Oldest city in Austria
It has not yet been finally clarified which city is the oldest city in Austria . The cities and their inhabitants use various criteria as a basis , often for local patriotic or tourist reasons.
When asked about the oldest medieval city in Austria, it is rarely about the actually oldest city, but rather about which city has the oldest city charter.
history
Roman times
The city on the Magdalensberg , which existed before Christ, is seen as the oldest city in Austria . Most of what is now Austria was founded around 15 BC. Occupied by the Roman Empire . The Romans founded new places and elevated existing ones to cities. During his tenure between AD 41 and 54, Emperor Claudius elevated Aguntum and Iuvavum (Salzburg) to Municipia , and around 50 years Brigantium (Bregenz), Teurnia and Virunum followed . Emperor Vespasian granted Flavia Solva town charter around 70; Emperor Hadrian elevated Carnuntum , Cetium (St. Pölten) and Ovilava (Wels) during his term of office from 117 to 138 . Vindobona (Vienna) and Lauriacum (Enns) only became Municipia in 212. Most of these cities were no longer inhabited after the Great Migration .
middle Ages
New cities only emerged again in the High Middle Ages from the 12th century. Characteristic were a fortification and the market right , later the partial self-administration and the right of the citizens to have a say. The city lords awarded the city rights. Leopold VI. elevated Enns in 1212, Vienna in 1221 and Eferding in 1222 to cities. For a long time, Vienna's city law was considered the oldest in Austria today.
Today's claims
Today several cities claim the oldest city charter for themselves.
Salzburg
Emperor Otto III. granted Salzburg in 996 the right to hold a daily market and mint coins. The city of Salzburg states that this right made Salzburg a city in the medieval legal sense.
St. Polten
On May 3, 1159, Konrad II von Babenberg granted some of the citizens ( burgenses ) of St. Pöltens judicial privileges. The city claims that it has the oldest city charter in Austria and celebrated its 850th anniversary in 2009.
Zwettl
Zwettl received on December 28, 1200 from Leopold VI. certain rights are guaranteed. These rights, written in the so-called Leopoldinum , were listed as the same ones that Krems an der Donau had.
Enns
Enns is often mentioned as the oldest city in Austria. The city states the city charter from 1212 as the oldest surviving Austria, which makes it the oldest city.
See also
Web links
- Entry on the city in the Austria Forum (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )
- The St. Pölten town law in the original wording in the book Archive for Customer Austrian Historical Sources , Volume 10. Published by the Imperial Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1853. Page 91, online at Google Books
- The Enns city law in the original wording in the book archive for customer Austrian historical sources , tenth volume. Published by the Imperial Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1853. Page 96, online at Google Books
Individual evidence
- ↑ Joseph von Hormayr , 1823: Vienna, his fortunes and memorials , page XXXVIII, online at Google Books
- ↑ Document No. 208 in: Theodor Sickel (Ed.): Diplomata 13: The documents Otto II and Otto III. (Ottonis II. Et Ottonis III. Diplomata). Hanover 1893, pp. 619–620 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , digitized )
- ↑ An overview of the history of the city of Salzburg
- ^ History of the city of St. Pölten
- ^ The Leopoldinum of December 28, 1200 , zwettl.gv.at
- ↑ The history of the city of Enns