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Korneuburg

Town in Lower Austria, Austria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Korneuburg (German pronunciation: [kɔʁˈnɔʏbʊʁk] ; Central Bavarian: Korneibuag) is a town in the Weinviertel region of the state of Lower Austria, famous for its typical white and red wines, such as Gruner Veltliner and Blauer Zweigelt. Situated on the Danube about 12 km northwest of Vienna, the town itself covers an area of 9.77 square km and, as of January 2025, boasts 13,805 inhabitants. It also serves as the administrative centre of the much larger district of Korneuburg.

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Korneuburg - Catholic Church of Saint Egidius

Originally a riverside settlement called Nivenburg, it lies on the left bank of the river, opposite the Augustinian abbey town of Klosterneuburg, with which it was historically linked. Korneuburg was first mentioned in 1136 as a busy market town and, in 1298, received the right to formally separate from Klosterneuburg. Nowadays, the two towns retain an unusual physical link, an ingenious chain ferry which uses the strong river current to propel itself back and forth along a sunken chain. Very popular with cyclists, since it connects the long distance routes along the banks of the Danube, it can also accommodate several cars and a number of foot passengers.

At the beginning of the 15th century, moated defence walls were erected around the town with four gateways. One opened in the direction of the river, towards which, according to local legend, a vengeful Pied Piper lured away the children of the town. His imagined appearance and story can be seen on a drinking fountain in the centre of town. Short sections of wall are still visible but the main historic feature today is a mighty watchtower, built around 1455, which looms over the colourful main square. From its symmetrically placed erker windows, it affords excellent views in all directions over the town and surrounding countryside. In turbulent times, it was occupied by a watchman to spot and warn of dangers, such as fires or approaching soldiers. Once part of a mediaeval church, demolished in the 19th century, the tower was incorporated by the architect Max Kropf into his neo-Gothic town hall which now dominates the main square. Designed in the historicist style, it contains colourful tile and fresco ornamentation, with an impressive double staircase leading up to the fine council chamber with a coffered ceiling. The tower and town hall can usually both be visited during office hours, however the tower is currently closed for repairs and restoration.

Due to its strategic location on the Danube, not far upstream from the capital, Korneuburg frequently fell victim to marauding armies. For example, the town suffered during the long conflict between the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus and the Habsburg emperor Frederick III.[4]. A number of later major military campaigns ravaged the town, including the Thirty Years' War, the Battle of Vienna, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Oil Campaign of World War II.

However, each time the industrious citizens managed to re-build so that today it presents a mix of original late mediaeval and newer domestic buildings and shops, with a maze of passage ways and side streets running off the main square. Along one of these, not far from the main square, is the oldest building of any kind in the town, the sadly neglected synagogue. Erected in the 14th century, it soon lost its religious purpose with the expulsion of the Jews from the Habsburg lands in 1421. Over the centuries it suffered various types of misuse, including for a time serving as a horse-powered mill (hence the name of the side street on which it stands, the Rossmuhlgasse). Even in its ruinous condition and barely recognisable as a former place of worship, it remains one of the oldest synagogue structures in Central Europe. Efforts to acquire and restore the building, now in private ownership and utilised as a garage workshop, have failed due to the costs involved, although rather ironically it is catalogued nationally as a protected historic landmark.

In 1852, the famous "Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft“ or Danube Steamboat Company, opened a large shipyard in Korneuburg for the construction and repair of its ships and barges. After the Nazi annexation of Austria in 1938, the shipyard was integrated into the Hermann-Göring-Werke, and significantly enlarged. Thus in 1941, 16 barracks for Germans, forced labourers and prisoners of war were added. In 1945, the Red Army captured the shipyard.[5] Closed in 1993, with its four remaining assembly halls under protection as historic landmarks, the Korneuburg Shipyard is nowadays the site of a branch of the Museum of Military History, Vienna comprising two patrol boats, Niederösterreich and Oberst Brecht. These were the Austrian Army's last patrol ships on the Danube, and the successors of the KuK Kriegsmarine.[6]

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Population development

  • 1900: 8,292
  • 1939: 9,893
  • 1971: 9,023
  • 2012: 12,267
  • 2025: 13,805

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