History Of Klosterneuburg
The earliest traces of human settlement in Klosterneuburg date back to the Neolithic era. Underground historical facilities beneath the city center have been dated back to the Neolithic and Roman times. These facilities include a well, a cellar, and a tunnel system that was used for defense and escape.
Antiquity
The earliest settlement continuity developed from the middle of the first century AD with the founding of a Roman military camp for auxiliary troops, the westernmost one in the province of Pannonia.Many archeological digs offer proof of Roman life and the local settlement until the fifth century.Although several suggestions have been proposed for the name of this fort, current research reveals it was “Arrianis”.Part of the Limes, the Roman Empire’s border defense system, the fort guarded the Danube against Germanic tribes.
Middle Ages
A house including a St. Martin’s Church was erected at Omundesdorf in the Bavarian Ostland during the last conquest of the Avar Empire by the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne, perhaps today’s Klosterneuburg.On the upper plateau, evidence of habitation did not start once again until the 11th century.
The earliest known written reference of it as “Nivvenburc,” (Neuenburg), comes from 1108.It appears in the Klosterneuburg Abbey tradition book.
When Margrave Leopold III built a beautiful residential town here in 1113, the city became very significant. Married Agnes, the daughter of Emperor Henry IV, Leopold III erected his magnificent house on the outskirts of the Upper City, with the size and design fit for the rank of the imperial prince. In 1114 Leopold III formally set the cornerstone for a new massive collegiate church.Originally a college for secular canons, the church was turned into an Augustinian monastery in 1133.Neuburg was already growing to the degree it has sustained for millennia at that time. Although the Danube presented a serious threat to the people living in this village, it also served as their lifeline as most commerce products were carried by river. The regular floods drove the inhabitants on the other side of the Danube farther and more inland, thereby separating the two districts at the beginning of the 13th century into Neuburg klosterhalben (Klosterneuburg) and Neuburg markthalben (Korneuburg). Albrecht I, who had a new castle constructed as a home at Neuburg in 1288, was aware of the enormous hardships the natural divide caused for the inhabitants. Albrecht I divided the city in half in 1298 and issued Neuburg a fresh city charter in the really earlier settlement center, the monastery region.
The Hungarian military commander Tobias von Černahora captured the city in April 1483 as part of the succession conflicts between the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus and Emperor Friedrich III for the Kingdom of Bohemia; Frederick III left Vienna and withdrew to the safety of Wiener Neustadt. Ten days later, on May 5, Klosterneuburg was the first of the Austrian cities under conquest to get validation of its privileges.
Lower City (today’s town square and Martinsviertel) had to be constantly subjected to enemy sieges as its defense was inadequate. Several times it was stolen and destroyed as the people took refuge in the well defended Upper City. This especially applied during the Turkish sieges in 1529 and 1683. Mostly the accomplishment of two canons and the great solidarity between the monastery and the city was the fact that the city was able to hold out until the end in 1683 despite its weak forces and was thus able to form an important flank protection when the allied Christian army marched to the relief of Vienna.
Modern times
“Klosterneugburg.” Eagon Schiele (1907) First Austrian shipyard ever, Wilhelm Rudolph Freiherr von Ripke established the Klosterneuburg shipyard in 1763. Emperor Charles VI ordered architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt to create a massive baroque edifice and intended Klosterneuburg Abbey to be the imperial burial site. But political upheavals and financial problems never let the project be finished.
Attracted by its picturesque scenery and cultural legacy, Klosterneuburg became to be a famous site for scientists, authors, and painters in the 19th century. Among these were Egon Schiele, Nikola Tesla, Franz Grillparzer, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Ferdinand Raimund. Along with the building of the railway and the bridge across the Danube, the town saw the growth in trade, industry, and education.
Klosterneuburg confronted difficulties including two world wars, the Nazi government, and post-war occupation in the 20th century. Particularly in the Lower City, the town sustained great damage and was bombarded multiple times. The efforts of the abbot saved the monastery from ruin. Klosterneuxurg joined the Soviet occupation zone following the war until 1955. The community rebuilt slowly and saw economic development as well as population increase. Particularly in the domains of nuclear physics, biotechnology, and neurology, the town also developed as a hub of scientific activity.
With a rich cultural and historical legacy, great quality of living, and a strong feeling of community, Klosterneuburg is still a lively and appealing town in the twenty-first century. Apart from upholding its customs and character, the town is dedicated to social responsibility and environmental sustainability.
