Rettenbach (municipality of Bernstein)

Rettenbach ( village ) ; locality ; cadastral community Rettenbach
	Basic data
Pole. District , state	Oberwart (OW), Burgenland
Judicial district	Oberwart
Pole. local community	Amber
Coordinates	47 ° 24 '30 " N , 16 ° 14' 34" E Coordinates: 47 ° 24 '30 " N , 16 ° 14' 34" E
height	440 m above sea level A.
Residents of the village	286 (January 1, 2020)
Building status	129 (2001)
Area d. KG	5.78 km²
	Statistical identification
Locality code	00242
Cadastral parish number	34064
Counting district / district	Rettenbach (10902 001)
	Source: STAT : index of places ; BEV : GEONAM ; GIS-Bgld

BW

Rettenbach is a place in Burgenland in Austria in the municipality of Bernstein .

location

Rettenbach is 430 m above sea level. A. at the foot of the Kienberg (808 m) at the edge of the Bucklige Welt and in the deep, wooded valley of the Stubenbach, which flows into the diving valley at Spitzwiese . In the east, on a high rock, lies the well-preserved Bernstein Castle , once the ruler and protector of this valley.

climate

Because of the high altitude, the climate is harsh and rich in rainfall. The annual average is between 910 and 1200 mm. The harvest time takes place 2 to 3 weeks later, and spring also comes later than in the lowlands of the south.

Districts

The district of Dorf represents the center of the village. This is also where the parish hall is located, which is also used as a fire station.

The eastern part of the place is called Grom . The houses are near the Kienbergbach. The name comes from the fact that the district is located in a long, narrow and steep ditch.

Anger is the district against Stuben . Here the village community came together and did work together. ( Coal burning ).

The western group of houses is called Scheckerl . Scattered groups of houses once gave the district its name.

The Hintergossen is so called because it runs behind the village street.

The parts Schmelz and Spitzwiese also belong to Rettenbach . From 1770, sulfur pebbles were smelted in the Schmelz, which was mined in amber.

In addition to the typical local district names, special house names developed over time, which on the one hand indicated the profession (e.g. Dorfschmied, Richter, Josefers, Müllner, Weber, Schneider-Böhm etc.) and on the other hand, the location of the house (Sulzfleck , Riegerlkoller, Heh-Bock etc.).

Surname

The name Rettenbach appears for the first time as Rotumpoh in 1388 . From Rotumpoh was Reutempach , 1668 Retenbach , 1773 Reuttenbach and then finally in the 19th century Rettenbach . In any case, the name of the place is somehow related to the reddish water of the stream . In the past swamps may have covered the valley and the reddish color of the creek will probably have been stronger. The water is very ferrous (acidulous).

On the other hand, the rocks occurring here (especially copper and sulfur pyrites ) could also have something to do with the red. Another interpretation derives the name from rescue . Allegedly, the castle crew is said to have saved themselves in times of need through an underground passage from the deep castle well to Rettenbach; a legend tells that a duck was thrown into the Bernsteiner Schlossbrunnen, which then came out in Rettenbach.

history

History of the castle

Since Rettenbach until the end of the Austria-Hungarian Empire to the Burg Bernstein was one, even the historical development of the town is closely linked to the castle.

Reign

Rettenbach already had a great wealth of forests in the Middle Ages . The forest at that time, the Oxensteiner Forest, included the area around Rettenbach, diving, parlors and three huts. With its 600 hectares, it was one of the largest forests in the Bernstein domain. At that time people used the “Pluembesuches” (beekeeping) in the manorial forests. The fish-rich brook in the Rettenpekher Au was also important for the Bernstein rulership. Mainly wheat , rye and oats were grown . The duties of the rulers at that time consisted of monetary payments, payments in kind ( chickens , eggs, cheese, grain, geese , sheep , honey ) and labor (especially for castle building, timber transport), but these were increasingly replaced by money. A whole fiefdom comprised eight to fifteen yoke fields (depending on the nature of the soil), five yoke meadows and usually a small orchard. (1 yoke = 5700 m²).

Half a farm (fiefdom) comprised half the property and paid half the taxes. Hofstättler and Neustiftler, who had no reason, paid very little monetary contributions. During the Bernstein reign, Rettenbach also belonged to the Lower Court of Bernstein (Bernstein, Rettenbach, Stuben, Redlschlag). In the 16th century the court had its own parish, but no pastor .

