Illmitz

Illmitz ( Hungarian Illmic ) is a market town with 2395 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) in Burgenland in the Neusiedl am See district in Austria . It is located in the east of Lake Neusiedl in the so-called Seewinkel .

geography

Illmitz lies at 117 m above sea level and is therefore the lowest-lying village in Austria. The lowest point in Austria (114 m) is in the neighboring municipality of Apetlon.

Illmitz is the largest community in Burgenland (hotter in terms of area). In the south the municipality borders on Hungary, in the west on Lake Neusiedl, in the north on Podersdorf am See and in the east on the hotter borders of Apetlons .

history

3200 BC to 1217

The oldest find on Illmitzer Boden, a late Neolithic grave find (probably from the spherical amphora culture), comes from the "Teilung" vineyard. Numerous stray finds, from the Neolithic to Roman times, could be brought to light from the corridors around the Upper Stinkersee. The best known is a stone box grave around 3200 years old with a " soul hole ".

The find is exhibited in the Natural History Museum in Vienna. In 1958 a Roman Weihaltar in honor of the god Mithras was found in the "Schellgarten" . Another cultural object from Roman times (1st – 2nd century AD) is a relatively large (about 25 cm) statue of Cupid . There is evidence that Avars also lived in Illmitz ; 17 Avar graves were discovered in today's Seegasse, in the former brick pit.

Around 995, Stephan I married Gisela of Bavaria. Many Bavarians then settled in the area of Burgenland ( Deutsche Ostsiedlung ) and also in today's Seewinkel. These settlers are considered to be the direct ancestors of today's “Illmitzer” population. An almost closed German-speaking area emerged outside the borders of the Holy Roman Empire, which was later referred to as Habsburg Hungary or German West Hungary.

First mention

Illmitz was first mentioned in a document as “Pred. Ygmeleech ”or“ Illmeuch ”in 1217. In that year, Provost Herkules von Eisenburg from the Osl family donated his Illmitz property (Oberillmitz) to the Eisenburger cathedral chapter, which the Hungarian King Andreas II confirmed.

Owners of the territories

In terms of ownership, the area was divided into an Oberillmitz and Unterillmitz. Unterillmitz was owned by secular manors. Numerous property disputes towards the end of the 14th century are reported in several documents. In 1410 Unterillmitz came into the possession of the noble Kanizsai family , owners of the Eisenstadt estate . In 1622 Emperor Ferdinand II handed over the rule of Eisenstadt and the County of Forchtenstein to Nikolaus I Esterházy . When Eisenstadt was reintegrated into Hungary in 1649, Unterillmitz became part of Wieselburg County . When the Esterházy manor was reorganized in the 18th century, Unterillmitz came under the rule of Frauenkirchen . Oberillmitz was a spiritual property, it belonged to the provost of Eisenburg , and from 1217 to the cathedral chapter of Eisenburg. In 1777, with the transfer of the chapter, ownership gradually passed to Steinamanger . In 1802/1803 the entire place was incorporated into Wieselburg County .

History of the Illmitzer Church

The old Martinskirche is mentioned in a document in 1299. It was in Unterillmitz, on the hill by the Kirchsee. As the water of the lake and the lakes rose, it was difficult to visit. The congregation had to be abandoned (1363), so the church was also deserted. It could only be repaired again in 1438. The place was repopulated at the beginning of the 15th century. At this time there was probably a parish school here. 1437–1468 several students from Illmitz, who had probably acquired their basic knowledge in their home school, were already studying at the University of Vienna.

When the Turks wreaked havoc through the Seewinkel in 1529, Illmitz too suffered. Protestantism took hold in the place very early. Due to the restoration efforts of the Esterházy, the place was again predominantly Catholic in 1674.

Illmitz (bottom right) at Lake Neusiedl, which was then dried up, around 1873 (recording sheet of the state survey )

1630 to 1898

Illmitz also experienced the same fate as the other places in the Seewinkel area during the Turkish War of 1683 , the Bocskay Uprising in 1605 and the Bethel and Kuruzenkrieg (1620, 1704–1709).

In 1767, Empress Maria Theresa issued the Urbarial Patent, which protected the peasants against the arbitrariness of the lordly officials. The liberation of the peasants in 1848 resulted in the abolition of aristocratic privileges and basic subservience. The lease land managed by the farmers was transferred to their property in exchange for a fee, and pasture and forest remained jointly owned. At the end of the 19th century, livestock farming was the Illmitzer's most important source of income. In 1898 the first milk cooperative of the Wieselburg county was founded in Illmitz. The “Illmitzer cheese” was highly valued in both Vienna and Budapest.

Since 1898 had due to the Magyarization of the government in Budapest of Hungarian name Illmic be used.

In the second half of the 19th century there were also large waves of emigration from Seewinkel, especially to North America.

1905 to 1921

In 1905 the street village of Oberillmitz and the Angerdorf Unterillmitz were merged. Like all of Burgenland, the place belonged to Hungary (German-West Hungary) until 1920/21 . After the end of the First World War , after tough negotiations, German-West Hungary was awarded to Austria in the Treaties of St. Germain and Trianon in 1919. The place has belonged to the newly founded federal state of Burgenland since 1921 (see also the history of Burgenland ).

1939 to 1945

During the Second World War there were no significant battles near Illmitz. The secluded location of the place helped here, where neither was defended nor had to be conquered. Mainly in the airspace above Illmitz there were battles, which resulted in emergency landings and crashes. Illmitz was close to the flight route of allied bomber groups who wanted to bomb Wiener Neustadt as an armament target ( Messerschmitt Bf 109 , Daimler-Benz aircraft engine production). In addition, the Neusiedlersee and the surrounding area was used as a training flight area for the Air Force (Wiener Neustadt).

From the 1950s

In 1955 there was a devastating fire in Illmitz, in which entire streets burned down. Since most of the houses were thatched, the fire quickly spread to other buildings. The poor equipment of the fire brigades after the Second World War made the extinguishing work noticeably difficult.

In 1967 the place was raised to a market town . 1967–1972 the secondary school was built. The seaside resort was expanded and some green areas were created in the village. Another economic mainstay in Illmitz, tourism, experienced an upswing in the 1970s: Illmitz became the third largest tourist community in Burgenland.

A rapid economic boom began in the community in the 1960s and 1970s. The decline in livestock farms, expansion in the wine industry and the onset of mass tourism, especially from Germany, changed the community permanently. During this time, a profound modernization and construction boom set in. Infrastructure measures such as sewage, power lines and road construction measures have been initiated. Unfortunately, in keeping with the spirit of the times, no consideration was given to the old building fabric and the baroque gable facades that existed in large numbers at the time. Since then, the townscape has often been shaped by common stock houses and functional buildings from the 1970s.

Another example of this period is the Neusiedler-See-Brücke project by Governor Theodor Kery from 1970/71, which should have enabled the Seewinkel to be developed through a bridge between Mörbisch and Illmitz. On the occasion of the opening of the secondary school in Illmitz in 1971, Kery said: "We want to build up the whole country and leave no area as a reserve where people migrate because they do not find modern living conditions."

In the end, the bridge was not built, not least because of the negative opinion of the German commission of experts, but because of the slowly maturing insight that the preservation of the centuries-old natural and cultural landscape appeared to be a worth seeing attraction, economically, ecologically and also from a touristic point of view.

The Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park was opened on February 12, 1993 .

On April 3, 2020, there was a major fire in the reed belt on the lake side, which was extinguished the following day with the support of 2 helicopters of the armed forces, each with a 3 m ³ water extinguishing vessel.

Population development

Neighboring communities

Neighboring municipalities of Illmitz are:

Podersdorf am See in the north
Apetlon in the east
Mörbisch am See (across from the other shore of the lake) in the west

Culture and sights

Parish church Illmitz

The parish church Illmitz hl. Bartholomäus is a Catholic parish church. Since the old Martinskirche on the hill near the Kirchsee could only be reached with difficulty, a chapel was built in the village in 1715, which was consecrated to the Holy Family. In 1775 the foundation stone for today's church was laid in its place. It was built in the late baroque style and was completed in 1792. Finally, in 1977/78 there was an expansion in the form of a modern new building on the north side. Since the monument protection prevented a total demolition of the old church, only the "side wings" were razed and the annex was built. The high altar (referred to in 1783) comes from the abandoned Augustinian convent in Eisenstadt. It consists of a two-storey structure with the altarpiece of St. Bartholomew . The baroque wooden figures and the Pietà column with angel head capital date from the first half of the 18th century.
War memorial with Pietà: There was originally a stone sculpture from 1757 on the main square in front of the fountain. Today, the war memorial stands on the newly designed square in front of the rectory.

