Semmering (Lower Austria)

Semmering

coat of arms

Austria map

Basic data

Country:

Austria

State :

Lower Austria

Political District :

Neunkirchen

License plate :

NK

Main town :

Semmering health resort

Surface:

8.72 km²

Coordinates :

47 ° 39 ' N , 15 ° 50' E Coordinates: 47 ° 38 '49 " N , 15 ° 49' 48" E

Height :

985 m above sea level A.

Residents :

518 (January 1, 2020)

Postal code :

2680

Area code :

02664

Community code :

3 18 38

NUTS region

AT122

Address of the
municipal administration:

Hochstrasse 1
2680 Semmering

Website:

www.semmering.at

politics

Mayor :

Horst Schröttner ( ÖVP )

Municipal Council : ( 2020 )
(15 members)

13

2

13 2

A total of 15 seats

ÖVP : 13
SPÖ : 2

Location of Semmering in the Neunkirchen district

View of Semmering from the slope of the Hirschenkogel

Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Semmering is a municipality in the Neunkirchen district , on the southern border of Lower Austria and Styria ( Austria ) with 518 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020). The main town of Semmering-Kurort is a mountain air spa and tourist resort .

geography

Semmering lies at an altitude of 985 m above sea level. A. and has an area of 8.72 km². The place is at the summit of the Semmering Pass on the Semmering expressway S 6, which has been driving under the pass and thus the place in a tunnel since 2004, and on the southern line , here called Semmering Railway . The neighboring town in Styria also bears the name Semmering .

climate

Average monthly temperatures for Semmering

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	-0.1	1.5	4.8	10.2	15.4	18.2	20.5	20.1	15.3	10.8	4.2	-0.1	O	10.1
Min. Temperature (° C)	-6.3	-5.4	-2.7	1.3	6.1	9.0	10.9	10.7	7.1	3.2	-1.4	-5.5	O	2.3
Temperature (° C)	-3.6	-2.5	0.3	5.1	10.2	13.1	15.2	14.6	10.4	6.2	0.9	-3.1	O	5.6

Humidity ( % )	76.4	70.1	65.7	58.8	61.3	62.2	59.3	61.2	65.3	67.8	77.1	81.8	O	67.2

T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r

-0.1

-6.3

1.5

-5.4

4.8

-2.7

10.2

1.3

15.4

6.1

18.2

9.0

20.5

10.9

20.1

10.7

15.3

7.1

10.8

3.2

4.2

-1.4

-0.1

-5.5

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Source: ZAMG average climate values 1981 - 2010

Neighboring communities

	Breitenstein
		Schottwien
Spital am Semmering

Tourism and economy

Semmering Pass, August 20, 1825, Emperor Franz and Karoline on their way to Italy, lith. Around 1830, J. F. Kaiser, Graz

Since the 19th century, the place has been a popular summer holiday destination for Vienna's “fine society”. In the mansions of the glamorous health resort, not only the nobility gathered (Emperor Karl I often spent the holidays in the Villa Wartholz with his son Otto nearby ), but also the Second Society and artists (e.g. Oskar Kokoschka , Adolf Loos , Peter Altenberg or Karl Kraus ). They gave and still give this name to the attitude to life here.

Famous hotels such as the Südbahnhotel (built in 1882) or the Hotel Panhans (built in 1888) and the Kurhaus Semmering (built in 1909) as well as the Hotel Erzherzog Johann on the Passhöhe (the latter destroyed in 1945) were magnets for tourists and hikers until the interwar period. After 1945 the health resort suffered from the consequences of the fighting at the end of the war, the Soviet occupation and the loss of the upper-class Jewish clientele. It currently positions itself primarily as a winter sports location. The Hotel Panhans has been revitalized, but the fate of the Südbahnhotel is uncertain - after partial renovation.

The place flourished above all with the construction of the railway over the Semmering , which was opened in 1854. With it, Semmering could be reached comfortably from Vienna , which is barely 80 km away , according to a poster by the Hotel Panhans from 1920 "in 2 hours by train".

According to the sophisticated character of the place, they tried to entertain their guests. The first Semmering hill climb took place as early as 1899 , a motorsport event over ten kilometers for automobiles and motorcycles that were not yet fully developed at the time. Until 1933, races were held annually with a few interruptions, and well-known names such as Rudolf Caracciola and Hans Stuck entered the winners' lists . Today, Semmering is probably the most popular venue for classic cars - rallies and historic motorsport in Vienna Nahgebiet.

In the 1920s and 1930s, several high-ranking chess tournaments took place on the Semmering, among the participants were names like the world chess champions Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca , the world chess champion Vera Menchik or the grandmasters Paul Keres , Efim Bogoljubow and Rudolf Spielmann .

