Kasematten Wiener Neustadt

Extensive archaeological investigations, building research, and restorations carried out in the run-up to the Lower Austrian State Exhibition in 2017-2019 have revealed numerous new insights into the city’s history in the area of the casemates in the southwest of the old city fortifications.

In terms of building history, this allowed for the first time to precisely trace the beginning of the city wall, the surrounding moat, and the Zwinger wall.The conversions in the south-west corner indicate consistent growth in medieval and early modern architecture beginning in the 13th century.The weir system was altered, supplemented, replanned, and tailored to meet the needs of the new town’s city defense.The form of attachment evolved in lockstep with weapon technology.These transformations are depicted in a new display in the casemates’ oldest section, the so-called “Strada Coperta,” or covered passage.In the 16th century, the bastion was upgraded so that huge artillery pieces could be transported to an upstream defense structure in the case of an invasion.

Initially, visitors are introduced to the facility’s winding system via a layout and explanation.Selected findings from the 13th to the 20th centuries provide an overview of the archaeological excavation.An oil mill (13th century) discovered in an excavated wealthy townsman’s house in front of the casemates reveals the account of oil extraction as well as an important detail regarding medieval reuse of rare stone material.The “Kruseler Püppchen,” a 14th-century pipe clay playing figure, and an early playing piece, both found in the toilet, are important witnesses to ordinary history.The casemates’ history is revealed up to the present.On the one hand, through found material dealing with the tumultuous twentieth century,

Film sequences shot with the Puchberg-based association Historia vivens demonstrate the operation of 16th-century crossbows and weapons. These can also be seen in the original in immaculately preserved exhibits and as a staging.throughout simple words, a film takes you through the history of fortress construction throughout Europe.Textual evidence, but most notably the true-to-original outline of a massive cannon (length 5.20 m) at the 16th century level, convincingly illustrate the lowering of the Strada Coperta to its current level.An animated 3D animation of the fortifications depicts their evolution over numerous centuries and their position in the city’s defense system up to the present day.

A tactile, lit city map made of Corian allows the sight challenged to feel the 18th-century city architecture. Visitors looking for crucial places on the map are encouraged to act autonomously through the use of graphics and lighted push buttons.

On the one hand, the cultural mediation is based on the remarks of building researcher MMag. Ronald Woldron, which are available to individual guests at three listening stations.Conversely, 3D animation and the tactile city map are employed in discussion tours and workshops.There are special programs for children, young people, and adults.

The exhibition “The City as a Fortress” focuses on the casemates themselves and their historical significance for the city and its residents.This museum brings to life the history of this facility, which is unique in Europe.