Hohenems
Encyclopedia
Hohenems is a town in the westernmost Austria
n state
of Vorarlberg
, in the Dornbirn district
. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 15,200 it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg. Hohenems' attractions include a Renaissance
palace dating back to the 16th century and a Jewish museum.
. Hohenems extends for 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from north to south and 8.2 km (5.1 mi) from west to east. Its total area is 29 km², of which 42 % are covered with forest. The oxbow lake
of the river Rhine in the west, forming the border of Austria as well as EU to Switzerland
, and the mountainside in the east implies the narrowest point of the Austrian Rhine valley. The Schlossberg ("castle mountain"), elevation 740 m (2,400 ft), depicts a distinctive backdrop of the town centre.
Hohenems is subdivided into the neighborhoods of Markt (centre), Oberklien and Unterklien (north), Hohenems-Reute (east), Schwefel (south) and Herrenried (west). It is surrounded by six other municipalities, Lustenau
and Dornbirn
in the Dornbirn district (north and east), Fraxern
, Götzis
and Altach
in the Feldkirch district
(south) and Diepoldsau
in the Swiss canton
St. Gallen
(west).
. The stronghold was very strung-out and extended up to 800 m (2,625 ft) in length and 85 m (280 ft) in width. The counts and knights of Hohenems resided there, being at the peak of fame from 13th to 16th century.
On a crest near Alt-Ems the Burg Neu-Ems
(also "Schloss Glopper") is located, built in 1343. In 1407 both castles were destroyed during the Appenzell Wars
and rebuilt shortly afterwards. Burg Neu-Ems is still intact today and in the private property of the Waldburg-Zeil
family, descendants of the counts of Hohenems.
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 under the direction of Martino Longhi the Elder
. In the 18th century Hohenems was noted for the discovery of two manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied
, found in 1755 and 1779 in the palace's library.
The first time Hohenems received the rights and liberties of a city (German Stadtrecht) already was in 1333, but the town never made use of this municipal law. Only at the 650th anniversary of the Stadtrecht, in 1983, the government of Vorarlberg entitled Hohenems to all city rights.
, a ritual bath (mikvah
), a school and a poorhouse were built. A cemetery was established on the southern outskirts of town. The first coffee house in 1797, and in 1841, the first bank and insurance company in Vorarlberg were the result of the Jewish economic activity in the town. The community reached its peak in 1862, with 564 Jewish citizens living in Hohenems, 12 % of the population. The Jewish presence in town was terminated in 1942, with the deportation
of the remaining Jew, Frieda Nagelberg.
Although the synagogue survived Kristallnacht
without damage, it was acquired by the municipality after the war and converted into a fire station. Everything related to its uses as a synagogue was removed or destroyed, a condition that continued until 2001, when the synagogue was partly reconstructed. The Jewish quarter, which has had historical preservation status since 1996, consists of 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 centre of the Jewish quarter. The museum commemorates the history of the Jewish community in Hohenems. The few remaining objects it presents, predominantly two-dimensional, are testament to the elimination of all Jewish traces in Vorarlberg. The Jewish cemetery in the south of the town dates to the first Jewish settlement in 1617 and is still in use today. It contains more than 500 graves, 370 gravestones of which survive today.
. On the way to Hohenems' mountain village Reute the Stoffels Säge-Mühle ("Stoffel's sawmill") museum can be found, which presents the history of saw milling and mill grinding technologies of 2,000 years.
Hohenems has several leisure facilities. In the mountain area there is a small ski resort (Schuttannen alp) 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 range of hiking and mountain biking routes. The town owns the biggest recreation and leisure centre (13 hectare) in Vorarlberg, situated at the banks of the river Rhine's oxbow lake.
Since 1908 there is a hospital in Hohenems, when the Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus ("Queen Elisabeth hospital") was built in Art Nouveau
. It hosts the palliative care
unit of the provincial hospital today, which in 1972 was put up in form of a concrete block, contiguous to the old one. After long discussions, also the first crematory
in the state of Vorarlberg was erected in 1998.
