these dialects to non-Alemannic speakers tends to be limited. Language area The High ...
: ''Ems'') is a town in the Austrian
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
of
Vorarlberg Vorarlberg ( ; ; , , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the second-highest popu ...
in the
Dornbirn district The Bezirk Dornbirn is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Vorarlberg, Austria. A rather young district, it was separated from the Feldkirch district in 1969. The area of the district is 172.7 km2, the population 82,721 (January 1, 20 ...
. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
valley. With a population of 16,946, it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg and currently has the fastest population growth in the state. Hohenems' attractions include a
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 ...
palace dating back to the 16th century, a Jewish history museum, and the old town center.


Geography

The town is located at above sea level, about south of
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
. Hohenems extends for from north to south and from west to east. Its total area is , of which 42% is covered with forest. The
oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...
of the river Rhine in the west, forming the border of Austria as well as EU to Switzerland, and the mountainside in the east is at the narrowest point of the Austrian Rhine valley. The ''Schlossberg'' ("castle mountain"), elevation , offers a distinctive backdrop to the town center. Hohenems is divided into the neighborhoods of Markt (centre), Oberklien and Unterklien (north), Hohenems-Reute (east), Schwefel (south) and Herrenried (west). It is surrounded by six other communities,
Lustenau Lustenau (; ) is a town in the westernmost Austrian States of Austria, state of Vorarlberg in the district of Dornbirn (district), Dornbirn. It lies on the river Rhine, which forms the border with Switzerland. Lustenau is Vorarlberg's fourth larg ...
and
Dornbirn Dornbirn () is a city in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. It is the administrative centre for the district of Dornbirn, which also includes the town of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau. Dornbirn is the largest city in Vorarlb ...
in the Dornbirn district (north and east), Fraxern,
Götzis Götzis is a town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg. The Alpine Rhine valley municipality belongs to the district of Feldkirch. Population Events The town is well known for its annual hypo-combined events meeting, the so-called ...
and
Altach Altach is a municipality in the district of Feldkirch, in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Neighboring municipalities Five other municipalities surround Altach: Hohenems in the district of Dornbirn, Götzis and Mäder in the dist ...
in the
Feldkirch district The Bezirk Feldkirch is an administrative district (''Bezirk'') in Vorarlberg, Austria. Area of the district is 278.26 km2, population is 100,656 (2012), and population density 362 persons per km2. Administrative center of the district is Fe ...
(south) and
Diepoldsau Diepoldsau is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Diepoldsau is first mentioned in 891 as ''Thiotpoldesouua''. Schmitter is first mentioned in 1385. It was the cro ...
in the
Swiss canton The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the Federated state, member states of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important ...
St. Gallen (west).