From 1900

The last decades before the outbreak of the First World War were marked by a strong promotion of the national-Magyar idea (the area belonged to Hungary ). The introduction and expansion of Hungarian teaching, the skilful combination of the Magyar creed and the opening up of opportunities for social advancement, the establishment of official Hungarian names for places and institutions, are all indications of the Magyarization efforts . The border area was a smuggling area at that time. There were ten border guards in Dreihütten. The smuggled goods from Hungary consisted of cattle and tobacco , while salt was smuggled in from Lower Austria .

The period between the First and Second World Wars was marked by a severe economic crisis . Unemployment and inflation rose. During this time, Rettenbach had a purely rural structure (small farms). 90 percent of the families living in Rettenbach were full-time farmers, while the remaining ten percent could be described as part-time farmers.

The farmers operated the so-called three-field farming here . In a reed , only the same thing was allowed to be grown, because at that time the roads were also built on and were therefore only free at harvest time and in winter (Servitutswege). The Rettenbach farmers were self-sufficient . There were rye and wheat for flour , barley and oats for feeding grown. In addition there were flax , beet, potatoes, tobacco, poppy and vegetables planted. The cattle were kept in the pastures as long as possible . Nevertheless, feeding over the winter often caused great difficulties. The amount of grain was never so great that one dared sell any part. Pigs were slaughtered in the cooler months (at most 2), since the meat could only be preserved at this time. For the most part, the meat was first salted, pickled for three weeks and then smoked. The cultivation of flax played an important role for self-processing and self-sufficiency. In order to earn additional money, some farmers drove their scythes to Marchfeld during harvest time , where they then helped various farmers with the harvest. In general, however, it must be said about the interwar period that Rettenbach apparently got stuck in its development. From 1920 to 1930, however, there was relative prosperity and peace in the town.

Then in 1939 the Second World War broke out. All men capable of military service had to enlist so that the women had to run the farms. Soon, however, they received help from prisoners or volunteers from Hungary, Yugoslavia, etc. The peasants , however, had to pay taxes that were used to support the German soldiers.

The months of looting began with the invasion of Rettenbach by the Soviet Union on April 3, 1945 . After the war there was a change in the social structure in Rettenbach. More and more farmers decided to take up professions and only run their business as a sideline. In 1954 there were only two mills left in the village , the other two were shut down in 1953. The mills also had a sawmill and a timber shop. The essentials for the household were available in two general stores. Besides three inns , there were two cobblers , a carpenter , a crockery dealer and a cement manufacturer in Rettenbach . There was also a brick factory before 1950, but it was soon closed again. Due to the improved economic situation, the children were sent to handicrafts . They were also able to enjoy a better school education , since from 1955 a bus ran regularly between Rettenbach, Oberschützen and Oberwart. The number of farmers declined because most of the workers who worked in the diving mine until 1967 went to Vienna to work as commuters .

Settlement

The area around Rettenbach has probably been settled since the Neolithic Age (3000–2000 BC). The Bernstein Mountains, to which Rettenbach also belongs, provided the people with important materials for the production of hand axes, hammers, axes, etc. This can be confirmed by numerous finds from the area in and around Rettenbach. The burial mounds were once burial places for the local population. One of the most important finds is a Roman tombstone, which was walled in in House Roth No. 14 and is still visible.

Until the 9th century, most of Rettenbach and the later Bernstein rule were covered by dense forests. Only the valleys of the Pinka and diving were populated by Slavs, as these river names and the village names Grodnau and Goberling prove. During the Carolingian era , the Archdiocese of Salzburg around Pinkafeld acquired considerable property and developed a rich colonizing activity. It can no longer be determined whether the fruits of this first German settlement were completely destroyed by the Magyar invasion or whether the remnants of the German settlers have survived in the mountainous region between Pinka and Zöbern, which is remote from the major military roads. In the 12th and 13th centuries, when the area undoubtedly belonged to Hungary, it was covered with a dense network of settlements by the 2nd Bavarian colonization.

