Rattersdorf
Encyclopedia
Rattersdorf is an Austria
n hamlet
about 90 km south of Vienna
, with a population of under 500. It is in the municipality
of Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz
, Oberpullendorf
district, Burgenland
state. Until 1899 the village was officially known by the more abbreviated name of Rőt.
, off Austrian Highway 55 (Kirchschlager
-Bundesstraße
). For its last 6 kilometres before the junction with Hwy. 61 (which extends into Hungary as Hwy. 87), Hwy. 55 closely follows the Austro-Hungarian border north of the Kőszegi Nature Protection Zone
, near the Hungarian village of Kőszeg
. The nearest railway station is Bahnhof Rattersdorf-Liebing. Rattersdorf forms a part of the Kőszeg Lutheran parish and is the seat of the Rattersdorf Catholic
parish; civil records are maintained in Lockenhaus
.
Rattersdorf offers direct access to the nature park at Mt. Geschriebenstein (Írott-kő)
; since Hungary joined the Schengen Agreement
in 2007, no border controls have been in place. The village is also conveniently linked to Austria's well-developed system of hiking trails and mostly asphalted cycling paths. Lutzmannsburg
is 15 km away, and the Austrian wine
country of Mittelburgenland
, famous for Blaufränkisch
grapes, is 25 km away.
of Lockenhaus
(still the name of a nearby town of about 2,000 people). By 1390, the village was in the possession of the Kanizsay family.
In 1532 an Ottoman army
besieged the area, abducting or killing most of the population of Liebing
and Rattersdorf and destroying both villages.
By 1676, near the apogee of Ottoman power in Europe
, the lands of Galántha
(now in Slovakia
) included Lockenhaus and Rattersdorf and were owned by the Esterházy family, descending from Ferenc Zerházy (1563–1594), first baron of Galántha.
the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) provisionally assigned the German-speaking Burgenland to Austria but did not settle the exact Austro-Hungarian border. Pursuant to the 1920 Treaty of Trianon
, the four villages initially became a part of the Kőszeg subdivision of the Vas administrative district in the Kingdom of Hungary
, and a neutral boundary determination commission was created to delineate the frontier.
The new countries made overlapping territorial claims. The Hungarian delegation pointed out that the four villages had long-established trading ties with the Hungarian town of Kőszeg (known in German as Güns), whilst Austria, with its greatly reduced territory, population and resources, would face considerable difficulties in adequately providing the area with food and other supplies. An important factor behind the Hungarian position was Prince Pál Miklós Victor Esterházy's vast land holdings, which included much of the area in and around Lockenhaus and which he wished to remain within Hungary's territorial boundary; the Hungarian government saw that their best interest lay in supporting his claim. As it happened, although a short-lived communist
government took power in 1919 under Béla Kun
, it failed to redistribute large Hungarian estates, such as those of Esterházy, to the peasantry and became embroiled in war with both Romania
and Czechoslovakia
.
As regards the economic relations of Kőszeg
to its substantial hinterland, Austria argued that the area, considered as a single economic entity, had more connections with Austria than with Hungary and that rather than attaching the four villages to Hungary, Kőszeg should instead form a part of Austrian Burgenland. Furthermore, if the counterclaim were not accepted, Esterházy need not fear economic difficulties resulting from the alienation of his lands; Austria would willingly compensate him by allowing Austrian timber harvested from his lands to be milled in Hungary.
Austria explained to the boundary determination commission its belief that the loss of Lockenhaus, Hammerteich, Liebing and Rattersdorf would thwart the then proposed expansion of the Kirchschlag
-Deutschkreutz
railway line to Liebing and also the expansion of a line to Oberschützen
-Hartberg
. Cutting off access to the hinterland would also undermine the viability of the Deutschkreutz
-Mannersdorf
railway line.
