Pöls (municipality of Pöls-Oberkurzheim)

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Pöls (former municipality) ( capital of the municipality )
Historical coat of arms of Pöls
Template: Infobox community part in Austria / maintenance / coat of arms
Pöls (Municipality of Pöls-Oberkurzheim) (Austria)
Red pog.svg
Basic data
Pole. District , state Murtal  (MT), Styria
Judicial district Judenburg
f5
Coordinates 47 ° 13 '1 "  N , 14 ° 34' 57"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 13 '1 "  N , 14 ° 34' 57"  Ef1
height 790  m above sea level A.
Residents of the stat. An H. 2259 (January 1, 2019)
Building status 874 (April 1, 2020 f1)
surface 3,347.38 ha (Dec. 31, 2019)dep1
Postcodesf0 8761, 8753, 8754 Pöls-Oberkurzheim
prefix + 43/3579 (Pöls)
Statistical identification
Community code 62043
image
Location of the former municipality in the Murtal district (as of 2014)
Independent municipality until 2014;

KG: 65002 Allerheiligen, 65005 Enzersdorf, 65022 Pöls, 65032 Thalheim
Source: STAT : Local directory ; BEV : GEONAM ; GIS-Stmk

Pöls is a former market town (market survey on June 1, 2004) in the Austrian state of Styria with 2259 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019) in the judicial district of Judenburg , district of Murtal . Since 2015, Pöls has been merged with the municipality of Oberkurzheim as part of the Styrian municipal structural reform , the new municipality bears the name " Pöls-Oberkurzheim ".

geography

Geographical location

Pöls lies between the southern foothills of the Rottenmann and Wölzer Tauern and the Seckau Alps in the Pölstal . The southern districts of Greith, Paig and Thalheim are located in or on the southern slopes of the Murtal . Higher mountains in the municipality are the Geigerkogel (1402 m), the Gerschkogel (1231 m), the Falkenberg (1158 m), the Raningerkogel (945 m) and the Wetzelsberg (1276 m). The lowest point of the municipality is located in the Mur on the border with Judenburg (approx. 710 m).

Panorama from the Geigerkogel

structure

The former municipality was divided into 14 localities (residents as of January 1, 2015):

  • All Saints' Day (24)
  • Allerheiligengraben (12)
  • Enzersdorf (127)
  • Greith (104)
  • Gusterheim (195)
  • Muhltal (11)
  • Offenburg (29)
  • Paig (64)
  • Pass hammer (15)
  • Pöls (1538)
  • Poelshof (23)
  • Sauerbrunn (25)
  • Thalheim (158)
  • Thaling (83)

The community consisted of the four cadastral communities (area: as of December 31, 2019):

  • All Saints' Day (1,729.62 ha)
  • Enzersdorf (353.09 ha)
  • Pöls (517.31 ha)
  • Thalheim (747.36 ha)

geology

The landscape surrounding the place is characterized by glacial forms, terminal moraines and hills from the last ice age. The river Pöls , coming from the Niedere Tauern , meanders through the valley and town, deeply cut into the ice age gravel .

Neighboring communities by the end of 2014

Oberkurzheim Gaal Gaal
Sankt Georgen ob Judenburg Neighboring communities Fohnsdorf
Sankt Peter ob Judenburg Sankt Peter ob Judenburg Judenburg

history

Beginnings

View of the town of Pöls from the Reifenstein castle ruins
View of the village of Thalheim from the southwest.

Indications for a settlement in this area as early as the 2nd millennium BC There are numerous finds of tools and utensils from this period. Numerous indications also point to a Roman settlement on the Pölshals sloping down to the Murtal . In all probability, the Roman post office MONATE was also located on this Pölshals . Here the Römerstraße met at a junction with a side street coming from Aichfeld. Relics of Roman graves were found around Pöls until the beginning of the 20th century.

