Eisenstadt

Basic Information
Bundesland:	Burgenland
Bezirk	Eisenstadt
Administration	Statutarstadt
Area:	42,90 km²
Population:	13,664 (2002)
Population density:	318 residents/km²
Elevation:	182 m above sea level
Geographic coordinates:
Postal code:	7000
Official Municipality Key:	10101
Area code:	02682
Licence plate letter:	E
Website:	www.eisenstadt.at
Politics
Mayor:	Ing. Peter Nemeth (ÖVP)
Governing political party:	ÖVP
Map of Austria showing the location of Eisenstadt

Eisenstadt (Hungarian Kismarton, Croatian Željezno) is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It has a population of about 11,334 (2001).

In the Habsburg monarchy, Eisenstadt/Kismarton was the seat of the Esterházy noble family. The composer Franz Josef Haydn lived there as Hofkapellmeister under Esterházy patronage.

Geography

Eisenstadt lies on a plain leading down to the river Wulka, at the south foot of the mountain range known as the Leithagebirge, about 12 km from the Hungarian border.

The city is divided into four districts:

Oberberg
Unterberg
Kleinhöflein
St. Georgen

Origin of the Name

The present city name meaning "Iron City" was first recorded in 1118 as "castrum ferrum" and refers to the history of iron mining and iron trade in the area. The first written mention of the town took place in 1264 as "minor Mortin", matching the Hungarian name, Kismarton, which is recalling Saint Martin, 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 fortress built on the original earth works was destroyed by the troops of Leopold III, Margrave 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.

In 1445 Archduke Albert VI acquired the town. In 1451 it was ceded to Frederick III by Matthias Corvinus in return for the Hungarian crown. Matthias reconquered it by force in 1482, but Maximilian I acquired it again in 1490. It remained under Habsburg rule until 1622. In 1529 and 1532 the Ottoman Empire conquered Eisenstadt with their advance on the city of Vienna (see Ottoman wars in Europe). It was captured by the army of Thököly in 1683, and it saw the defeat of the kuruc army of Sándor Károlyi by the Habsburgs in 1704. A royal town since 1648, it was destroyed by fire in 1589 and 1776.

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. The appointment of Franz Josef Haydn as the prince's Hofkapellmeister (high chapel master, 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 county in the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1921, by the Treaties of Trianon and Saint-Germain it became part of Austria along with the rest of Burgenland. Since 30 April 1925, Eisenstadt is seat of the Burgenland state government and thus the state capital. During World War II, Eisenstadt was heavily bombarded. In 1945, it was occupied by the Red Army, and the city remained until 1955 under Soviet occupation. In 1960, Eisenstadt became the see of its own Roman Catholic diocese.

Politics

The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Ing. Peter Nemeth, ÖVP.

The district council is composed as follows (as of 2002):

ÖVP: 19 seats
SPÖ: 7 seats
Die Grünen: 2 seats
FPÖ: 1 seats

Attractions

Eisenstadt hosts a Haydn festival, the Haydnfestspiele.

Museums

Haydnmuseum (dedicated to Franz Josef Haydn, who lived in the building between 1766 and 1778).
Landesmuseum (regional museum)
Österreichisches Jüdisches Museum (Austrian Jewish Museum)
Diözesanmuseum (museum of the local Roman Catholic diocese)
Feuerwehrmuseum (fire department museum)

Religious edifices

Bergkirche, Haydn's tomb
Domkirche, late Gothic former military church, began in 1460
Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan church), built in 1629, contains the crypt of the Esterházy family
Jewish synagogue

Castles and palaces

Schloss Esterházy and Schlosspark: the Esterházy castle and park
Gloriette: the former Esterházy hunting lodge

Buildings

Haydn mausoleum
Rathaus (city hall)
Pulverturm (lit. "Powder tower")

Sister cities

People

Natives

Moriz Benedikt, Austrian neurologist; born at Eisenstadt
David b. (Judah) Loeb Berlin, rabbi ^*
Pál Eötvös, Hungarian novelist, born April 2, 1758
members of the Esterházy family
Andreas Ivanschitz
Josef Hyrtl
count Siegried Kollonich, Austrian general; born February 22, 1572
Adolph Machlup, Hungarian merchant and philanthropist; born 1833
Maria Perschy
Martin Vukovich
Joseph Weigl I & II, musician

Other residents

Simon Bacher, studied at yeshivah under Moses Perles
Moriz Benedikt, Austrian neurologist (JE)
Samuel Löw Brill, rabbi and Talmudical scholar; born in Budapest; attended yeshivah
Akiva Eger the Younger (Akiba ben Moses Guens) German rabbi and champion of Orthodoxy; born here
Moses Fischer, Austrian rabbi; born at Prague about 1756; died in Eisenstadt , Hungary, about 1833 ^*
Adolf Frankl-Grün, rabbi; born at Ungarisch-Brod, Moravia; received his education in Eisenstadt^*
Joseph Haydn, musician, born on Rohrau
Azriel Hildesheimer, German rabbi, founder of Torah im Derech Eretz; in 1851, he was called to the rabbinate of Eisenstadt
Markus Horovitz, German rabbi and historian; born March 14, 1844, in Ladány, pursued his rabbinical studies at the yeshibot
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, musician
Adam Liszt, musician, father of Franz Liszt
Leopold Löw, born at Czernahora, Moravia, studied at the yeshibot of Eisenstadt
Leopold Löwenstein, rabbi; born in Gailingen; studied at yeshivah
Siegmund Maybaum, rabbi, received his education at the yeshibot of Eisenstadt
Mordecai Mokiach, "pseudo"-Messiah, born in Alsace
Robert Musil, author
Ignaz Pleyel
Raphael Nathan Rabbinovicz, Lithuanian talmudical scholar; lived there
Emanuel Schreiber (Emanuel Schreiber), rabbi
Fritz Spiegl
Max Emanuel Stern, Hungarian Hebraist; born at Presburg; appointed principal of the Yiddish school at Eisenstadt ^*
Isaac Hirsch Weiss, talmudist and historian of literature; born at Gross Meseritsch, Moravia; studied at yeshivah
Samson Wertheimer, rabbi
Aaron Wise, rabbi, born at Erlau, studied at yeshivah; the father of Stephen Samuel Wise

The Eisenstadt family

A prominent Jewish family takes its name from this city. Among its notable members are:

Shmuel Eisenstadt Israeli sociologist
Alfred Eisenstaedt
Meir Eisenstadt
Stuart E. Eizenstat (b.1943)
pedigree of Ash ^*

See also Eisenstadt (family)

References

This article draws heavily on the Eisenstadt in the German Wikipedia, accessed on several occasions in March–April 2005, and from the Kismarton article in the Hungarian Wikipedia from June 2006.

External links

Official site (in German)
Eisenstadt on the official Burgenland site (in German)
Österreichisches Jüdisches Museum (Austrian Jewish Museum); site expected to relaunch soon
Schloss Esterházy (Esterházy Castle)
Haydn festival (mostly in German, some English-language content)
Fachhochschul-Studiengänge Burgenland Technical university. In German.
"Iron City", Eisenstadt page for young adult activities, in German.

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