Austrians also feared losing Lockenhaus to Hungary, believing that local boundary changes would lead to the loss of the glassworks in Glashütten
(known in Hungarian as Szalónakhuta), which manufactured a beautiful yellow glass through the admixture of sulphur. In an April 1922 report the Austrian Ministry of Trade and Industry had declared the glassworks essential to Austrian commerce. The dispute was referred to the League of Nations
Council in Geneva
, which decided on 19 September 1922 that the mostly German-speaking communities of Lockenhaus and Hammerteich — as well as of Luising in the district of Güssing
, some 35 km south of Rattersdorf and also claimed by Hungary — would be assigned to Austria, whilst Rattersdorf and Liebing, despite the wish of German-speaking majorities as expressed in a 1921 plebiscite, should be assigned to Hungary.
Austria was unhappy with the decision on the status of Rattersdorf and Liebing. The Burgenland state government now proposed an exchange in which these two communities would be joined to Austria, while Austria would transfer its villages of Bleigraben and Prostrum to Hungary, a solution supported by most people in the latter two villages, who were largely Croatian
-speaking.
At a meeting in Ödenburg
(now known by its Hungarian name Sopron) on 22 November 1922 the two countries reached consensus on the proposed swap, and the Paris Conférence des Ambassadeurs
ratified the border settlement on 27 January 1923. In March 1923 the border was redrawn, and the Hungarian dictator Miklós Horthy
ceded Liebing (then known by its Hungarian name Rendek) and Rattersdorf (Rőtfalva) to Austria, making these the youngest villages within Austria
n Burgenland
. At the same time the former Austrian hamlets of Bleigraben (now Ólmod
) and Prostrum (now Szentpéterfa
) were transferred to Hungary
. After both sides accepted an accurate map detailing the line of demarcation, the neutral boundary determination commission was dissolved at its last meeting in Sopron
on 2 August 1924.
of 1938 until the end of World War II
in 1945, Rattersdorf, as with the rest of Austria, was incorporated within Nazi Germany
.
church in Gothic
style, the oldest church in Burgenland. Erected beside a sacred spring
in 1207, it was expanded with Renaissance
elements in the 14th and 15th centuries. After its destruction by an Ottoman army
in 1532, Prince Pál Esterházy reconstructed it in Baroque
style in 1696. During World War II
the church was commandeered for use as a munitions bunker, and the building was subsequently renovated in 1964.
Rattersdorf has a Gasthaus
, a small Adeg - Schlapschy supermarket
and a Volksschule
, which offers kindergarten
plus the first four years of primary education.
The "Musikverein Grenzland", also founded in 1967, is a group of 40 musicians led by Concertmaster Helmut Draskovits.
Rattersdorf has a volunteer fire department (Freiwillige Feuerwehr Rattersdorf) and a beautification committee (Verschönerungsverein Rattersdorf).
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 hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
about 90 km south of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, with a population of under 500. It is in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz
Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz
Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz is a municipality in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria.The municipality includes the following settlements:* Klostermarienberg* Unterloisdorf* Mannersdorf* Rattersdorf* Liebing...
, Oberpullendorf
Oberpullendorf
Oberpullendorf is a town in Burgenland, Austria. It is the administrative center of the district of Oberpullendorf.- Geography :Oberpullendorf is situated in the middle of the Burgenland, in the valley of the Stooberbach. The town is divided into Mitterpullendorf and Oberpullendorf.- History :The...
district, Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
state. Until 1899 the village was officially known by the more abbreviated name of Rőt.
Location
Rattersdorf is 1 km south of LiebingLiebing, Austria
Liebing is a town in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria. It is part of the municipality of Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz....
, off Austrian Highway 55 (Kirchschlager
Kirchschlag in der Buckligen Welt
Kirchschlag in der Buckligen Welt is a municipality in the district of Wiener Neustadt-Land in Lower Austria, Austria.Kirchschlag is one of 12 locations in Austria performing passion play ....
-Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
). For its last 6 kilometres before the junction with Hwy. 61 (which extends into Hungary as Hwy. 87), Hwy. 55 closely follows the Austro-Hungarian border north of the Kőszegi Nature Protection Zone
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, near the Hungarian village of Kőszeg
Koszeg
----Kőszeg is a town in Vas county, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.- History :The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas go back to the third quarter of the 13th century...
. The nearest railway station is Bahnhof Rattersdorf-Liebing. Rattersdorf forms a part of the Kőszeg Lutheran parish and is the seat of the Rattersdorf Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
parish; civil records are maintained in Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus is a town in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria.- History :The town was part of Hungary since the foundation of the kingdom in the year 1000. Since 1898 the name Léka had to be used because of the Magyarization by the government in Budapest...
.
Rattersdorf offers direct access to the nature park at Mt. Geschriebenstein (Írott-kő)
Írott-ko
Írott-kő or Geschriebenstein is the highest mountain of the Kőszeg Mountains range, located on the border between Austria and Hungary. Its height is 884 m according to Austrian sources, whereas Hungarian references mostly mention 883 m. It is the highest mountain of Western Hungary and of...
; since Hungary joined the Schengen Agreement
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
in 2007, no border controls have been in place. The village is also conveniently linked to Austria's well-developed system of hiking trails and mostly asphalted cycling paths. Lutzmannsburg
Lutzmannsburg
Lutzmannsburg is a village in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria....
is 15 km away, and the Austrian wine
Austrian wine
Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines with some luscious dessert wines made around the Neusiedler See. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch , Pinot Noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt...
country of Mittelburgenland
Oberpullendorf (district)
Bezirk Oberpullendorf is a district of the state ofBurgenland in Austria.-Municipalities:Towns are indicated in boldface; market towns in italics; suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters.Where appropriate, the Hungarian or Croatian names are...
, famous for Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character...
grapes, is 25 km away.
Mediæval times
The first documented reference to the village, in the form Reuth, dates to 1279, when it was recorded as a possession of "Mons. de Reuth", who had acquired the estate from the feudal seigneuryManorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus
Lockenhaus is a town in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria.- History :The town was part of Hungary since the foundation of the kingdom in the year 1000. Since 1898 the name Léka had to be used because of the Magyarization by the government in Budapest...
(still the name of a nearby town of about 2,000 people). By 1390, the village was in the possession of the Kanizsay family.
In 1532 an Ottoman army
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
besieged the area, abducting or killing most of the population of Liebing
Liebing
Liebing is a German surname that may refer to:* Otto Liebing, , German rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics* Chris Liebing, German techno producer and DJ* Franziska Liebing, , Swedish actress...
and Rattersdorf and destroying both villages.
By 1676, near the apogee of Ottoman power in Europe
Ottoman wars in Europe
The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...
, the lands of Galántha
Galanta
Galanta is a small town in Slovakia. It is situated 50 km due east from the Slovak capital Bratislava.-Geography:Galanta lies in the Danubian Lowland , the warm southern part of Slovakia...
(now in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
) included Lockenhaus and Rattersdorf and were owned by the Esterházy family, descending from Ferenc Zerházy (1563–1594), first baron of Galántha.
Austro-Hungarian boundary
Rattersdorf's population at the 1910 census of Austria–Hungary was predominantly German-speaking; indeed, the four villages of Liebing, Rattersdorf, Hammerteich and Lockenhaus had a combined population of 2,381 German speakers but only 124 identifying themselves as ethnic Hungarians. After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919) provisionally assigned the German-speaking Burgenland to Austria but did not settle the exact Austro-Hungarian border. Pursuant to the 1920 Treaty of Trianon
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
, the four villages initially became a part of the Kőszeg subdivision of the Vas administrative district in the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, and a neutral boundary determination commission was created to delineate the frontier.