Early middle ages

After 582 the Slavs immigrated from the east from the areas ruled by the Avars . The settlements of the Slavs avoided the swampy valley floor and were mainly to be found on the edges of the valley. Many names of Slavic origin still bear witness to the Slavic settlement activity.

It is very likely that there was an earlier church in the Pölshals area , which was consecrated as Church ad Undrimas in 767 by the choir bishop Modestus , and is believed to be in the area of ​​the Ingring Wochen vineyard .

Pöls was first mentioned in a document in 860 (as " curtis ad pelisam" - the manor on Pölsbach) and is one of the oldest places in Styria. In the first half of the 9th century , the influx of Bavarian farmers began. Quite a few Slavic settlements were given German names, but there were also new settlements founded by Bavarian immigrants. Invasions by Hungary brought the Bavarian settlement activity to a standstill in the first half of the 10th century , after the disastrous battle for the Hungarians on the Lechfeld (955) the Bavarian colonization began all the more.

High and late Middle Ages

In the 12th and 13th centuries there was extensive clearing and the construction of many new farms, a development that reached its peak around 1300. The 14th century saw the decline of many farms in locations that were not economically viable (of 70 farms managed in Allerheiligengraben near Pöls, only two properties have remained to this day). In the second half of the 12th century, the demolition of the large estate "ad Pelisam" and the settlement of craftsmen and day laborers resulted in the village of Pöls.

Transition to modern times

The village of Pöls grew in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Quite a few craftsmen and cuddlers settled here. Towards the end of the 17th century, the spatial expansion of Pöls stalled for about 200 years, probably caused by economic crises, epidemics and wars. Since the 18th century the houses usually made of wood (wooden chests) have been replaced by houses made of stone. Many properties were only increased in the last 150 years. Until recently, the village was fenced in, and self-closing trap gates blocked the entrances as protection against grazing cattle and predators.

In the interwar period, the rural village of Pöls developed into an industrial center.

industrialization

At the beginning of industrialization there were the hammer mills in Pölstal (beginning of the 16th century), scythes followed later and iron was also smelted from 1865 to 1901. In 1700, Prince Ferdinand Schwarzenberg, who shortly before had bought the Gusterheim Palace, which was built in 1660, began producing paper in Pöls. Since then, the history of the municipality of Pöls has apparently been inextricably linked with the local paper and pulp production. At the beginning of the 20th century, the production of cellulose from wood fibers initiated modern industrial development.

First World War and the interwar period

During the First World War , Pöls was spared combat operations, but 19 soldiers from Pöls were killed. The first post-war years were particularly difficult due to economic uncertainty and material hardship. In addition, foot and mouth disease broke out on October 10, 1920 , which decimated the livestock considerably and did not end until April 1922.

The expansion of the paper industry by the Italian company BURGO from 1921 caused the population to grow rapidly. As a result, Pöls grew rapidly due to the need to create living space for the employees and the resulting brisk construction activity. As in all of Austria, the political situation was extremely tense in the following years.

Second World War

In the Second World War , Pöls was largely spared from destruction thanks to its inner-Alpine location and non-war industry. Air alarms were often given (e.g. 31 times in December 1944), but the Pölstal was mostly only overflown. Only once, on February 7, 1945, Pöls was fired at by five light American fighter planes flying low. The main target was the factory, but 21 private houses also had bullet holes. People were not harmed. Most of the air raids in the region were recorded in March 1945. The Thalheim train station was the target of attacks several times. B. on March 12th, 14th and 25th. On May 11, 1945, Pöls was occupied by the Red Army , but subsequently came under British occupation like all of Styria . A total of 117 Pöls soldiers were killed in World War II.

Post-war until today

After the end of the Second World War, there was a rapid structural development that had a lasting effect on the design of the townscape. The new official building of the community, the church and the renovated rectory now formed the core of the place. On the outskirts there were collections of single-family houses. In the last few decades, the efforts of the community have primarily been directed towards improving the general quality of life, as confirmed by various awards (see below).

