Eisenstadt

Eisenstadt (or ) is the capital city of the 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 of the Leitha Mountains hill range.
From 1648 to 1921, Kismarton/Eisenstadt was part of the Habsburg Empire's Kingdom of Hungary and the seat of the Hungarian noble family Eszterházy. During this time, the composer Joseph Haydn lived and worked in Eisenstadt as a court musician under the patronage of the Esterházy family. After the cessation of Burgenland to Austria in 1921, the city became the province's capital in 1925. As the state capital of Burgenland, it functions as a center of public administration and services and is the seat of three institutes of higher education.
Geography
Eisenstadt lies on a plain leading down to the river Wulka, at the southern foot of the Leitha Mountains, about from the Hungarian border.
Subdivisions
Eisenstadt is divided into three districts (Ortsteile):
Eisenstadt-Stadt (Eisenstadt proper)
Kleinhöflein im Burgenland – a town that lies to the west of Eisenstadt proper
St. Georgen am Leithagebirge (Lajtaszentgyörgy; Svetojurje) – a town that lies to the east of Eisenstadt proper
Furthermore, Eisenstadt is divided into five Katastralgemeinden:
Eisenstadt-Stadt
Oberberg, or Oberberg-Eisenstadt – the northern area of Eisenstadt starting beyond the Jewish quarter
Unterberg, or Unterberg-Eisenstadt (Alsókismartonhegy; Željezno Donji Brig) – the southern area of Eisenstadt starting beyond the Kalvarienbergplatz & the Ruster Straße and including the Jewish quarter
Kleinhöflein im Burgenland
St. Georgen am Leithagebirge
Other informal areas of the city include Wiesäcker and Lobäcker, which lie south of the Eisbach, a tributary of the Wulka. The city is surrounded by the district (Bezirk) of Eisenstadt-Umgebung.
The city previously included the districts (Ortsteile) of Eisenstadt-Stadt, Eisenstadt-Oberberg, Eisenstadt-Unterberg, and Eisenstadt-Schloßgrund (Kismartonváralja).
Nearby municipalities
Großhöflein, Müllendorf, Steinbrunn, Neufeld/Leitha and Ebenfurth
Hornstein
Wulkaprodersdorf, Trausdorf/Wulka (on the Wulka and Eisbach)
Climate
Names and etymology
The city's name means "Iron City" and was first recorded in 1118 as Castrum ferrum, referring to the history of iron mining and iron trade in the area. The first written mention of the town is from 1264 as "minor Mortin", matching the Hungarian name, Kismarton, which recalls Martin of Tours, the patron saint of the main church.
History
Archeological finds prove that the Eisenstadt area was already settled in the Hallstatt period. Celts and Romans settled somewhat later. During the Migration Period, the area was settled by different Germanic tribes and the Huns. Around 800, during the reign of Charlemagne, settlement by the Bavarii began. The territory became part of the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century.
The fortress built on the original earth works was destroyed by the troops of Margrave Leopold III of Austria. In 1241, it was destroyed by the Mongol invaders. In 1373, the town came into the possession of the Kanizsai family, who rebuilt the walls surrounding the town and built a fortress at the site of the present day castle between 1388 and 1392. In 1388, Eisenstadt was given the right to hold markets by Emperor Sigismund.
From 1440 Archduke Albert VI of Austria held the town as collateral for a loan. In 1451, Matthias Corvinus ceded it to Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor in return for the Holy Crown of Hungary. Matthias Corvinus reconquered it by force in 1482, but Maximilian I acquired it again in 1490. It remained under Habsburg rule until 1622; however, the Ottoman Empire briefly conquered Kismarton in 1529 and 1532 during their advances on the city of Vienna (see Ottoman wars in Europe). It was destroyed by fire in 1589.
In 1648, it passed under the rule of the Esterházy family. These Hungarian princes permanently changed the face of the city due to their extensive construction, especially on their castle, Schloss Esterházy. During this period, the city was captured by the army of Imre Thököly in 1683, and it saw the defeat of the rebel kuruc army of Sándor Károlyi by the Habsburgs in 1704. It was again destroyed by fire in 1776.
The appointment of Joseph Haydn as the prince's Hofkapellmeister (court orchestra director, composing and performing music) began the great artistic period in the city's history. In 1809, Eisenstadt was occupied by French troops during the Napoleonic Wars; in 1897, it was joined to the railway network.
Until the end of World War I, it was the seat of Kismarton district in Sopron county in the Kingdom of Hungary. Without plebiscite, the city and the entire Hungarian territory of Burgenland (with the exception of the city of Sopron and 11 other villages in which referendums were held) was annexed to Austria by the Saint-Germain and Treaties of Trianon in 1921. Since 30 April 1925, Eisenstadt has been the seat of the Burgenland state government and thus the state capital. During World War II, Eisenstadt was heavily bombarded. On 2 April 1945, it was captured by Soviet troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Vienna Offensive, and the city remained under Soviet occupation until 1955. In 1960, it became the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Eisenstadt.
Politics
The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Thomas Steiner (ÖVP).
The district council is composed as follows:
Austrian People's Party (ÖVP): 17 seats
Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ): 8 seats
Austrian Green Party (Grüne): 3 seats
Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ): 1 seat
The total annual city budget of Eisenstadt in 2021 is €42.256.600 with total expenditure of €42.255.800.