St. Bartholomew's Spring

St. Bartholomäus-Quelle: Because of the shallow and mostly open village wells, the water of which was extremely highly mineralized and which in most cases did not contain hygienic water, the Bartholomäus-Quelle was built in 1930/31. The semi-arctic fountain brings medicinal and mineral water to light from a depth of 188 meters. The Bartholomäus spring has been recognized as a healing spring by the Burgenland government since 1996. The so-called "Arteser water" contains a lot of free carbonic acid with a weakly acidic reaction. The sodium hydrogen carbonate mineral drinking acid is particularly suitable for drinking cures for gastrointestinal and urinary tract diseases. The old well building was completely razed in the course of the main square design and then a new building was erected.
The townscape: numerous storks that nest on the roofs of Illmitz shape the townscape. In Illmitz there are still a few old thatched houses that have been preserved.
Zwerchhof: the Zwerchenhof with its baroque gable and thatched roof is the oldest surviving farmhouse . The house is a listed building and is considered the best preserved farmhouse in the Seewinkel. Some of it is over 250 years old, made of pressed adobe bricks and has a restored courtyard and an old wine press. From this baroque farmhouse and the neighboring Ganglhof, today's Florianihof emerged, which has already burned several times.
Kreuzscheune Illmitz : The listed Pusstascheune houses a wine tavern .
Surroundings: In the area you can still see old wells and the characteristic reed huts of the shepherds.
Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park: The national park was opened in 1993.
Neusiedler See : Illmitz is located on the eastern bank of the Neusiedler See.

freetime and sports

Illmitz lido
movie theater
Football club
Tennis club
Skate park
Fun court
Volleyball court

Economy and Infrastructure

traffic

For a long time Illmitz and the other Seewinkel communities were delimited between Lake Neusiedl in the west and the idiosyncratic border between Austria and Hungary in the south and east. Above all, the construction of the Iron Curtain and the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 cut all connections to Hungary, which, despite the end of the monarchy, remained almost completely intact economically, socially and in terms of transport until after the Second World War. Then the German minority was expelled from Hungary.

Today the borders are open, but the Neusiedlersee remains a natural barrier. However, the Seewinkel was surrounded by traffic over a wide area from the 1990s. In the north, the east motorway A4 is the most important traffic connection and in the south Hungary is currently planning an expressway connection ( M85 ) between Sopron (Ödenburg) and the M1.

The public transport connection is operated by ÖBB-Postbus GmbH . The buses are mostly of the Iveco Crossway LE type and run approximately every hour. The distance to Neusiedl is around 25 km and takes around 25 minutes to drive. Illmitz is part of the Eastern Region Transport Association . The Neusiedler-Seebahn has train stations in Neusiedl am See and Parndorf.

Established businesses

Viticulture

The history of viticulture in Illmitz goes back to the year 1598, when the first vineyard in the municipality was documented. At the end of the 1950s, there was a structural change in agriculture in Illmitz: viticulture replaced livestock and arable farming. In addition to the nature of the soil, the Pannonian climate and Lake Neusiedl played a decisive role in the success of the wine industry. In 1955 the first high cultures after Lenz Moser emerged. In 1976 a "World Champion" was awarded to an Illmitzer wine for the first time. The great slump in the wine industry was caused by the glycol scandal in 1985 , as a result of which the barrel wine price fell sharply. Extreme frost and the drought contributed to the fact that from 1992 many farmers cleared or closed their vineyards (440 hectares) and some of them withdrew from agriculture. Illmitz is the largest wine-growing community in Austria and has been awarded the “World Champion” in the “Sweet Wines” and “Sekt” categories more than 20 times at the international world wine fair in Ljubljana . Because of the multiple award-winning white wines that are produced in Illmitz, the place is also known as the “soil of world champion wines ”. He is known for his sweet wines . Winemakers like Alois Kracher , Stefan Tschida and Willi Opitz have received numerous awards. Illmitz is a pure wine-growing community with almost 40% of the agricultural area as vineyards. More than half of the wine-growing businesses are between two and ten hectares in size, so the size of the smallholders predominates. However, this situation is changing from year to year. The small businesses are gradually giving up their economies and the large, profitable goods (12 to 30 hectares and more) expand. The climate enables the development of all quality levels - from light, fruity quality wines to the Spätlese to high- quality , naturally sweet berry and dry berry selections . Wine has also changed significantly in terms of quality. Was z. For example, until the 1970s, table wine was almost exclusively produced, but today the focus is increasingly on the production of quality wines, as market demands have completely changed. In addition to white wines, red wines are also grown in Illmitz. Be of grapes here Gamay , Zweigelt , St. Laurent , Bouvier, seedling (Scheurebe), Riesling , Pinot Gris , Riesling and more cultivated.