Since 2015, Pöls has been merged with the municipality of Oberkurzheim as part of the Styrian municipal structural reform ; the new community bears the name " Pöls-Oberkurzheim ".

Religions

According to the 2001 census, 83.9% of the population were Roman Catholic Christians , 2.5% Protestant Christians, 0.1% Muslims and 1.0% each of the residents stated a different or unknown creed. 11.4% of the Pöls population were without religion.

Population development of the former municipality

and display information about the image
Population development from 1869 to 2001

politics

Municipal council

Before the municipal consolidation, after the municipal council election on March 21, 2010, the municipal council consisted of:

  • 9 SPÖ - Social Democratic Party of Austria
  • 3 ÖVP - Austrian People's Party
  • 3 DLK - Democratic List of Emperors

mayor

The last mayor was Gernot Esser ( SPÖ ).

coat of arms

WappenPoels.jpg

The municipal coat of arms of the market town of Pöls was officially awarded in 1971.
Blazon :

"In a red shield on a silver three-mountain topped with a red cogwheel, three silver tinned defense towers."

The cog symbolizes the economically decisive industry, the three defense towers are a reference to the three surrounding castles Offenburg, Reifenstein and Sauerbrunn.

Town twinning

Pöls maintains partnerships with:

There was a close social entanglement with the municipality of Oberkurzheim , because many public institutions ( elementary school , secondary school , Catholic parish church, formerly also municipal office) are responsible for both municipalities, or the municipality office of Oberkurzheim was located in Pöls until recently.

Parish Church of Pöls
Reifenstein castle ruins near Pöls
Gusterheim Castle

Culture and sights

The interior, in the baroque style, mainly dates from the 18th century. The high altar is the work of the Judenburg sculptor Balthasar Brandstätter . Next to the church are the Romanesque charnel house (currently the burial place) and a Gothic funeral lamp.
  • Parish Church of All Saints near Pöls
  • In the north of Pöls, on a rocky promontory of the Geigerkogel, at approx. 1050 m above sea level, is Offenburg , which was built around 1074 , which quickly fell into disrepair after a devastating fire in 1590 and today only the former five-story keep up to the height of the high above the entrance gate lying on the ground is preserved.
  • In the southeast, on the Falkenberg, lies the Reifenstein castle ruins , which were built around 1145 in Gothic style and expanded in the Renaissance style in the 16th century . When Napoleon I marched in with his troops in 1809 and wanted to set up a hospital in the now abandoned castle , the roofs were torn down by the Austrians and the facility was removed, which initiated the final decay. But even today the mighty ruins testify to the once so imposing castle. Access to the ruin is currently prohibited due to the risk of collapse.
  • Sauerbrunn Castle, built around 1550 by Franz von Teuffenbach over twelve mineral springs, is located on the Pölshals, on a southern slope of the Mur valley . The Sternschanze followed shortly afterwards , presumably a gimmick of fastening technology, the actual function of which will probably never be clarified. Sauerbrunn Castle has been very well preserved to this day due to its use (bottling plant for "Thalheimer mineral water").
  • In the east of Pöls, in the district of the same name, there is Gusterheim Castle , at whose location in the then village of Unterkurzheim there used to be a large farm, the Gusterhof , whose owner at the time, Johann Christian Payrlechner von Lerchenthal , received permission from the Austrian Emperor on August 24, 1661 To expand the courtyard into a castle and henceforth to be called von Lerchenthal and Gusterheim . The name of the castle goes back to the amalgamation of the words Gusterhof - Unterkurzheim. Today it is the residence of the noble von Pezold family .

The Sternschanze at Sauerbrunn Castle

The so-called “Sternschanze” is located in the immediate vicinity above Sauerbrunn Castle . It is a small early modern fortification in a four-pointed star shape, as it was probably only rarely built in Northern Europe . A fort-like "miniature fortress ". The actual reason for the establishment is so far unclear. Since the Sternschanze is located near the castle, it can be assumed that it served to protect it and to keep valuables safe and as a retreat for the local population and the castle residents in times of war.

