Description of the attraction
Hainburg an der Donau is an Austrian city located in the federal state of Lower Austria in the Brook an der Leith region, 40 km from Vienna. Hainburg is the easternmost city on the Danube, just a few kilometers from the city border with Slovakia.
The first inhabitants of this area were the Celts. Today the city is located next to the ancient Roman settlement of Carnuntum - the capital of the Roman province of Pannonia, where Marcus Aurelius once lived. Emperor Henry III ordered the construction of the Heimburg castle in 1050. Today, Heimburg, with its city walls, gates and towers, is the best-preserved fortification in Europe. In 1108, the castle passed into the possession of the Babenbergs. In 1220-1225, the castle was fortified, the Vienna Gate appeared (the largest medieval gate built in Europe).
Hainburg an der Donau received city rights in 1244.
In 1683, the city and castle were badly damaged during the Turkish war. The population fled from the city, in the narrow alleys there was a crush and massacre. From the documents of those times, it is known that more than 8,000 people died.
During the Second World War, the city was practically not damaged. After the war, the tobacco factory became the city's main source of income.
In 1984, a project to build a power plant in Hainburg was considered, however, the protests of the townspeople were so strong that the federal government, after several clashes with the police, abandoned the project. Today the area is part of the Donau-Auen National Park.
For guests of the city and tourists, the main interest is the preserved medieval fortress wall with a length of 2.5 kilometers with three gates and 15 towers of the 13th century. An interesting city museum is located inside the Vienna Gate. Also of interest is the early Baroque parish church of Sts. Philip and Jacob and the Rococo Column of the Virgin Mary in the Main Square of the city.