) and connection to the Vorarlbergbahn railway line in directions Bregenz
and Innsbruck
, operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB
). Within municipal borders the sole airfield of Vorarlberg is located, the Flugplatz Hohenems-Dornbirn with a 630 m (2,066 ft) runway.
with
Bystré
and Polička
in the Czech Republic
(since 1997)
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n state
States of Austria
Austria is a federal republic made up of nine states, known in German as Länder . Since Land is also the German word for a country, the term Bundesländer is often used instead to avoid ambiguity. The Constitution of Austria uses both terms...
of Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg is the westernmost federal-state of Austria. Although it is the second smallest in terms of area and population , it borders three countries: Germany , Switzerland and Liechtenstein...
, in the Dornbirn district
Dornbirn (district)
The Bezirk Dornbirn is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is a rather young district, which was split from the Feldkirch district only in 1969....
. It lies in the middle of the Austrian part of the Rhine valley. With a population of 15,200 it is the fifth largest municipality in Vorarlberg. Hohenems' attractions include a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
palace dating back to the 16th century and a Jewish museum.
Geography
The town is located at 432 m (1417 ft) above sea level, about 16 km (10 mi) south of Lake ConstanceLake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
. Hohenems extends for 5.5 km (3.4 mi) from north to south and 8.2 km (5.1 mi) from west to east. Its total area is 29 km², of which 42 % are covered with forest. The oxbow lake
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
of the river Rhine in the west, forming the border of Austria as well as EU to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and the mountainside in the east implies the narrowest point of the Austrian Rhine valley. The Schlossberg ("castle mountain"), elevation 740 m (2,400 ft), depicts a distinctive backdrop of the town centre.
Hohenems is subdivided into the neighborhoods of Markt (centre), Oberklien and Unterklien (north), Hohenems-Reute (east), Schwefel (south) and Herrenried (west). It is surrounded by six other municipalities, Lustenau
Lustenau
Lustenau is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg, in the Dornbirn district. It lies on the Rhine River, which forms the border with Switzerland. Lustenau is Vorarlberg's fourth largest town in terms of inhabitants ....
and Dornbirn
Dornbirn
Dornbirn is a city in Vorarlberg, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district Dornbirn, which also includes the city of Hohenems, and the market town Lustenau....
in the Dornbirn district (north and east), Fraxern
Fraxern
Fraxern is a small municipality in the district of Feldkirch in Vorarlberg, Austria....
, Götzis
Götzis
Götzis is a town in the western Austrian state of Vorarlberg, district Feldkirch.The town is well-known for its annual hypo-combined events meeting, the so called Hypo-Meeting, where some of the world's leading decathletes and heptathletes gather in the Mösle stadium...
and Altach
Altach
Altach is a municipality in Feldkirch district, Vorarlberg state, Austria. It has a population of 6,512.- Geography :Altach lies in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg at 412 m above sea level. Its total area is 5.36 km²...
in the Feldkirch district
Feldkirch (district)
The Bezirk Feldkirch is an administrative district in Vorarlberg, Austria.Area of the district is 278.26 km², population is 98,717 , and population density 350 persons per km²...
(south) and Diepoldsau
Diepoldsau
Diepoldsau is a municipality in the Wahlkreis 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.-Geography:...
in the Swiss canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
(west).
History
The summit of the Schlossberg, within 45 minutes walk from town centre, hosts the ruins of Alt-Ems, a castle dating back to the 9th century. From 12th century it was among the biggest fortifications of the German partsHoly Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. The stronghold was very strung-out and extended up to 800 m (2,625 ft) in length and 85 m (280 ft) in width. The counts and knights of Hohenems resided there, being at the peak of fame from 13th to 16th century.