Between 1569 and 1645 the number of houses increased by 8 houses. The population was particularly high in the middle of the 19th century. The large number of the population resulted from the long warless period. Between 1868 and 1910 and between 1910 and 1945 there was a clear decline in the number of inhabitants. The first period of emigration to America fell between 1868 and 1910, and this was particularly noticeable in Bernstein and Rettenbach.

The decline in the population of Rettenbach between 1910 and 1945 can be explained by the two world wars and their consequences. There was also increased emigration. In the period from 1914 to 1921 some Rettenbachers (11 people) emigrated to America and Canada. Others fled either to Hungary or Lower Austria.

In the 1970s there was a sharp increase in the number of houses in Rettenbach. This is shown by the population increase between 1971 and 1981, when the population rose from 339 to 375 people.

House and population numbers:

1569	15 houses	1836	374 inhabitants
1645	23 houses	1868	404 inhabitants
1856	70 houses	1910	429 inhabitants
1920	81 houses	1971	339 inhabitants
1980	104 houses	1981	375 inhabitants
1990	120 houses	1991	350 inhabitants
2000	130 houses	2000	352 inhabitants

The formerly independent municipality Rettenbach was prepared by the municipality structure reform law , merged, which entered into force on 1 January 1971 with the communities offices and Redlschlag and markets Bernstein and three cabins market town of Amber. This market town, with its seat in Bernstein, today has around 2500 inhabitants on an area of 39 km². In Rettenbach itself, a total of 391 residents live on an area of 520 hectares, of which 39 people in 14 households have registered their second residence here.

Overview of changes in location

Between 1940 and 1942 the place was electrified. At the beginning of the 1950s (1953/54) the community and fire station was built by the population and the volunteer fire brigade and a year later the foundation stone for the local water supply was laid by Mayor Böhm and local school teacher Taucher. In the same year (1955) a flood disaster occurred, which in the following years (1957-1959) led to a torrent control. After the new cold store was built in 1958/59, the regulation of the river bed was continued in several stages and was completed at the beginning of the 1980s.

The asphalting of the municipal roads (completed in 1996) and the expansion of the route and road network also continued. In 1977 the sports field and morgue were built. At the beginning of the 1980s the telephone network was expanded and a children's playground was built in the "Vöslau", which was followed in 1992 by a tennis court . In the mid-1990s, work began on the sewer network, and a general renovation of the school building at the turn of the millennium.

Political history

When Burgenland still belonged to Hungary, the mayor was also the local judge, as some house names confirm. Only in 1922 did the mayor only have one function. The first managerial person was Karl Laschober. Johann Engelmeyer succeeded Laschober as mayor. Until 1938, the Social Democratic Party ( SPÖ ) had the majority of votes in the village, but Johann Engelmeyer was non-partisan. His term of office, which lasted until 1938, was marked by highs and lows. So there was prosperity and satisfaction in the place until 1930. Until 1938 there were many unemployed and economic difficulties.

During the war, the National Socialist Mayors Adolf Bock and Karl Roth took over responsibility in the area. The first mayor after the war was Johann Kleeweis, who was installed by the Russian occupiers . He was followed by Josef Roth from 1946 to 1950. Since his term in office, there have only been mayors in Rettenbach who were nominated by the SPÖ. After the municipal council election in 1950, Johann Böhm took over the office of mayor (mandate: 8 SPÖ, 3 ÖVP ). Böhm's tenure (1950–1966) was characterized by a great economic boom. Wilhelm Böhm was Mayor of Rettenbach from 1967 to 1971. On January 1, 1971, the municipal structure law came into force and Rettenbach was merged with the municipalities of Stuben, Dreihütten, Redlschlag and Bernstein to form the large municipality of Bernstein . From 1971 to 1980 Wilhelm Böhm was mayor. After his sudden death, Josef Engelmeyer took over the office of mayor (1980–1987). From 1977 to 1982 Reinhold Wallner held the office of 2nd Vice Mayor of the Bernstein community. After the municipal council elections in 1987, Gerhard Böhm took over the post of mayor of Rettenbach in addition to his position as 2nd Vice Mayor of the market town of Bernstein.

Web links

Internet presence of the place

Individual evidence

↑ Provincial Law Gazette for Burgenland 44/1970: Law of September 1, 1970 on territorial changes of municipalities (Municipal Structure Improvement Act) (PDF document; accessed on January 1, 2018)