Reichenau an der Rax
Encyclopedia
Reichenau an der Rax is a market town
in the Austria
n state of Lower Austria
, situated at the foot of the Rax
mountain range on the Schwarza
river, a headstream of the Leitha.
, who in 1327 had established the abbey of Neuberg
, acquired Reichenau in 1333 and granted it to the monastery.
Original an ore
mining and forestry area, Reichenau due to its picturesque setting became a summer resort of the Viennese
nobility in the 19th century. From 1854 on the development of the area was decisively promoted by the opening of the Semmering railway
line with a train station in neighbouring Payerbach
, part of the Austrian Southern Railway
(Südbahn) from the Vienna Südbahnhof to Trieste
. Reichenau was directly connected to Payerbach by the Höllentalbahn
narrow gauge railway in 1926 at the same time with the opening of the Raxseilbahn, the oldest aerial tramway
in Austria.
In 1873 a drinking water pipeline to Vienna was built to supply the Austro-Hungarian capital with mountain water rising from the Rax range.
In 1872 Archduke Charles Louis of Austria had the Villa Wartholz residence erected near his favourite hunting grounds, according to plans by Heinrich von Ferstel
. In 1889 Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild
followed with the building of Hinterleiten Palace. He however did not spend much time in Reichenau and shortly afterwards donated the palais to a veterans foundation, while the Villa Wartholz remained a seat of the Habsburg family, especially of Emperor Charles I and his wife Zita
.
Reichenau was also the summer retreat of the author Heimito von Doderer
, where he wrote large parts of his novel Die Strudlhofstiege.
running from Gloggnitz
and the S6 Semmering Schnellstraße expressway to Rohr im Gebirge
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
in the 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 state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
, situated at the foot of the Rax
Rax
The Rax is a mountain range at the border of the Austrian federal provinces Lower Austria and Styria, situated in the Northern Limestone Alps....
mountain range on the Schwarza
Schwarza (Leitha)
The Schwarza is a river in Lower Austria. It is a headstream of the River Leitha.- Course :It rises on the saddle of Rohrer Sattel, flows through the Höllental gorge and the Schwarza valley. Near Haderswörth in the parish of Lanzenkirchen the Schwarza combines with the Pitten and is then called the...
river, a headstream of the Leitha.
History
Reichenau castle was first mentioned in a 1256 deed. Duke Otto IV the MerryOtto, Duke of Austria
Otto IV, the Merry was a Duke of Austria and the youngest son of Albert I of Germany and Elisabeth of Tirol.Otto was born in Vienna. He had two brothers, namely Frederick the Handsome and Albert II...
, who in 1327 had established the abbey of Neuberg
Neuberg Abbey
Neuberg Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Neuberg an der Mürz in Styria, Austria, and is one of the few extant set of monastic buildings in Austria to have retained its medieval character to any great extent.-History:...
, acquired Reichenau in 1333 and granted it to the monastery.
Original an ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
mining and forestry area, Reichenau due to its picturesque setting became a summer resort of the Viennese
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...
nobility in the 19th century. From 1854 on the development of the area was decisively promoted by the opening of the Semmering railway
Semmering Railway
The Semmering railway, Austria, which starts at Gloggnitz and leads over the Semmering to Mürzzuschlag was the first mountain railway in Europe built with a standard gauge track. It is commonly referred to as the world's first true mountain railway, given the very difficult terrain and the...
line with a train station in neighbouring Payerbach
Payerbach
Payerbach is a town in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.-References:...
, part of the Austrian Southern Railway
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
(Südbahn) from the Vienna Südbahnhof to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
. Reichenau was directly connected to Payerbach by the Höllentalbahn
Höllentalbahn (Niederösterreich)
The Lower Austrian Höllental Railway is a narrow gauge electric railway with a track gauge of , which runs from the Austrian Federal Railways station of Payerbach Reichenau on the Semmering Railway for approximately five kilometres through the market town of Reichenau an der Rax to Hirschwang.-...
narrow gauge railway in 1926 at the same time with the opening of the Raxseilbahn, the oldest aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
in Austria.
In 1873 a drinking water pipeline to Vienna was built to supply the Austro-Hungarian capital with mountain water rising from the Rax range.
In 1872 Archduke Charles Louis of Austria had the Villa Wartholz residence erected near his favourite hunting grounds, according to plans by Heinrich von Ferstel
Heinrich von Ferstel
thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel thumb|right|The [[Votivkirche]], Vienna, designed by FerstelHeinrich von Ferstel (July 7, 1828, Vienna - 14 July 1883, Grinzing, near...
. In 1889 Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild
Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild
Nathaniel Mayer Anselm von Rothschild was a member of the Rothschild banking family of Austria.Born in Vienna, he was the fifth child and first son of Anselm von Rothschild and Charlotte von Rothschild . As the eldest male, he was expected to take over the running of the family's Viennese bank, S...
followed with the building of Hinterleiten Palace. He however did not spend much time in Reichenau and shortly afterwards donated the palais to a veterans foundation, while the Villa Wartholz remained a seat of the Habsburg family, especially of Emperor Charles I and his wife Zita
Zita of Bourbon-Parma
Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma was the wife of Emperor Charles of Austria...
.
Reichenau was also the summer retreat of the author Heimito von Doderer
Heimito von Doderer
Heimito von Doderer was a famous Austrian writer.- Life and work :...
, where he wrote large parts of his novel Die Strudlhofstiege.
Notable people
- Otto von HabsburgOtto von HabsburgOtto von Habsburg , also known by his royal name as Archduke Otto of Austria, was the last Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary from 1916 until the dissolution of the empire in 1918, a realm which comprised modern-day Austria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
, head of the House of Habsburg from 1922 to 2006, was born at Villa Wartholz in Reichenau on November 20, 1912.
Transportation
Beside the Südbahn railway line, Reichenau can be reached via the B27 Höllental Straße federal highwayBundesstraße
Bundesstraße , abbreviated B, is the denotation for German and Austrian national highways.-Germany:...
running from Gloggnitz
Gloggnitz
Gloggnitz is a mountain town in the Neunkirchen district of Lower Austria, Austria.Gloggnitz is situated in the south-western part of the Vienna Basin in Lower Austria. It is surrounded by the highest mountains in Lower Austria, Mount Rax and Mount Schneeberg...
and the S6 Semmering Schnellstraße expressway to Rohr im Gebirge
Rohr im Gebirge
Rohr im Gebirge is a village in the Wiener Neustadt-Land district of Lower Austria in Austria.-Geography:Rohr im Gebirge is located in the Industrieviertel, the first industrialised part of Lower Austria...
.