On a crest near Alt-Ems the Burg Neu-Ems
Burg Neu-Ems
Neu-Ems Castle is a medieval castle in Hohenems in the province of Vorarlberg, Austria. It was the fortification of the nobility Herren von Ems .-Location:...
(also "Schloss Glopper") is located, built in 1343. In 1407 both castles were destroyed during the Appenzell Wars
Appenzell Wars
The Appenzell Wars were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1401 until 1429 in the Appenzell region of Switzerland. The wars were a successful uprising of cooperative groups, such as the farmers of Appenzell or the craftsmen of the city of St. Gallen, against the traditional medieval power...
and rebuilt shortly afterwards. Burg Neu-Ems is still intact today and in the private property of the Waldburg-Zeil
Waldburg-Zeil
Waldburg-Zeil was a County located in southeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located around Zeil. Waldburg-Zeil was a partition of Waldburg-Wolfegg-Zeil...
family, descendants of the counts of Hohenems.
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 under the direction of Martino Longhi the Elder
Martino Longhi the Elder
Martino Longhi the Elder was an Italian architect, the father of Onorio Longhi and the grandfather of Martino Longhi the Younger.He was born in Viggiù into a family of architects, and initially worked in Germany for the Altemps family, who were relatives of the Milanese Borromeo...
. In the 18th century Hohenems was noted for the discovery of two manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied
Nibelungenlied
The Nibelungenlied, translated as The Song of the Nibelungs, is an epic poem in Middle High German. The story tells of dragon-slayer Siegfried at the court of the Burgundians, how he was murdered, and of his wife Kriemhild's revenge....
, found in 1755 and 1779 in the palace's library.
The first time Hohenems received the rights and liberties of a city (German Stadtrecht) already was in 1333, but the town never made use of this municipal law. Only at the 650th anniversary of the Stadtrecht, in 1983, the government of Vorarlberg entitled Hohenems to all city rights.
Jewish heritage
The Jewish community in Hohenems began with a charter in 1617 and a synagogueSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, a ritual bath (mikvah
Mikvah
Mikveh is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism...
), a school and a poorhouse were built. A cemetery was established on the southern outskirts of town. The first coffee house in 1797, and in 1841, the first bank and insurance company in Vorarlberg were the result of the Jewish economic activity in the town. The community reached its peak in 1862, with 564 Jewish citizens living in Hohenems, 12 % of the population. The Jewish presence in town was terminated in 1942, with the deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
of the remaining Jew, Frieda Nagelberg.
Although the synagogue survived Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
without damage, it was acquired by the municipality after the war and converted into a fire station. Everything related to its uses as a synagogue was removed or destroyed, a condition that continued until 2001, when the synagogue was partly reconstructed. The Jewish quarter, which has had historical preservation status since 1996, consists of 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 centre of the Jewish quarter. The museum commemorates the history of the Jewish community in Hohenems. The few remaining objects it presents, predominantly two-dimensional, are testament to the elimination of all Jewish traces in Vorarlberg. The Jewish cemetery in the south of the town dates to the first Jewish settlement in 1617 and is still in use today. It contains more than 500 graves, 370 gravestones of which survive today.
Infrastructure
Apart from the historical sites, the town centre lacks urban ambience in relation to the number of inhabitants. However there is a certain number of hotels, shops and restaurants. On the outskirts near the motorway there are some branches of multinational trade chains and a ten-screen multiplexMultiplex (movie theater)
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically three or more. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an...
. On the way to Hohenems' mountain village Reute the Stoffels Säge-Mühle ("Stoffel's sawmill") museum can be found, which presents the history of saw milling and mill grinding technologies of 2,000 years.
Hohenems has several leisure facilities. In the mountain area there is a small ski resort (Schuttannen alp) 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 range of hiking and mountain biking routes. The town owns the biggest recreation and leisure centre (13 hectare) in Vorarlberg, situated at the banks of the river Rhine's oxbow lake.