The castle researcher Otto Piper describes the building in his book Burgenkunde (1912) as follows:

“Another particularly peculiar building is the Sternschanze , which is about 100 steps away from the Sauerbrunn castle in Styria on a terrain that is not very favored by nature . Inside, in front of the (old) ground floor entrance, a trap door and stairs lead down to a basement. The entrance floor and the one above are vaulted . From the first (except for later straight wooden stairs) a narrow spiral staircase in the southwest corner of the wall leads to the three floors above (Figures 170 I to III on p. 259). For the special entrance of the penultimate (storey) see p. 199. Among the numerous loopholes which originally only poorly illuminated the interior, the tubular ones (see Chapter 12, p. 350) are particularly noteworthy. The defensive plate lying over a cordon stone has peculiar, not completely clear structures as a crenellated wreath , which are no longer completely preserved, and perhaps not completely finished. Above that, two parallel half-hipped roofs . Apart from a lavatory up in the south-eastern corner of the wall (see Chapter 16), there is no facility for permanent human residence. The built around 1552 construction also appears only as a magazine to have served. "

As well as: “These loopholes ( loopholes ) are particularly formed on two floors of the so-called Sternschanze near Sauerbrunn in (der) Styria (1, reference to his book 'Austrian Castles', Volume II, p. 175). The 44 cm wide and 53 cm high wall channels spread mainly in the lower floor , the opposite legs of the obtuse angle (however, at the high position that probably only with a view to escalade ), and obviously one has only to this account of the building this star shape. The muzzle of the two firing tubes on the west side of the lower floor see Fig. 169 (p. 259) above the ground-level door. On the upper floor, Fig. 170 II, (p. 259) the tubes open into the outer expansion of other straight gaps. "

Piper also points out that the high entrance to the second (upper) floor has a recess ( fold ) in which a drawbridge may have been inserted (see Figure 169 on p. 259).

Figure 169 (p. 259) shows the western side facing Sauerbrunn Palace with the ground floor entrance on the ground floor and the high entrance on the second floor  (II). The cross-sections of three storeys (I, II, III) are shown as picture 170 on p. 259. Probably only the cross-sections of the three (?) Upper floors were depicted, as Figures 170 I to III only show a door opening in Figure II.

  • Sauerbrunn Castle with the Sternschanze located above it on the right in 1681, copper engraving by Georg Matthäus Vischer , oldest known view

  • The Sternschanze (right) and Sauerbrunn Palace, lithograph by JF Kaiser, 1830

  • Sauerbrunn Castle in 1909, the Sternschanze on the right

  • Castle and Sternschanze, postcard Brück u. Sohn Kunstverlag Meißen, 1911

  • Sternschanze, to the left of the center of the picture, the western side facing Sauerbrunn Castle with a ground floor entrance (not visible here) and high entrance

  • southern side

  • View on the eastern side

  • eastern side

Sports

Numerous sporting activities:

Economy and Infrastructure

Pöls lives mainly from the pulp and paper industry , as well as the associated wood processing. To a lesser extent, however, tourism is also a decisive economic factor. The main attractions here are the good sports facilities and the proximity to the Formula 1 race track at the Red Bull Ring (formerly A1-Ring ) in Spielberg (around 15 km away).

traffic

Pöls used to be a traffic junction, as the roads from the Aichfeld met here with the pass road over the Triebener Tauern . Triebener Straße B 114, B 114a (Alter Pölshals) and Fohnsdorfer Straße L 503 still cross in the municipality today .

In Thalheim there is an ÖBB train station on a section of the Rudolfsbahn , and Zellstoff Pöls AG has its own freight yard, which is connected to the Zeltweg – Fohnsdorf branch line .