History

The summit of the ''Schlossberg'' rock, within 45 minutes walk from the town center, is crowned by the ruins of ''Alt-Ems'', a castle dating back to the 9th century CE. From the 12th century it was among the largest fortifications in the south of the
German kingdom The Kingdom of Germany or German Kingdom ( 'kingdom of the Germans', 'German kingdom', "kingdom of Germany", ) was the mostly Germanic language-speaking East Frankish kingdom, which was formed by the Treaty of Verdun in 843. The king was elec ...
. The stronghold was very extensive, with a length of up to 800 m (2,625 ft) and a width of 85 m (280 ft). It reached its peak of fame from the 13th to 16th centuries, as a residence of many lords and knights of Hohenems. As they were loyal ''
ministeriales The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...
'' of the
Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...
dynasty, the castle served as a prison for notable prisoners like the Norman king
William III of Sicily William III (; c. 1186 c. 1198), a scion of the Hauteville dynasty, was the last Norman King of Sicily, who reigned briefly for ten months in 1194. He was overthrown by his great-aunt Constance and her husband Emperor Henry VI. Life and reig ...
, who probably died there in 1198. Hohenems was granted municipal rights and liberties (German ''Stadtrecht'') in 1333, but the town did not make use of these rights for 650 years until, in 1983, the government of Vorarlberg granted Hohenems full status as a "municipality". The Burg Neu-Ems (also called "Schloss Glopper"), built in 1343, is located on a mountain promontory near Alt-Ems. In 1407 both castles were destroyed during the
Appenzell Wars The Appenzell Wars () were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1401 until 1429 in the Appenzell region of modern-day Switzerland. The wars consisted of uprisings of cooperative groups, such as the farmers of Appenzell or the craftsmen of the c ...
, but rebuilt shortly afterwards. Burg Neu-Ems is still intact today and is the private property of the
Waldburg-Zeil Waldburg-Zeil was a County and later Principality within Holy Roman Empire, ruled by the House of Waldburg, located in southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located around :de:Schloss Zeil, Schloss Zeil, near Leutkirch im Allgäu. History ...
family. The Renaissance palace stands at the foot of the Schlossberg and dominates the main square of town, the ''Schlossplatz.'' It was built from 1562 to 1567, according to plans by architect
Martino Longhi the Elder Martino Longhi the Elder (1534–1591) was an Italian architect, the father of Onorio Longhi and the grandfather of Martino Longhi the Younger. He is also known as ''Martino Lunghi''. He was born in Viggiù into a family of architects, and initial ...
at the initiative of Cardinal Marcus Sittich Hohenems (Altemps), architect who also designed the Cardinal’s palace in Rome. Religious wars and a plague decimated the population and devastated the area over the next century, ironically the time of the greatest power of the (Protestant) Counts of Hohenems, when they acquired
Vaduz Castle Vaduz Castle (German language, German: ''Schloss Vaduz'') is the palace and official residence of the Monarchy of Liechtenstein, Prince of Liechtenstein. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which it overlo ...
from what was later to become
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
. Two manuscripts of the
Nibelungenlied The (, or ; or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poetry, epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germanic hero ...
were found in Hohenems, in 1755 and 1779, in the palace's library. The first café (1797), bank and printing office (1920) of Vorarlberg were opened in Hohenems.


Jewish heritage

The Jewish community in Hohenems had its beginnings with a charter in 1617. Soon thereafter a
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, a ritual bath (
mikvah A mikveh or mikvah (,  ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvot'', or ( Ashkenazic) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. In Orthodox Judaism, these regulations are steadfastly adhered t ...
), a school and a poorhouse were built. A cemetery was established on the southern outskirts of town. Jewish economic activity in the town resulted in the first coffee house in 1797, and in 1841, the first bank and insurance company in Vorarlberg. The Hohenems Jewish community celebrated its golden era around 1862, with nearly 600 Jewish citizens, 12% of the population. The Jewish presence in town was terminated in 1942 with the
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
of the last remaining Jew, Frieda Nagelberg, to Vienna and eventually to
Izbica Izbica ( ''Izhbitz, Izhbitze'') is a town in the Krasnystaw County of the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina administrative district called Gmina Izbica. It lies approximately south of Krasnystaw and south-east of ...
. Recently three Jewish people have moved into Hohenems. The synagogue survived the
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
without damage. It was acquired by the municipality after the war and converted into a fire station. All objects pertaining to its use as a synagogue were removed or destroyed. In 2001 the synagogue was renovated and it now used as a cultural centre. The Jewish quarter, which has had historical preservation status since 1996, includes numerous townhouses and mansions surrounding the synagogue. Along with the former ''Christengasse'' ("Christian Lane"), renamed ''Marktstrasse'' (Market Street), it forms the urban core of Hohenems. In 1991, the Jewish Museum Hohenems was opened in a mansion in the center of the Jewish quarter. The museum commemorates the history of the Jewish community in Hohenems. The many remaining objects it exhibits bear witness to the former flourishing Jewish community in Hohenems. As part of its remembrance culture, a section of the museum is dedicated to the memory of the darkest chapter in Vorarlberg history – the national socialist period, and its attempts to eliminate all traces of Jewish culture in Vorarlberg and beyond. The Jewish cemetery south of the town dates to the first Jewish settlement in 1617 and is still in use today. It contains more than 500 graves, with 370 surviving gravestones.