Sandeck - a former observation stand on the Iron Curtain as a raised stand

tourism

Illmitz is the third largest tourist community in Burgenland. Illmitz has been known as a tourist location since the 1950s - both as a local recreation area for the Viennese and for those interested in water sports, cyclists and nature lovers from all over Europe. There is an elevated stand in the Sandeck area, which is a lookout point for the inaccessible core of the national park. The tower dates from the time of the Iron Curtain . When this fell, the observation posts were worthless for Hungary and were also sold to Austrian buyers.

education

kindergarten
Elementary school
New middle school

Public facilities

Municipal Office
Tourist office
Home for the disabled
Rectory
Parish home

Local supply

2 retail chains (Billa, Spar)
Gas station
Cafe pastry shop
bakery

politics

Municipal council

Local council election 2017

%

60

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

50.36%
(+ 3.61 % p )

38.51%
(-4.98 % p )

11.13%
(+1.37 % p )

SPÖ

ÖVP

FPÖ

2012

2017

Illmitz municipal office

The municipal council has a total of 23 members.

Results of the municipal council elections since 1997
Political party	2017			2012			2007			2002			1997
Political party	Sti.	%	M.	Sti.	%	M.	Sti.	%	M.	Sti.	%	M.	Sti.	%	M.
SPÖ	914	50.36	12	891	46.75	11	956	50.05	12	1000	53.33	12	889	52.57	12
ÖVP	699	38.51	9	829	43.49	10	887	46.44	11	875	46.67	11	802	47.43	11
FPÖ	202	11.13	2	186	9.76	2	67	3.51	0	not running			not running
Eligible voters	2450			2447			2427			2366			2173
voter turnout	82.33%			87.25%			85.50%			88.80%			90.52%

mayor

Mayor is Alois Wegleitner (SPÖ), who has succeeded Josef Loos (SPÖ), who has led the community since 1997, on February 29, 2012 . In the direct mayor election on October 1, 2017, Wegleitner was confirmed in office with 52.93% and was able to distance his two opposing candidates Helene Wegleitner (ÖVP, 35.71%) and Franz Haider (FPÖ, 11.36%).

Vice Mayor is Wolfgang Lidy (ÖVP), as his predecessor Helene Wegleitner (ÖVP) resigned from her position due to the result of the mayoral election.

Office manager is Josef Haider.

Former mayor

Former mayors of Illmitz were:

from	to	mayor
1978	1982	Lorenz Gartner
1982	1987	Johann Fleischhacker
1987	1992	Franz Nekowitsch
1992	1997	Franz Wüger
1997	2012	Josef Loos
2012	officiating	Alois Wegleitner

coat of arms

Blazon : “ Split ; in front a silver (white) silver heron turned to the left in red , behind in blue a rising silver (white) fish . "

The split into two colors is unheraldic.

Community partnerships

Germany Kirchentellinsfurt in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

Personalities

Manfred Chobot (* 1947), writer
Alois Kracher (1959-2007), winemaker
Stefan Salzl (* 1948), veterinarian and politician
Christian Gartner (* 1994), soccer player

Honorary ring bearer

On the occasion of the festive meeting "800 years of Illmitz" on August 20, 2017, the municipal council decided to award the municipality's ring of honor to the former mayor:

Lorenz Gartner, former mayor of Illmitz
Johann Fleischhacker, former mayor of Illmitz
Franz Nekowitsch, former mayor of Illmitz
Franz Wüger, former mayor of Illmitz
Josef Loos, former mayor of Illmitz

literature

Hilda Berger: The dialect of Illmitz in Burgenland. Diploma thesis, University of Vienna, Vienna 2008.
Josef Egermann: The history of the market town Illmitz. Eisenstädter Graphische Ges.mbH, Eisenstadt 1974.
Festschrift of the Illmitz community 1217–1967. Self-published by the community, Illmitz 1968.
Rudolf Kracher: The development of agriculture in Illmitz and the impact on the social and political structure of the community (1945–1980). Dissertation, University of Vienna, Vienna 1980.
Alois Wegleitner: The historical development of the community Illmitz with special consideration of the settlement and economic history. Dissertation, University of Vienna, Vienna 1974.
Fabian Stegmayer: The Seebrücke project - "Bridge Fight" on Lake Neusiedl. Diploma thesis, University of Vienna, Vienna 2013.
Section “The partner communities” in “TÜPL Bruckneudorf - 150 Years of Brucker Lager” by Petra Weiß, publisher. Stadtgemeinde Bruck an der Leitha, April 2017, pp. 434/435