Established businesses

Zellstoff Pöls AG

The largest employer in Pöls is to Heinzel Group belonging Zellstoff Pöls AG currently has about 409 employees, followed by Stenqvist Austria Ges.mbH (former 3P packaging plants ) with about 90 employees.

education

Personalities

Honorary citizen

  • 1874: Karl Herbst, district captain of the Judenburg district (1868–1876)
  • 1887: Alexander Setznagel (1801–1887), Abbot of St. Lambrecht Monastery (1865–1887)
  • 1913: Johann Maier (1850–1929), timber merchant and very committed community member
  • 1960: Josef Schartmüller (1886–1969), Mayor of Pöls (1947–1960)
  • 1975: Johann Bammer (1922–2017), Provincial Councilor
  • 1977: Bruno Kreisky (1911–1990), Federal Chancellor
  • 1978: Josef Schlager (1918–1987), Member of the National Council (1966–1983)
  • 1982: Hans Gross (1930–1992), Deputy Governor
  • 1985: Othmar Gall, Mayor of Pöls (1960–1985)
  • 1991: Simon Koiner (1921–1994), President of steierm. Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry (1971–1980), Provincial Council (1980–1983)
  • 2000: Karlheinz Staudacher, Mayor of Pöls (1985–2000)
  • 2000: Alfred Regner, long-time Vice Mayor of Pöls
  • 2000: Peter Schachner-Blazizek (* 1942), Deputy Governor
  • 2001: Prelate Josef Jamnig (1924–2016), Styrian Caritas Director (1980–1994), Cathedral Chapter
  • 2005: Josef Fötsch (* 1932), pastor of Pöls (1969–2005)
  • 2011: Günther Zgubic (* 1949), human rights activist in Brazil

Sons and daughters of Pöls

Personalities associated with Pöls

Others

  • "Senior-friendly community 2004"
  • “Most child-friendly municipality in Styria 2003” in the 2501–6000 population category
  • “Most citizen-friendly municipality in Austria 2000” up to 5000 households
  • "Most beautiful flower village in Styria 1999"

literature

  • Walter Brunner : "History of Pöls". Pöls ob Judenburg 1975
  • Municipality of Pöls (Ed.): Heimat Pöls - from the origin to the present . Pöls 2000

swell

Web links

Commons : Pöls  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Announcement of the Styrian state government of November 14, 2013 on the unification of the market community of Pöls and the community of Oberkurzheim, both political district of Murtal. Styrian Provincial Law Gazette of December 2, 2013, No. 141, 34th piece, ZDB -ID 705127-x , p. 672, in the version of the change (part of the name "-Oberkurzheim" added to the future municipality name) by the announcement of the Styrian Provincial Government of March 27, 2014 , with which the announcement about the unification of the market community Pöls and the community Oberkurzheim, both political district Murtal, is changed.
  2. ↑ residents by locality (Excel file, 766 KB); Retrieved July 29, 2015
  3. ↑ (1,094 KB) ; accessed on January 10, 2020
  4. ^ Otto Piper: Castle studies, construction and history of castles, initially within the German-speaking area; Third edition, Munich 1912; New edition Weltbild Verlag Augsburg 1994, ISBN 3-89350-554-7 , pp. 259-260, pp. 350 and 199
  5. ^ Otto Piper: Castle studies, construction and history of castles, initially within the German-speaking area; Third edition, Munich 1912; New edition Weltbild Verlag Augsburg 1994, ISBN 3-89350-554-7 , Schießscharten der Sternschanze Sauerbrunn, p. 350, illustration on p. 59
  6. ^ Otto Piper: Castle studies, construction and history of castles, initially within the German-speaking area; Third edition, Munich 1912; New edition Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1994, ISBN 3-89350-554-7 , high entrance of the Sternschanze Sauerbrunn with drawbridge fold, p. 199, illustration of this on p. 259, image 169
  7. ↑ Heinzel Group Annual Report 2017 (12.9 MB). (PDF) Heinzel group, April 2018, accessed on November 9, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Josef Jamnig in RegiowikiAT, accessed on January 2, 2017