The new countries made overlapping territorial claims. The Hungarian delegation pointed out that the four villages had long-established trading ties with the Hungarian town of Kőszeg (known in German as Güns), whilst Austria, with its greatly reduced territory, population and resources, would face considerable difficulties in adequately providing the area with food and other supplies. An important factor behind the Hungarian position was Prince Pál Miklós Victor Esterházy's vast land holdings, which included much of the area in and around Lockenhaus and which he wished to remain within Hungary's territorial boundary; the Hungarian government saw that their best interest lay in supporting his claim. As it happened, although a short-lived communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
government took power in 1919 under Béla Kun
Béla Kun
Béla Kun , born Béla Kohn, was a Hungarian Communist politician and a Bolshevik Revolutionary who led the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919.- Early life :...
, it failed to redistribute large Hungarian estates, such as those of Esterházy, to the peasantry and became embroiled in war with both Romania
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.
As regards the economic relations of Kőszeg
Koszeg
----Kőszeg is a town in Vas county, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.- History :The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas go back to the third quarter of the 13th century...
to its substantial hinterland, Austria argued that the area, considered as a single economic entity, had more connections with Austria than with Hungary and that rather than attaching the four villages to Hungary, Kőszeg should instead form a part of Austrian Burgenland. Furthermore, if the counterclaim were not accepted, Esterházy need not fear economic difficulties resulting from the alienation of his lands; Austria would willingly compensate him by allowing Austrian timber harvested from his lands to be milled in Hungary.
Austria explained to the boundary determination commission its belief that the loss of Lockenhaus, Hammerteich, Liebing and Rattersdorf would thwart the then proposed expansion of the Kirchschlag
Kirchschlag in der Buckligen Welt
Kirchschlag in der Buckligen Welt is a municipality in the district of Wiener Neustadt-Land in Lower Austria, Austria.Kirchschlag is one of 12 locations in Austria performing passion play ....
-Deutschkreutz
Deutschkreutz
Deutschkreutz is an Austrian market town in the District of Oberpullendorf, Burgenland. Its Hungarian name is Sopronkeresztúr , in Hebrew it is called Zelem , .- Geography :...
railway line to Liebing and also the expansion of a line to Oberschützen
Oberschützen
Oberschützen is a town in the district of Oberwart in Burgenland in Austria.- Districts :* Aschau im Burgenland * Oberschützen* Schmiedrait * Unterschützen* Willersdorf...
-Hartberg
Hartberg
Hartberg is a city in Styria, Austria, the capital of the district of the same name. As of the census of 2001, it has a population of 6,547 in an area of 21.54 km². About 68 km up the A2 is the large city of Graz....
. Cutting off access to the hinterland would also undermine the viability of the Deutschkreutz
Deutschkreutz
Deutschkreutz is an Austrian market town in the District of Oberpullendorf, Burgenland. Its Hungarian name is Sopronkeresztúr , in Hebrew it is called Zelem , .- Geography :...
-Mannersdorf
Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz
Mannersdorf an der Rabnitz is a municipality in the district of Oberpullendorf in Burgenland in Austria.The municipality includes the following settlements:* Klostermarienberg* Unterloisdorf* Mannersdorf* Rattersdorf* Liebing...
railway line.
Austrians also feared losing Lockenhaus to Hungary, believing that local boundary changes would lead to the loss of the glassworks in Glashütten
Glashütten bei Schlaining
Glashütten bei Schlaining is an Austrian dependent hamlet in the federal state of Burgenland. Situated in the municipality of Unterkohlstätten within Oberwart district, the official Hungarian placename until 1899 was Szalonok-Üveghuta.The village is situated on a narrow road in a forested area of...
(known in Hungarian as Szalónakhuta), which manufactured a beautiful yellow glass through the admixture of sulphur. In an April 1922 report the Austrian Ministry of Trade and Industry had declared the glassworks essential to Austrian commerce. The dispute was referred to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
Council in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, which decided on 19 September 1922 that the mostly German-speaking communities of Lockenhaus and Hammerteich — as well as of Luising in the district of Güssing
Güssing (district)
The Bezirk Güssing is an administrative district in the federal state of Burgenland, Austria, bordering on Vas Megye Hungary, of which it had been a part prior to 1921....