From the beginning of the 1930s to around 1960, the Semmering Alpine Lido was one of the attractions in the area. Semmering has also been a winter sports destination since the turn of the century . Today lifts lead to the Hirschenkogel (which has again been given the nickname Magic Mountain ). World Cup ski races also take place regularly on the Hirschenkogel .

In summer the lifts at Magic Mountain for the Bike Park Semmering, who since 2006 by downhill - and Freeride - Mountain bikers will sail, used. The lifts are available to bikers from June to October. In the bike park there are several routes with different levels of difficulty (including family route, freeride route, downhill route) and numerous jumps, root passages, banked turns, etc. In addition, the first 24-hour downhill race was held in 2006.

The performances of the Reichenau Festival in the Südbahnhotel are also an attraction for visitors in summer . In 2007, Alma , the play about Alma Mahler-Werfel , also experienced numerous performances in the Kurhaus Semmering . Alma Mahler-Werfel owned a villa on Semmering, and her daughter Anna Mahler got engaged to her future husband Paul Zsolnay during a stay at the Kurhaus .

The Semmering was particularly valued by the Viennese around 1900 as a local recreation and excursion area. Even today, winter tourism and spa tourism are of great economic importance (180,000 overnight stays per year, and the trend is growing rapidly).

Located on the Semmering Pass, the place was also of great importance in terms of north-south traffic. The ever increasing transport of goods by road meant that a tunnel under the Semmering was planned and completed in 2004 ( Semmering expressway ). The town center is currently being redesigned, including the "Erzherzog Johann" restaurant, which was closed in 2007, was reopened at the beginning of March 2010.

Hotel Panhans and Hotel Erzherzog Johann around 1905
Hotel Panhans, landmark of the municipality of Semmering
Kurhaus Semmering
Semmering rectory
Parish Church to the Holy Family

Population development

religion

According to the data of the 2001 census , 75.2% of the population were Roman Catholic , 3.1% Protestant , and 1.1% belonged to Orthodox churches . 11.8% of the population had no religious denomination.

politics

Image wanted

The municipal council has 15 members.

With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria in 1990, the municipal council had the following distribution: 13 ÖVP, and 2 SPÖ.
With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria in 1995, the municipal council had the following distribution: 11 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ.
With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria in 2000, the municipal council had the following distribution: 11 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ.
With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria in 2005 , the municipal council had the following distribution: 11 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ.
With the municipal elections in Lower Austria in 2010 , the municipal council had the following distribution: 12 ÖVP, 2 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ.
With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria in 2015 , the municipal council had the following distribution: 12 ÖVP, 2 SPÖ, and 1 FPÖ.
With the municipal council elections in Lower Austria 2020 , the municipal council has the following distribution: 13 ÖVP and 2 SPÖ.

mayor

until 2005 Norbert Steiner (ÖVP)
since 2005 Horst Schröttner (ÖVP)

Culture and sights

Semmering Railway : since 1998 the Semmering Railway is part of the World Heritage of UNESCO
Ghegadenkmal : the monument dedicated to Carl Ritter von Ghega , the builder of the Semmering Railway, is located at the Semmering train station
Nittner monument: the monument dedicated to the first high-flyer in Semmering, Lieutenant Eduard Nittner , is located on the top of the pass
Südbahnhotel
Kurhaus Semmering
Villa Antoinette

Historical maps

Semmering and its surroundings on historical maps, around 1790 and around 1873
Styrian side of Semmering with stone house and hospital (bottom center), around 1790
Lower Austrian side with Gloggnitz, Schottwien (bottom left), around 1790
Styrian side, northern part, with Adlitzgräben and Preiner Gscheid, around 1873 (bottom right)
Styrian side, southern part, with stone house, hospital and Mürzzuschlag (top right)
Lower Austrian side, railway and road expanded around 1873 (bottom left)

traffic

Rail: Semmering station is an important stop along the southern line . It hold several daily Railjets towards Vienna or Prague and Graz . In addition, the Eurocity 151 to Ljubljana stops once a day . In local transport there are regional trains in the direction of Mürzzuschlag or Payerbach-Reichenau . There are also regional express trains for commuters in the morning and a pair of express trains to Vienna and in the evening to Mürzzuschlag.
Bus: Regional buses stop in the direction of Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag .
Road: The best way to get to Semmering is via the Semmeringer expressway S6 and the federal highway 306.

education

ITM International College of Tourism and Management was founded in Semmering in 1986 and relocated to Bad Vöslau in 2009 .

Personalities

Franz Schönthaler (1821–1904) The sculptor was the first builder to be one of the most important co-designers of villa architecture on Semmering.

literature

Cornelia Szabó-Knotik: Semmering. In: Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon . Online edition, Vienna 2002 ff., ISBN 3-7001-3077-5 ; Print edition: Volume 4, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-7001-3046-5 .