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Judenburg

Coordinates: 47°10′21″N 14°39′37″E / 47.17250°N 14.66028°E / 47.17250; 14.66028
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Not to be confused with Jüdenberg.
Judenburg
Judnbuag
Municipality
View from southwest
View from southwest
Coat of arms of Judenburg
Coat of arms
Judenburg is located in Austria
Judenburg
Judenburg
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 47°10′21″N 14°39′37″E / 47.17250°N 14.66028°E / 47.17250; 14.66028
CountryAustria
StateStyria
DistrictMurtal
Government
 • MayorHannes Dolleschall (SPÖ)
Area
[1]
 • Total
63.69 km2 (24.59 sq mi)
Elevation
737 m (2,418 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total
9,960
 • Density160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
8750
Area code03572
Vehicle registrationMT
Websitewww.judenburg.at

Judenburg (German: [juːdn̩.buɐ̯k, juːdn̩.buʁk]; Bavarian: Judnbuag) is a historic town in Styria, Austria.

It is the administrative centre of the Murtal district, which was created on 1 January 2012 from the former Judenburg District and former Knittelfeld District. Until 31 December 2011, it was the capital of the Judenburg District.

On 1 January 2015, the adjoining municipalities of Oberweg and Reifling were merged into Judenburg.

Geography

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It is located in the Upper Styrian region, on the western end of the Aichfeld basin, stretching along the Mur River from Judenburg down to Knittelfeld in the east. The broad valley is bound by the Niedere Tauern range in the north and the Noric Alps (Lavanttal Alps) in the south.

The municipal area also comprises the cadastral communities of Tiefenbach and Waltersdorf, a former municipality incorporated in 1963.

The municipal area includes the following ten villages (populations as of January 1, 2020):

  • Auerling (129)
  • Feeberg (176)
  • Gasselsdorf (28)
  • Judenburg (8,386)
  • Oberweg (517)
  • Ossach (45)
  • Reifling (57)
  • Ritzersdorf (15)
  • Strettweg (367)
  • Waltersdorf (133)

History

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City Tower

Archaeological findings indicate that the area was settled at least since the days of the Celtic kingdom of Noricum. Judenburg itself was first mentioned in a 1074 staple right deed as mercatum Judinburch, a market town within the estates of Eppenstein Castle, the ancestral seat of the Bavarian Eppensteiner noble family, who ruled as Styrian margraves in the 11th century. The name literally means "Jews' Borough", referring to the town's origin as a trading outpost on the route from the Mur Valley across the Obdach Saddle mountain pass to Carinthia, in which Jews played an important role, being represented in the city's coat of arms.

Upon the extinction of the Eppensteiner dynasty in 1122, the estates passed to the Styrian Otakars and in 1192 to the House of Babenberg, Dukes of Austria since 1156. Judenburg received town privileges in 1224 and the right to collect tolls in 1277. The town grew to an important commercial centre for iron ore mined at nearby Eisenerz, but also for valeriana celtica used in perfumes during the 13th and 14th centuries. Judenburg was even granted a valeriana trade monopoly by the Habsburg emperor Frederick III in 1460. After several pogroms, all Jews were expelled from the Duchy of Styria by order of Emperor Maximilian I in 1496. Following his breakthrough in Italy, General Napoléon Bonaparte made his headquarters at Judenburg and it was there, on the night of 7–8 April 1796, that he signed the Truce of Judenburg with the Austrians.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the town was one of the centres of Austria-Hungary's steel industry and also a garrison city of the Austro-Hungarian Army. From 1910 to 1914 one of the first trolleybusses in Austria connected Judenburg station with the town's centre. Little remains of the former industry today, but Judenburg remains an industrial and trade centre. In May 1918, the city was the site of a failed military mutiny.

In 1938, with the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, Judenburg became part of the Third Reich. Due to the presence of the word Jude ("Jew") in the town's name, many possible new names were suggested, including Zirbenstadt (after Zirbe, the German name for the Swiss pine tree) and Adolfsburg (in honor of Adolf Hitler). However, the planned renaming was indefinitely postponed after the outbreak of war and ultimately never happened.[3][4]

During the Second World War, a subcamp of Mauthausen concentration camp was located nearby,[5] where a displaced persons' reception centre was established after the war. Judenburg was also one of several towns that saw the handover of Cossacks to the Red Army.

Politics

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Town hall

Seats in the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) as of the 2020 elections:

International relations

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Austria

Twin towns - Sister cities

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Judenburg is a member of the Douzelage, a unique town twinning association of 24 towns across the European Union. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals.[6][7] Discussions regarding membership are also in hand with three further towns (Agros in Cyprus, Škofja Loka in Slovenia, and Tryavna in Bulgaria).

Spain Altea, Spain - 1991
Germany Bad Kötzting, Germany - 1991
Italy Bellagio, Italy - 1991
Republic of Ireland Bundoran, Ireland - 1991
France Granville, France - 1991
Denmark Holstebro, Denmark - 1991
Belgium Houffalize, Belgium - 1991
Netherlands Meerssen, the Netherlands - 1991
Luxembourg Niederanven, Luxembourg - 1991
Greece Preveza, Greece - 1991
Portugal Sesimbra, Portugal - 1991
United Kingdom Sherborne, United Kingdom - 1991
Finland Karkkila, Finland - 1997
Sweden Oxelösund, Sweden - 1998
Austria Judenburg, Austria - 1999
Poland Chojna, Poland - 2004
Hungary Kőszeg, Hungary - 2004
Latvia Sigulda, Latvia - 2004
Czech Republic Sušice, Czech Republic - 2004
Estonia Türi, Estonia - 2004
Slovakia Zvolen, Slovakia - 2007
Lithuania Prienai, Lithuania - 2008
Malta Marsaskala, Malta - 2009
Romania Siret, Romania - 2010

Notable people

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Richard Paltauf
Tony Breznik, 2008
  • Richard Paltauf (1858–1924), an Austrian pathologist and bacteriologist.
  • Michael Powolny (1871–1954), sculptor, medallist, ceramist, designer and teacher.
  • Walter Pfrimer (1881–1968), politician and Nazi, known for the 1931 Pfrimer Putsch, died locally
  • Maria Cäsar (1920-2017), an Austrian political activist (KPÖ) and resistance activist, lived locally.
  • Jack Unterweger (1950–1994), author and serial killer
  • Christian Muthspiel (born 1962), jazz musician, composer and trombonist
  • Wolfgang Muthspiel (born 1965), jazz guitarist and record label owner.
  • Alf Poier (born 1967), singer-songwriter and stand-up comedian

Sport

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References

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  1. ^ "Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018". Statistics Austria. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. ^ Vgl. Michael Schiestl: „Zirbitz-“, „Adolf-“ oder „Jubelburg“. Dokumente des „gesunden Volksempfindens“. In: Berichte des Museumsvereines Judenburg. 33 (2000), S. 23–32.
  4. ^ Strunz, Gunnar: Steiermark: Das grüne Herz Österreichs, p. 130. (link)
  5. ^ Christine O’Keefe.Concentration Camps.
  6. ^ "Douzelage.org: Home". www.douzelage.org. Archived from the original on 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  7. ^ "Douzelage.org: Member Towns". www.douzelage.org. Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
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