Others

Sissi film shoot : In the 1950s, Illmitz was the location for the shooting of scenes from the film Sissi (a film trilogy about the Austrian Empress Elisabeth). Since the original location of Hungary was not available due to the Iron Curtain , Burgenland was chosen as the former "German West Hungary".

Main square redesign : In 2005/06 the main square was completely redesigned. Seestrasse was relocated and the intersection was rebuilt, the fountain building was demolished and replaced by a new building. A side street on the main square was paved and partially converted into a pub garden . The war memorial was relocated and new street lighting was installed. The main square project was not only perceived as positive, the costs of the project as well as the demolition of the old well house led to considerable resentment among the local population.

Picture sheet

Zigzags
Hell and Stinkersee
Illmitz lido
Reed hut & draw well in front of Zicklacke
Reed hut & draw well in front of Zicklacke (winter)
Sunset at Lake Neusiedl in February
Young gray geese in the Seewinkel

Web links

Commons : Illmitz - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Illmitz - travel guide

10709 - Illmitz. Community data, Statistics Austria .
Market town of Illmitz
Market town of Illmitz - tourism
Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park

Individual evidence

↑ Such a cheese in National Park chatter from December 1993
↑ Fabian Stegmayer: The Seebrücke project - "Brückenkampf" on Lake Neusiedl, diploma thesis, University of Vienna, 2013.
↑ Schilfbrand Illmitz - Black Hawk in action orf.at, April 4, 2020, accessed April 4, 2020.
↑ http://www.hsillmitz.at
↑ ^a ^b Province of Burgenland: 2017 election results (accessed in December 2017)
↑ ^a ^b Province of Burgenland: 2012 election results (accessed December 2017)
↑ Province of Burgenland: 2007 election results (accessed December 2017)
↑ ^a ^b Province of Burgenland: election results 2002 (accessed in December 2017)
↑ Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Mayor (accessed on December 3, 2017)
↑ http://www.gvvbgld.at/de/detail/2012-02-29-angelobung-buergermeister-von-illmitz.html
↑ Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Vice Mayor (accessed on December 3, 2017)
↑ BVZ of November 3, 2017: More young people are moving into the municipal council (accessed on December 3, 2017)
↑ Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Employees (accessed on December 3, 2017)
↑ ^a ^b Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Minutes of the festival meeting held on August 20, 2017 (PDF document; accessed on December 3, 2017)
↑ Sissi in the Seewinkel. December 20, 2018, accessed December 20, 2018 .

[1] Such a cheese in National Park chatter from December 1993

[2] Fabian Stegmayer: The Seebrücke project - "Brückenkampf" on Lake Neusiedl, diploma thesis, University of Vienna, 2013.

[3] Schilfbrand Illmitz - Black Hawk in action orf.at, April 4, 2020, accessed April 4, 2020.

[4] ttp://www.hsillmitz.at

[GRW2017-5] Province of Burgenland: 2017 election results (accessed in December 2017)

[GRW2012-6] Province of Burgenland: 2012 election results (accessed December 2017)

[GRW2007-7] Province of Burgenland: 2007 election results (accessed December 2017)

[GRW2002-8] Province of Burgenland: election results 2002 (accessed in December 2017)

[9] Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Mayor (accessed on December 3, 2017)

[10] ttp://www.gvvbgld.at/de/detail/2012-02-29-angelobung-buergermeister-von-illmitz.html

[11] Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Vice Mayor (accessed on December 3, 2017)

[12] BVZ of November 3, 2017: More young people are moving into the municipal council (accessed on December 3, 2017)

[13] Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Employees (accessed on December 3, 2017)

[Festsitzung2017-14] Marktgemeinde Illmitz: Minutes of the festival meeting held on August 20, 2017 (PDF document; accessed on December 3, 2017)

[15] Sissi in the Seewinkel. December 20, 2018, accessed December 20, 2018 .