, some 35 km south of Rattersdorf and also claimed by Hungary — would be assigned to Austria, whilst Rattersdorf and Liebing, despite the wish of German-speaking majorities as expressed in a 1921 plebiscite, should be assigned to Hungary.
Austria was unhappy with the decision on the status of Rattersdorf and Liebing. The Burgenland state government now proposed an exchange in which these two communities would be joined to Austria, while Austria would transfer its villages of Bleigraben and Prostrum to Hungary, a solution supported by most people in the latter two villages, who were largely Croatian
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...
-speaking.
At a meeting in Ödenburg
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
(now known by its Hungarian name Sopron) on 22 November 1922 the two countries reached consensus on the proposed swap, and the Paris Conférence des Ambassadeurs
Conference of Ambassadors
The Conference of Ambassadors of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers was an inter-allied organization of the Entente in the period following the end of World War I. Formed in Paris in January 1920 it became a successor of the Supreme War Council and was later on de facto incorporated into...
ratified the border settlement on 27 January 1923. In March 1923 the border was redrawn, and the Hungarian dictator Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
ceded Liebing (then known by its Hungarian name Rendek) and Rattersdorf (Rőtfalva) to Austria, making these the youngest villages within Austria
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 Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
. At the same time the former Austrian hamlets of Bleigraben (now Ólmod
Ólmod
-References:...
) and Prostrum (now Szentpéterfa
Szentpéterfa
-References:...
) were transferred to Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
. After both sides accepted an accurate map detailing the line of demarcation, the neutral boundary determination commission was dissolved at its last meeting in Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
on 2 August 1924.
Nazi occupation of Austria
From the time of the Austrian AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of 1938 until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1945, Rattersdorf, as with the rest of Austria, was incorporated within Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
Buildings
In Rattersdorf, built on Roman foundations, is a CatholicCatholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
church in Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, the oldest church in Burgenland. Erected beside a sacred spring
Holy well
A holy well, or sacred spring, is a small body of water emerging from underground and revered either in a Pagan or Christian context, often both. Holy wells were frequently pagan sacred sites that later became Christianized. The term 'holy well' is commonly employed to refer to any water source of...
in 1207, it was expanded with Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
elements in the 14th and 15th centuries. After its destruction by an Ottoman army
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1532, Prince Pál Esterházy reconstructed it in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style in 1696. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the church was commandeered for use as a munitions bunker, and the building was subsequently renovated in 1964.
Rattersdorf has a Gasthaus
Gasthaus
A Gasthaus is a German-style inn or tavern with a bar, a restaurant, banquet facilities and hotel rooms for rent.Gasthäuser are typically found in smaller towns and are often family-owned...
, a small Adeg - Schlapschy supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
and a Volksschule
Education in Austria
The Republic of Austria has a free and public school system, and nine years of education are mandatory. Schools offer a series of vocational-technical and university preparatory tracks involving one to four additional years of education beyond the minimum mandatory level. The legal basis for...
, which offers kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
plus the first four years of primary education.
Clubs and associations
Local sport associations include the soccer club SC Rattersdorf-Liebing, affiliated since its founding in 1967 with the Burgenländischen Fußballverband and the Austrian Sports Federation (ASVÖ) and the Burschenschaft Rattersdorf-Liebing tennis club, affiliated with the Austrian Sport and Physical Culture Union (ASKÖ).The "Musikverein Grenzland", also founded in 1967, is a group of 40 musicians led by Concertmaster Helmut Draskovits.
Rattersdorf has a volunteer fire department (Freiwillige Feuerwehr Rattersdorf) and a beautification committee (Verschönerungsverein Rattersdorf).