Mayors

2004–2015: Richard Amann Since December 2015: Dieter Egger (born 1969)


Population


Infrastructure

Apart from the historical sites, the town center is rapidly developing a modest urban ambience, with hotels, shops, and restaurants. On the outskirts of town there are large businesses, with branches of multinational retail chains and a ten-screen
multiplex Multiplex may refer to: Science and technology * Multiplex communication, combining many signals into one transmission circuit or channel ** Multiplex (television), a group of digital television or radio channels that are combined for broadcast * ...
. On the way to the mountain village ''Reute'', high above Hohenems, there is a unique museum – ''Stoffels Säge-Mühle'' ("Stoffel's Sawmill") – which presents the history of saw milling and mill grinding technologies. Hohenems has several leisure amenities. In the mountain area there is a small ski resort (''Schuttannen'') and a rock-climbing area called ''Löwenzähne'' ("Lion's Teeth") with walls up to 150 m (500 ft) and level 10. There also is a wide range of hiking trails and mountain biking routes nearby. The town boasts of the largest recreational centers (13 hectares) in Vorarlberg, situated on the banks of the river Rhine's oxbow lake. One section of the hospital in Hohenems was originally built in 1908, and has now been totally renovated. Called the ''Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus'' ( "Empress Elisabeth hospital"), it is a magnificent example of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
architecture. It hosts the
palliative care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...
unit. The modern General Hospital was built in 1972.


Transport

Two state roads, the ''Vorarlberger Strasse'' L190 and the ''Rheinstrasse'' L203 cross the municipality from north to south. The L46 leads from the town center to the customs buildings at the border to Switzerland. Hohenems has motorway access to the ''Rheintal/Walgau-Autobahn'' (Austrian A14/
European route E60 European route E 60 is the second-longest road in the International E-road network and runs , from Brest, France (on the Atlantic coast), to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan (on the border with China). Route * **: Brest () **: Brest - Quimper ...
). Hohenems railway station is on the main west–east route connecting the Vorarlberg railway line () in the directions
Bregenz Bregenz (; ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost states of Austria, state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switzerland in the wes ...
and
Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
. The train system is operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (
ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
). The sole
airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
in Vorarlberg, with a 630 m (2,066 ft) runway, is located within the municipal borders


Trivia

Hohenems was one of the locations in the Swiss-Austrian film ''
Akte Grüninger ''Akte Grüninger'' is a Swiss-Austrian feature film produced in 2013 for the Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Swiss television SRF. The television film focuses on events in late summer 1938, when Paul Grüninger saved the lives of up to 3,600 Jewis ...
''. The town is the site of the climax of
Dennis Wheatley Dennis Yates Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) was an English writer whose prolific output of thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through to the 1960s. Early life Wheatley w ...
's novel about the 1914 outbreak of the First World War, ''The Second Seal'' (1950).
Bernard Levin Henry Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by ''The Times'' as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship t ...
mentions Hohenems in his book ''Conducted Tour'' (1982) as being the location of a music festival where all the works of
Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...
were performed in chronological order.


Twin towns

Hohenems has twinned with
Bystré and
Polička Polička (; ) is a town in Svitavy District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban m ...
in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
''(since 1997)''
Ostfildern Ostfildern (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Oschtfilder'') is a town in the Esslingen (district), district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located approximately 8 km southeast of Stuttgart. It was formed in 1975 ou ...
in the
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
''(since 2009)''