Main sights
Profane buildings
Schloss Esterházy
Schlosspark
Orangerie
Leopoldinentempel
Gloriette, the former Esterházy hunting lodge.
City Hall
Cathedral Bastion and Powder tower
Martinkaserne, 19th-century military barracks
Religious buildings and districts
Bergkirche, housing Haydn's tomb
Eisenstadt Cathedral, late Gothic church dedicated to Saint Martin
Franziskanerkirche, baroque Franciscan church containing the crypt of the Esterházy family
Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder and Barmherzigenkirche Hl. Antonius von Padua, baroque hospital and church dedicated to Anthony of Padua
Jewish quarter (1732–1938, 1945–)
Private synagogue located within the Austrian Jewish Museum
Old and new Jewish cemetery
Museums
Haydnmuseum, a museum dedicated to Joseph Haydn, who lived in the building between 1766 and 1778.
Landesmuseum, regional museum
Austrian Jewish Museum
Diözesanmuseum, museum of the local Roman Catholic diocese
Feuerwehrmuseum, museum of the fire department
Education
Eisenstadt is the seat of the university of applied sciences FH Burgenland, the college of education PH Burgenland, and the music school Joseph-Haydn-Privathochschule Burgenland..
Culture
Eisenstadt formerly hosted a Joseph Haydn festival, the Haydn Festspiele, a viniculture festival, the Fest der 1000 Weine, and a tournament of the World Athletics Continental Tour, the Austrian Open.
Twin towns — sister cities
Eisenstadt is twinned with:
Bad Kissingen, Bavaria, Germany
Colmar, Haut-Rhin, Grand Est, France
Manassas, United States
Lignano Sabbiadoro, Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
Sanuki, Japan
Raleigh, United States
Sopron, Hungary
Notable people
Natives
Moritz Benedikt (1835–1920) neurologist
Isaiah Berlin (1725–1799) rabbi
Stefan Billes (1909, Kleinhöflein – 2002) politician
Friedrich Bridgetower (1782-1813) composer, cellist, brother of George Bridgetower
Akiva Eiger (1761–1837) rabbi and champion of Orthodox Judaism
Paul I, 1st Prince Esterházy of Galántha (1635–1713)
Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy (1711–1762) soldier and patron of music
Gyula Farkas (1894–1958) linguist
Andrea Fraunschiel (1955–2019) mayor
Josef Hyrtl (1810–1894) anatomist
Andreas Ivanschitz (1983 – ) football player, lived in Baumgarten, about from Eisenstadt
Josef Kirchknopf (1930, Kleinhöflein – ), politician
Johann Luif (1959, Kleinhöflein – ), BG, Commander Provincial Military Headquarters Burgenland
Maria Perschy (1938–2004, Vienna) actress
Rudolf Simek (1954– ) Germanist and Philologian.
Martin Vukovich (1944 – ) diplomat
Joseph Franz Weigl (1740–1820) cellist
Joseph Weigl (1766–1846) composer and conductor
Anton Pauschenwein (1981 – ) football player
Thomas Mandl (1979 – ) football player
Michael Mörz (1980 – ) football player
Johann Dihanich (1958 – ) football player
Other residents
Samuel Löw Brill (1814–1897), rabbi and Talmudical scholar; born in Budapest; attended yeshiva
Meir Eisenstadt (1670–1744) rabbi of the Siebengemeinden
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), musician, born in Rohrau
Azriel Hildesheimer (1820–1899), German rabbi, founder of Torah im Derech Eretz; in 1851, he was called to the rabbinate of Eisenstadt
Markus Horovitz (1844–1915), German rabbi and historian; born March 14, 1844, in Tiszaladány, Hungary, pursued his rabbinical studies at the yeshiva
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837), musician
Paul Iby (born 1935), a reformist Roman Catholic bishop
Adam Liszt (1776–1827), musician, father of Franz Liszt
Leopold Löw (1811–1875), born in Černá Hora, Moravia, studied at the yeshiva of Eisenstadt
Mordecai Mokiach (ca. 1650–1724), "pseudo"-Messiah, born in Alsace
Robert Musil (1880–1942), author
Ignaz Pleyel (1757–1831), composer
Emanuel Schreiber (1852–1932), rabbi
Fritz Spiegl (1926–2003) musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector
Isaac Hirsch Weiss (1815–1905), talmudist and historian of literature; born at Velké Meziříčí, Moravia; studied at yeshiva
Samson Wertheimer (1658–1724), rabbi
Aaron Wise (1844–1896), rabbi, born in Eger, Hungary, studied at yeshiva; the father of Stephen Samuel Wise
As a surname
Eisenstadt (also Ajzenstat, Eisenstaedter, Asch, etc.), a Jewish surname, derives from this city. Some people with this surname or its variants include:
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Meir Eisenstadt
Shmuel Eisenstadt Israeli sociologist
Stuart E. Eizenstat
Moses Asch
References
External links
Official website
Official tourism website
Österreichisches Jüdisches Museum (Austrian Jewish Museum)
Jewish Encyclopedia article on the Jewish community of Eisenstadt
Schloss Esterházy (Esterházy Castle)
Fachhochschul-Studiengänge Burgenland University of applied sciences.
Austrian state capitals
Districts of Burgenland
Cities and towns in Burgenland
Esterházy family
Siebengemeinden
Eisenstadt-Umgebung District