Schwedenschanze (Bad Leonfelden)

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Section of the Schwedenschanze in Rading from the north
inside view

This Schwedenschanze is located on the old Upper Austrian - Bohemian salt road , which in this area leads from Bad Leonfelden to the Bohemian Vyšší Brod (German Hohenfurth), where the Vltava could be crossed at a ford without a bridge.

The Schwedenschanze was built during the Thirty Years' War to protect against the invasion of the Swedish army from the north and forms a barrier in the forest-free gap between the Sternstein in the west and the Miesenwald in the east. A memorial stone, two wooden cannon replicas and several display boards remind of this today. The remains are under monument protection .

history

In the 15th century at the time of the Hussite Wars and the subsequent border disputes between Emperor Friedrich III. and Bohemian King Georg von Podiebrad built entrenchments in this area for the first time. Bad Leonfelden was part of the Upper Austrian fortress line against Bohemia, to which Haslach , Freistadt and the Schanze von Liebenau also belonged.

Towards the end of the Thirty Years' War (from 1641) the Swedish army also moved into Czech territory and an attack on the Austrian Habsburg possessions threatened. Therefore, Emperor Ferdinand III ordered. the protection of the border, whereupon Konrad Balthasar von Starhemberg as landlord on behalf of the governor of Austria built a two-kilometer-wide ski jump, which reached from Rading via Roßberg to Weigetschlag .

In 1645 Swedish armies stayed immediately north of this defensive structure, but shied away from attempting to capture it.

In 1663 during the threat from the Turks and in 1680/81 due to the danger of the plague, the fortifications were again occupied by imperial troops.

On August 10, 1970, the renovated Schwedenschanze in Rading was handed over in the presence of a representative of the Swedish Embassy and Minister of Social Affairs Grete Rehor .

description

Plan of the Schwedenschanze in Bad Leonfelden

On the higher, southern outskirts of Weigetschlag, a 9-sided log house with double masonry marked the beginning of the Schwedenschanze. From there a 700 meter long parapet with a wall made of excavated material behind it stretched to the small hill of Roßberg, which was located on a hilltop, from which one has an excellent view of the salt road passing below. Another parapet finally led from the other side of the street to the large hill at Rading, which included a camp with 4 half bastions measuring 75 × 80 paces.

Description of the remains still visible today:

  • In Rading, a short, signposted tour leads through a renovated piece of rampart with palisades . There is also a memorial stone, two cannons and a little above a small parking space for vehicles. There are additional, sufficient parking spaces at the Rading snack station ("Schanzstüberl") located above with a beautiful outdoor dining area.
  • In the two wooded areas between Radinger Schanze and Leonfeldener Straße (B 126) and between Roßberg and Weigetschlag, the remains of the stone parapet foundations can still be seen in the form of elongated rock rubble. They were long overgrown by spruce trees. There are no paths or signs (so please do not confuse these remains with the granite piles on the edges of the forest, which is material that has been removed from the fields by the farmers over the centuries).
  • of the 9-sided log house in Weigetschlag, not far from the Müller chapel, only the foundations can be seen

See also

literature

  • Alfred Höß: How the Schwedenschanzen came about . In: Mühlviertler Nachrichten , 1968.
  • Hans Sperl: A monument, by no means meant to be warlike. The Schwedenschanze at Rading near Bad Leonfelden. In: Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, 1963.

Web links

Commons : Schwedenschanze Rading  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 33 ′ 6.4 "  N , 14 ° 19 ′ 50.7"  E