History Of Laa an der Thaya
Middle Ages
A settlement in the Thayan lowlands close to a ford existed in the 12th century, providing a vital north-south path from the Danube to Bohemia. About 1190 the Babenbergs bought land in the vicinity; Duke Leopold VI established a town about 1230. Originally intended as a defensive stronghold against northern and eastern enemies, Laa saw significant military strife in the 13th century.
Laa became a strategic site under Frederick the Quarrelsome and Ottokar II Přemysl; battles took place outside its gates. Ottokar II confirmed the Leopoldin city charter and named Kadolt von Wehing city captain, so improving Laa’s position. After Rudolf of Habsburg ascended in 1281, the people swore allegiance to him, so affirming their rights and accepting the city’s coat of arms featuring a fortified gate.
Laa’s significance declined during the early Habsburg era; it was often used as collateral for noble and ducal contracts. Laa faded into obscurity in the middle of the turbulent 15th century as economic stagnation defined this age. Laa’s situation worsened with Johann Sokol von Lamberg’s 1407 conquests and Hussite raids in 1426. Sovereigns granted Laa several rights, including the right to sell beer outside of the city limits in 1454, so fostering recovery.
Said to have spent eight years as a priest in Laa beginning in 1442, Enea Silvio de’ Piccolomini later became Pope Pius II. There is remembrance of him in the parish church of the town. Pius II is identified as the poem’s author: “You ancient city of Laa are the rival of Venice, just as this one is in the middle of the mud, that one is in the middle of the sea”. Reflecting Laa’s strategic relevance and resilience against hardship over the centuries, these historical events help to define Laa’s identity.
Modern times
Laa suffered a downturn during the Thirty Years’ War when Bohemian troops seized the city in 1619, so destroying historical records and causing major financial hardship. Although the city recovered its former population by 1680, it remained insignificant among Austria’s cities because of the extensive desertion of homes resulting from the later invasion by Swedish soldiers in 1645.
During Napoleon I’s visit in 1809 Laa was shown as a slumbering, underprivileged town surrounded by marshlands and with small houses. Still, Simon Scheiner’s early 19th-century leadership signaled the start of a changing era. Leading the effort to revive markets and control the Thaya River, Scheiner—a city councilor and subsequently mayor from 1829 to 1861—reclaimed rich agricultural land from marshy areas. Municipal assets—the mill and brewery—were sold; infrastructure development followed from the widening of road networks, destruction of medieval city gates, and street paving.
Scheiner’s efforts also drew the tax office and district court to Laa post-1850, so improving its regional profile. The city turned into a commercial center with a vibrant weekly market acting as a grain trading center. Establishing financial institutions, healthcare providers, and educational facilities also spurred development. Connectivity improved when the Laa Eastern Railway opened in 1869 linking Laa to Vienna and Brno.
The growth of social life made possible by the opening of bars and clubs promoted community involvement by itself. The opening of a contemporary secondary school in 1911 greatly enhanced educational possibilities, so changing the Laa educational scene.
As Laa became a border town with a smaller hinterland after the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart and World War I followed, it encountered fresh difficulties. Laa’s history highlights Simon Scheiner’s transforming leadership and the city’s ongoing efforts to adapt and flourish among changing sociopolitical settings, so highlighting its resilience and ability for transformation in response to protracted periods of hardship.
World War II
During the waning days of World War II, Laa experienced multiple air raids by Soviet forces from April 19 to 22, 1945, resulting in extensive damage to buildings and the loss of 22 civilian lives. Artillery fire compounded the devastation as the front remained stagnant south and east of the city for nearly three weeks. German troops evacuated on May 7, blowing up approximately 30 bridges before retreating toward Znaim. On May 8, the Red Army occupied Laa, preceded by intense combat in Ungerndorf on April 19, where numerous Russian and German tanks were destroyed. Ungerndorf suffered looting and extensive fire damage.
Notably, the grandfather of Russian oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska perished in a battle near Laa in 1945 and was interred in the city’s Russian military cemetery. Deripaska initiated the construction of a church adjacent to the cemetery in his grandfather’s memory, modeled after the Church of the Protection and Intercession of the Virgin Mary on the Nerl in Russia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Components for the church were crafted in Russia and transported to Austria for assembly, culminating in the church’s ceremonial opening on September 30, 2018, attended by high-ranking figures from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Post-war and present
During the last days of World War II, Laa was targeted by many Soviet air strikes from April 19 to 22, 1945. 22 civilian lives were lost and many buildings were destroyed as a result. Artillery-fire aggravated the damage even more as the front stayed still southeast of the city for almost three weeks. German troops withdrew on May 7, demolishing about thirty bridges before turning toward Znaim. Following a heavy battle in Ungerndorf on April 19, during which many Russian and German tanks were destroyed, the Red Army occupied Laa on May 8. Ungerndorf suffered major looting and fire damage.
Notably, the grandfather of Russian oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska died in a combat close to Laa in 1945 and was buried in the Russian military cemetery of the city. Inspired by the Church of the Protection and Intercession of the Virgin Mary on the Nerl in Russia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Deripaska started building a church in the memory of his grandfather. The church lies next to the graveyard. On September 30, 2018, the church opened formally in front high-ranking Russian Orthodox Church members. Designed in Russia, the elements for the church were shipped to Austria for assembly.