Since 1908 there is a hospital in Hohenems, when the Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Krankenhaus ("Queen Elisabeth hospital") was built in Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
. It hosts the palliative care
Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients...
unit of the provincial hospital today, which in 1972 was put up in form of a concrete block, contiguous to the old one. After long discussions, also the first crematory
Crematory
A crematory is a machine in which cremation takes place. Crematories are usually found in funeral homes, cemeteries, or in stand-alone facilities. A facility which houses the actual cremator units is referred to as a crematorium.-History:Prior to the Industrial Revolution, any cremation which took...
in the state of Vorarlberg was erected in 1998.
Transportation
Two state roads, the Vorarlberger Strasse L190 and the Rheinstrasse L203 are crossing the municipality from north to south. The L46 leads from town centre to customs to Switzerland. Hohenems has motorway access to the Rheintal/Walgau-Autobahn (Austrian A14/European route E60European route E60
European route E 60 is a E-road running from Brest, France , to Irkeshtam, Kyrgyzstan...
) and connection to the Vorarlbergbahn railway line in directions Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
). Within municipal borders the sole airfield of Vorarlberg is located, the Flugplatz Hohenems-Dornbirn with a 630 m (2,066 ft) runway.
Twin towns
Hohenems is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with
BystréBystré (Svitavy District)
Bystré is a town in the Czech Republic. It is located in Svitavy District approximately 12 kilometers south east from Polička. As of August 2006 Bystré had 1668 inhabitants.- History :...
and Polička
Policka
Polička is a town on Bohemia-Moravia borderline in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 10,000 inhabitants. It is about 17 km west of Svitavy.- History :Polička was founded in the year 1265 by Bohemian king Přemysl Otakar II...
in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(since 1997)
Notable persons
- Jean AméryJean AméryJean Améry , born Hanns Chaim Mayer, was an Austrian-born essayist whose work was often informed by his experiences during World War II...
, resistanceResistance during World War IIResistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
essayist - Rudolf von EmsRudolf von EmsRudolf von Ems was a mediaeval Austrian epic 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 Montfort. His works were written between 1220 and 1254...
, medieval poet - Christian KlienChristian KlienChristian Klien is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. In total he has scored 14 points in Formula One.Klien currently drives for Aston Martin Racing in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup-Racing career:...
, Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Racing Driver - Michael KöhlmeierMichael KöhlmeierMichael Köhlmeier is a contemporary Austrian writer and musician.He studied Politics and German at the University of Marburg, Germany, and Mathematics and Philosophy at the universities in Giessen and Frankfurt, Germany...
, Austrian writer - Ramazan ÖzcanRamazan ÖzcanRamazan Özcan is a Turkish-Austrian goalkeeper for FC Ingolstadt 04.-Club:Özcan started his professional career with Austria Lustenau in 2003 and moved to Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2006...
, football goalkeeper - Markus Sitticus von Hohenems AltempsMarkus Sitticus von Hohenems AltempsMarkus Sitticus III von Hohenems Altemps, Cardinal Altemps was a German Catholic prelate, who was Bishop of Constance , papal legate and Cardinal.-Biography:...
, renaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
churchman - Salomon SulzerSalomon SulzerSalomon Sulzer was an Austrian hazzan and composer. His family, which prior to 1813 bore the name of Levi, removed to Hohenems from Sulz in 1748. He was educated for the cantorate, studying first under the cantors of Endingen and Karlsruhe, with whom he traveled extensively, and later under...
, hazzanHazzanA hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
and composer - Wolfram Waibel Jr.Wolfram Waibel Jr.Wolfram Waibel Jr. is an Austrian sport shooter.He was born in Hohenems, Austria. He competed for Austria and won both a silver medal and a bronze medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics. He shares the world record in the 50 meter rifle prone competition.-Current world record in 50 m rifle prone...
(born 1970), Austrian sport shooter