Description of the attraction
Zwettl is an Austrian city located in the federal state of Lower Austria, part of the Zwettl district. Zwettl is one of the largest municipalities in Austria.
The name of the city comes from the Slavic "Svetla", which means "light". Despite the fact that the etymology suggests the existence of settlements of Slavic peoples, no archaeological evidence of this fact has been found. Zwettl was founded by knights, first mentioned in 1139 in the charter of the Cistercian Abbey of Zwettl. Tsvettl received city rights on December 28, 1200.
The city was badly damaged during the Thirty Years' War when it was besieged and plundered by Czech troops in 1618. In 1645 Zwettl was occupied by the Swedes. In 1850, the municipality of Zwettl was established. In 1896, a railway connection was opened.
In August 2002, Tsvettl experienced a devastating flood caused by heavy torrential rains.
Tsvettl is visited annually by tourists from various countries. Of particular interest is the large part of the old city that has survived to this day. The city walls, six towers, the Old Town Hall, built in 1307, as well as several historic buildings have survived. In 1994, as part of the reorganization of the town square, a fountain was built by the renowned artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Before the appearance of the fountain, there was a war memorial on this site, which was moved to a new location in the chapel of John of Nepomuk.
Two kilometers from Zwettl is the Cistercian abbey, built in 1137. The monastery has been rebuilt several times during its existence, so there are several styles in architecture at once: Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque. The monastery is active, it is home to more than 20 monks. Part of the monastery, however, is open to the public, as are the monastery gardens and wine rooms.
