Gumpoldskirchen
Encyclopedia
Gumpoldskirchen is a town in the district of Mödling
in the Austria
n state of Lower Austria
. Gumpoldskirchen borders on the municipalities Mödling
, Guntramsdorf
, Gaaden
, Pfaffstätten
and Traiskirchen
. The municipal area extends from the flats in the Vienna Basin to forest areas of the Anningers in the Vienna Woods. Gumpoldskirchen is very famous for its wine and "Heurigers" as it attracts many tourists from Vienna
to its hillside vineyards. Gumpoldskirchen derives its name from Gumpold of Passau.
people settled the area about 6500 years ago. The Romans
then settled in the area and it was found that an important road for transport went through the current city. Even from prehistoric times, earlier civilizations were cultivating wine on the slopes of the Eichkogel.
In the 14th century, Gumpoldskirchen was already a market and court location.
Gumpoldskirchen, like so many of its neighbor principalities, was devastated twice by the first and the second Turkish Sieges.
By the end of the 18th Century, Gumpoldskirchen began to industrialize. It had many factories and greatly assisted the rapid industrialization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After the 1938 Anschluss
, Gumpoldskirchen became a part of the Greater Vienna that the Nazis created. Toward the end of World War II
, the area around Gumpoldskirchen became an area of intense battle between the coming Soviet troops and the remaining 6th SS Panzer Army.
Gumpoldskirchen was unfortunately caught up in the 1985 wine glycol scandal that saw many Austrian wine makers called out for inserting illegal (and potentially harmful) ingredients. The scandal caused harm to the Austrian wine
industry that it is still fighting to overcome today.
cathedral in Gumpoldskirchen. A recently discovered crypt was found lying under the church.
, was converted to a research institute for winery. Damage occurred to the castle in the late years of World War II
, and in 1946, it was given back to the church. In 1998 and 1999, the castle underwent renovations and today it serves as a popular guesthouse.
stands just outside of town hall. It is a large stone built in 1563 with inscriptions chiseled on it. The pillory was a symbol of the market rights of the city. It was also used to punish lawbreakers who were then chained to the stone and sometimes even tortured and killed.
period and was originally a courthouse. The pillared hall can still be seen today on the second-floor. The town-hall still has old prison cells, however they are now used for storage.
Mödling (district)
Bezirk Mödling is a district of the state of Lower Austria in Austria.-Municipalities:Suburbs, hamlets and other subdivisions of a municipality are indicated in small characters.* Achau* Biedermannsdorf* Breitenfurt bei Wien* Brunn am Gebirge...
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...
. Gumpoldskirchen borders on the municipalities Mödling
Mödling
Mödling is the capital of the Austrian district of the same name located approximately 14 km south of Vienna.The settlement dates back to the Neolithic. In medieval times, the town was the residence of a branch of the Babenberger family, as a result of which it received the nickname...
, Guntramsdorf
Guntramsdorf
Guntramsdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, Gaaden
Gaaden
Gaaden is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria....
, Pfaffstätten
Pfaffstätten
Pfaffstätten is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria.At the heart of the town is the Lilienfelderhof, a so-called monastic grange, owned by Lilienfeld Abbey but leased to the Kartause Gaming Private Foundation for 99 years, until 2105...
and Traiskirchen
Traiskirchen
Traiskirchen is a town in the district of Baden in Lower Austria in Austria. It is 20 km south of Vienna and located in the famous Thermenlinie region of Lower Austria known for its wine and heurigers...
. The municipal area extends from the flats in the Vienna Basin to forest areas of the Anningers in the Vienna Woods. Gumpoldskirchen is very famous for its wine and "Heurigers" as it attracts many tourists from 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...
to its hillside vineyards. Gumpoldskirchen derives its name from Gumpold of Passau.
Climate
Gumpoldskirchen has a mild, continental climate attributed to its proximity to the spa line in Austria. The nearby Vienna Woods directly to the west affect the climate as well. There are 250 weather stations for the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics that call Gumpoldskirchen home.History
The Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
people settled the area about 6500 years ago. The Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
then settled in the area and it was found that an important road for transport went through the current city. Even from prehistoric times, earlier civilizations were cultivating wine on the slopes of the Eichkogel.
In the 14th century, Gumpoldskirchen was already a market and court location.
Gumpoldskirchen, like so many of its neighbor principalities, was devastated twice by the first and the second Turkish Sieges.
By the end of the 18th Century, Gumpoldskirchen began to industrialize. It had many factories and greatly assisted the rapid industrialization of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
After the 1938 Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, Gumpoldskirchen became a part of the Greater Vienna that the Nazis created. Toward 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...
, the area around Gumpoldskirchen became an area of intense battle between the coming Soviet troops and the remaining 6th SS Panzer Army.
Gumpoldskirchen was unfortunately caught up in the 1985 wine glycol scandal that saw many Austrian wine makers called out for inserting illegal (and potentially harmful) ingredients. The scandal caused harm to 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...
industry that it is still fighting to overcome today.
Church St. Michael
St. Michael's church is a gothicGothic 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....
cathedral in Gumpoldskirchen. A recently discovered crypt was found lying under the church.
Teutonic Order Castle
This castle was first used by the Teutonic Order in 1241 and served as a fortress for the next few hundred years. The castle was rebuilt in 1931 and after the AnschlussAnschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, was converted to a research institute for winery. Damage occurred to the castle in the late years 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...
, and in 1946, it was given back to the church. In 1998 and 1999, the castle underwent renovations and today it serves as a popular guesthouse.
The Pillory
The pilloryPillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
stands just outside of town hall. It is a large stone built in 1563 with inscriptions chiseled on it. The pillory was a symbol of the market rights of the city. It was also used to punish lawbreakers who were then chained to the stone and sometimes even tortured and killed.
Town Hall
The old town hall was built during the RenaissanceRenaissance
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...
period and was originally a courthouse. The pillared hall can still be seen today on the second-floor. The town-hall still has old prison cells, however they are now used for storage.