Notable persons

*
Rudolf von Ems Rudolf von Ems ( – 1254) was a Middle High German narrative poet. Life Rudolf von Ems was born in the Vorarlberg in Austria. He took his name from the castle of Hohenems near Bregenz, and was a knight in the service of the Counts of Montfor ...
(1200–1254),
Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
poet and minstrel. *
Markus Sittich von Hohenems Mark Sittich von Hohenems (24 June 1574 – 9 October 1619) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1612 until his death. Biography Mark Sittich von Hohenems was born in Hohenems, Further Austria (Vorarlberg), a member of the noble House of Ems. ...
(1574–1619),
Archbishop of Salzburg The Archdiocese of Salzburg (; ) is a Latin Church, Latin rite archdiocese of the Catholic Church centered in Salzburg, Austria. It is also the principal diocese of the ecclesiastical province of Salzburg. The archdiocese is one of two Austrian ...
*
Salomon Sulzer Salomon Sulzer (, 30 March 1804 – 17 January 1890) was an Austrian ''hazzan'' (cantor) and composer. Biography Sulzer was born in Hohenems, Vorarlberg. His family, which prior to 1813 bore the name of ''Levi'', had moved to Hohenems from ...
(1804–1890),
Cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...
and composer *
August Brentano August Brentano (undated) August Brentano (1828–1886) was a New York City newspaper dealer. Background August Brentano was born on December 23, 1828, in Hohenems, Austria. He immigrated to New York in 1851. Career Brentano started a busines ...
(1828–1886),
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
newspaper dealer; emigrated in 1851 *
Eugen Steinach Eugen Steinach (28 January 1861 – 14 May 1944) was an Austrian physiologist and pioneer in endocrinology. Steinach played a significant role in discovering the relationship between sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) and human physical ide ...
(1861–1944), an Austrian physiologist and pioneer in
endocrinology Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the ...
. * Bernhard Vogel, (DE Wiki) (1913–2000), politician (SPÖ), member of Parliament and the Federal Council *
Michael Köhlmeier Michael Köhlmeier (born 15 October 1949 in Hard, Austria)
(born 1949), Austrian writer and musician, lives locally *
Hans Jörg Schelling Johann Georg "Hans Jörg" Schelling (; born 27 December 1953) is an Austrian entrepreneur and politician of the Austrian People's Party and who served as Minister of Finance of Austria in the governments of chancellors Werner Faymann and Chris ...
(born 1953), entrepreneur, politician (ÖVP) and former Federal
Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...
* Fatima Spar, (DE Wiki) (born 1977), jazz singer and composer


Sport

*
Adi Hütter Adolf "Adi" Hütter (; born 11 February 1970) is an Austrian professional football coach and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Monaco. As a player, Hütter reached the 1993–94 UEFA Cup final, won the Austrian championship t ...
(born 1970), football player and coach, played 480 games and 14 for
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 ...
* Wolfram Waibel Jr. (born 1970), sports marksman, bronze and silver medallist at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
* Harald Morscher (born 1972), retired cyclist *
Christian Klien Christian Klien (born 7 February 1983) is an Austrian racing driver who competed in Formula One between and . Born and raised in Hohenems, Klien competed in Formula One for Jaguar, Red Bull and HRT, scoring 14 championship points across 51 ...
(born 1983), former
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
racing driver *
Ramazan Özcan Ramazan Özcan ( born 28 June 1984) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, mainly for his first club Austria Lustenau as well as German club FC Ingolstadt 04. Career Club Özcan started his professional career ...
(born 1984),
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
goalkeeper, played over 240 games and 10 for
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 ...
*
Matthias Brändle Matthias Brändle (born 7 December 1989) is an Austrian professional road bicycle racer. Brändle is a seven-time winner of the Austrian National Time Trial Championships (2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021), and also won the Austrian ...
(born 1989), professional cyclist *
Kevin Fend Kevin Fend (born 8 April 1990) is an Austrian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated ...
(born 1990), an Austrian football goalkeeper; has played over 330 games *
Marcel Mathis Marcel Mathis (born December 24, 1991) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria. Born in Hohenems, Vorarlberg, he primarily competed on the European Cup circuit, but raced in several World Cup events, all in giant slalom. Mathis' fir ...
(born 1993), alpine skier *
David Reinbacher David Reinbacher (born 25 October 2004) is an Austrian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected ...
, professional ice hockey player


Notes


External links


Town of Hohenems

Jewish Museum of Hohenems


{{Authority control Cities and towns in Dornbirn District Holocaust locations in Austria Vorarlberg