Fürstenfeld

Fürstenfeld
Graz Gate, part of former town fortifications
Graz Gate, part of former town fortifications
Coat of arms of Fürstenfeld
Fürstenfeld is located in Austria
Fürstenfeld
Fürstenfeld
Location within Austria
Coordinates: 47°03′00″N 16°05′00″E / 47.05000°N 16.08333°E / 47.05000; 16.08333
CountryAustria
StateStyria
DistrictHartberg-Fürstenfeld
Government
 • MayorFranz Jost (ÖVP)
Area
 • Total50.31 km2 (19.42 sq mi)
Elevation
276 m (906 ft)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[2]
 • Total8,549
 • Density170/km2 (440/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
8280
Area code+43 3382
Vehicle registrationHF
Websitewww.fuerstenfeld.at

Fürstenfeld (Austrian German: [ˈfʏrstn̩fɛld]; Hungarian: Fölöstöm) is a small historic city in Styria, Austria. It is situated near the border with Hungary, which is why the city was originally founded. The town has become quite famous in Austria and Germany because of the song by the same name by Styrian band S.T.S..

Fürstenfeld has a population of some 8,902 as of January 1st 2024. It was the centre of an eponymous district until the end of 2012, when it was merged with Hartberg to form the district of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld.

Fürstenfeld was founded around 1170 as a defense against the Hungarians (the present Austrian state of Burgenland was part of Hungary until after World War I, so Fürstenfeld used to lie right on the border) and received its town charter in 1215. Today it is known for its schools, middle-sized industry, and vicinity to several spa towns (Bad Blumau, Bad Loipersdorf and Bad Waltersdorf in Styria, and Stegersbach in Burgenland).

Geography

Fürstenfeld is located in the lower Feistritz [ceb; de; sh; sv] valley near the Burgenland border. Elevation of the urban area ranges from 255m to approximately 300 m ü. A. The city`s central part sits on a river terrace two dozen meters above the valley floor.

History

First human traces in the Fürstenfeld area are attributed to the Neolithic age. There are numerous Urnfield culture archaeological finds and the Romans also found their way into the later Province of Noricum bordering their Pannonia province. From the 6th century on, Slavs diffused into the Pannonic region and were followed by Bavarian settlers in the 8th century.

Twin towns — sister cities

Fürstenfeld is twinned with:[3]

Notable people

References

  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. ^ "Fürstenfelder Partnerstädte" (in German). Fürstenfeld. Archived from the original on 2022-12-17. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  4. ^ Parlamentarische Materialien: Erklärung des Präsidenten Gottfried Jaud anlässlich des 50. Jahrestages der Gründung des Europarates. Stenografisches Protokoll der 654 Sitzung /Seite 42, http://www.parlament.gv.at/pd/steno/PG/DE/BR/BRSITZ/BRSITZ_00654/SEITE_0042.html?P_PM=SEITE_0042 Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine