INTRO
Ok, you've been to Vienna several times, you've enjoyed the atmosphere of that exquisite corpse of empire: The palaces, the museums, the jugendstil, the baroque, the Ringstrasse, the coffeehouses where this-and-that famous person played chess. You have had your picture taken groping the breast of the women-lion statues at Belvedere like countless thousands.
Maybe you've gone to an opera.
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| A moment of respite (statues are slutty in Vienna) |
Maybe you've gone to an opera.
Let's back up.
It's easy to see the area between Bratislava and Vienna as just wind turbines, some hills, and a few hick villages between fields of bright yellow rape-seed. Mostly that's true but there are some places worth seeing: a UNESCO protected site, several castles and palaces (one with camels), a Roman provincial capital, a 2nd century BCE Celtic hilltop fort, cathedrals, museums, a beaver and a stork preserve, among other things.
All of the places in this guide are reasonably easy to get to by train or bus. There are four main routes:
From Petrzelka:
1) by train through Kittsee-Vienna
2) by train from Parndorf Ort to Neusiedler Am See
From the Main Station:
3) by train through Marchegg
From the bus station or Novy Most:
4) Hainburg and beyond
From Petrzelka
Kittsee -- The first stop. Kittsee, like the rest of Burgenland, belonged to Hungary until 1920. Several minor historical events have taken place here, the most notable being that a crusader army (Crusade of 1197) gathered here in 1198 before setting off.
The nicest thing in Kittsee is the aptly if unimaginatively named Schloss Kittsee, a baroque palace built in 1688 which is now an ethnological museum and holds occasional concerts. The grounds, with their hedges and chestnuts trees, were lovely in the slanting Autumnal light. This palace made Kittsee worthwhile for me, I’ll come again with a book.
There is also an Old Schloss which is standing but in ruins. Next to it is a derelict Jewish cemetery whose bent headstones you can see through a fence. For better and for worse, it isn’t open to the public. Also, there seems to be or have been an important hospital in Kittsee, there are almost 500 WWI dead in the cemetery, mostly Hungarian and Czechoslovak.
For some reason there are 30,000 apricot trees in Kittsee, that's almost 16 trees per resident.
Although "See" means "lake" in German, the town's name is derived from Hungarian (from the adjective form of 'blue') not German, so don't go looking to swim there.
Pama / Gattendorf / Neudorf / Parndorf -- I've been to Pama and Parndorf. There's no reason why you should. Gattendorf means something like "husbands-village" though it's probably not derived from that nor is it likely a good place to look for one as there are only 1,129 people there. There is an ostrich farm in Gattendorf, it'll be on your left side if you're going to Vienna. You won't see this but they do like pretty cool.
Parndorf Ort -- This is an important stop. The railway on the other side of the platform from the Vienna line takes you to Neusiedl am See, Eisenstadt, and Hungary, though I don't recommend using it to get to Hungary as the cost is prohibitive.
GETTING OUT AT PARNDORF ORT
-Outlet Mall - When you get off the train walk up the road past the horse farm and turn right. The big grass shoulder will turn into a broad dirt walk/bike way soon. Enjoy the countryside, the wildflowers, the blue outlines of distant mountains, and the rolling hills to your right. In about 15-20 minutes you'll be in fake architecture, fast-food, shit music, and all your favorite big-brand-names. When the crops aren't too high you'll see hares and pheasants. There's probably a bus from the station but I've never taken it. The mall itself is a strip mall with almost all clothes/shoes/accessories stores. No bookshops, no music shops. The last time I went was for shoes and they were considerably more expensive than what I could find n Bratislava. Perhaps clothes are cheaper, I don't know. I can't recommend. I’m looking forward to never going again.
Neusiedler Am See -- When you buy a ticket for NAS at Petrzelka it'll read Bratislava->Parndorf Ort. Don't worry, underneath it'll say that it's good to Neusiedler Am See. When you get to Parndorf Ort get out and switch tracks but don't get too comfortable on the other train, it's the first stop and only a 6 minute ride.
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| Sun, sand, rich Viennese |
Turn right at the street "Seestrasse" and just keep going straight until you get to the water - it'll be awhile. It's 4€ for admission and 2.50€ after 3:00 pm. You can swim, paddle boat, and do some other activities like windsurfing. Apparently the area offers excellent biking possibilities. It's definitely worth checking out in the summer. The lake itself is a UNESCO cultural heritage site. The bottom is muddy but the maximum depth is only 1.8m and it dries up completely every couple of hundred years, lastly in 1866.
You can check the water temperature before you go by visiting: http://www.byc.at/wetter/
Other useful or informative websites are
Eisenstadt -- The capital of Burgenland is nice for a long afternoon. Means "Iron Town" in German. To get to Eisenstadt buy a ticket for Parndorf Ort when you're in Slovakia and buy another one for Eisenstadt from the machine when you're in P.O. If you buy a round-trip ticket in Bratislava it'll be stupidly expensive.
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| The Eszterhazy Palace |
The Austrian novelist Robert Musil partly based his first novel The Confusions of Young Torless on his experiences while attending the military boarding school here when he was 12-14.
If you're NOT GETTING OUT IN PARNDORF ORT
Bruck an der Leitha/Bruckneudorf -- Is the most significant, largest, and most interesting stop on Bratislava-Vienna line; while that's not saying much, the partially walled city of Bruck a/d Leitha is worth visiting.
The small river (the Leitha) near the train station looks small, peaceful, and unimportant. It, however, forms the border between the federal states of Burgenland and Niederosterreich (Lower Austria), and was the border between the Austrian and Hungarian parts of the Habsburg Empire. The train station is on the old Hungarian/Burgenland side (Bruckneudorf) and that's why the bust of Kaiser Franz Josef in the little park near the station celebrates him as a Hungarian, not Austrian, King.
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| Your Kaiser |
The highlights of Bruck a/d Leitha
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| Schloss Harach/Prugg crumbling, unused, beautiful |
2) There are several medieval buildings and lookout towers and if you wander along Raiffeisengurtel you'll see the old city walls. Not very exciting but kind of cool if you're not used to seeing such things.
3) There is an excellent family restaurant serving local food called Zum Goldenen Adler. Look for the red Schwechater Beer sign. It's at Altstadt 5.
4) Under the old empire Bruck a/d Leitha and Bruckneudorf (or "Kiralyhida" as the Hungarian called it) were garrison towns. On the Bruck a/d Leitha side you can find the barracks (or 'Kaserne' in German) still standing. It's on Raiffeisengurtel between Lagerhausstrasse and Hanuschstrasse next to the Stadttheater. You'll need a healthy imagination to enjoy the building.
Bruck a/d Leitha map with info:
Bruckneudorf is much smaller. The few things of interest are the big monument for the Austrian-Hungarian war dead of WWI. There was also a big barracks here -- big enough for a waltz to be written about it at least. The national government uses land in here for military training. To get to the monument, retrace your steps back to the Kaiser Park near the train station and go under the overpass down Lagerstrasse and you'll see. It's labelled "Kriegerdenkmal" on the map.A chapter from "The Good Solider Svejk" is set in Bruck an der Leitha/Bruckneudorf so you can follow in his footsteps though the Hungarians are gone. For more info:
There is a cultural venue called Freunde der Erbse (Friends of the Pea) in an old pea-shelling factory. Their facebook group is here:
There is the remains of a Roman villa (Villa Bruckneudorf) a few kilometers to the east of Bruckneudorf. I've never been there. Google for more information.
Gramatneusiedl -- The last stop before Vienna. You, yes YOU!, could become the first person I know to visit this town. Our team of researchers have revealed that GNS (1) was the location of an important sociological study, "The unemployed of Marienthal" and (2) is close to the Automobile and Motorcycle Museum of Austria, in nearby Mittendorf an der Fischa. Here's the link to the later:
And here's a link to the former:
TRAIN THROUGH MARCHEGG
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| Schloss Marchegg |
Schlosshof - A baroque palace with manicured grounds, a giant fountain, camels, petting zoo, and a schedule of events. Located in the middle of nowhere, it's like a Versailles that got lost. It used to belong to Eugene of Savoy (also owner of the Belvedere and several other magnificent palaces) and the Habsburgs. Neither stinted on it. It's been restored and is worth a summer's day. It's about an hour walk from Marchegg though of course a bike would help.
BUS FROM BRATISLAVA
Hainburg an der Donau - The best way to get here is taking the Vienna Airport bus from the main bus station. It’s 2€ for a round trip ticket. The best thing to do is get out at Hauptplatz (main square) and just walk around. Hainburg has a nice small town, slightly medieval, atmosphere, with two forbidding guard towers, city walls, and a hilltop castle.I can recommend an excellent heurigen next to the Ungarntor. The Haydnstūberl (restaurant) just northeast of the main square is pretty good too. There are maps at Information.
The first mention of Hainburg comes from the Nibelungenlied -- that's pretty cool, cooler than that the Turks destroyed the town and massacred the population (about 8,000) in 1683 on their way to Vienna. There is a plaque on Fishchertor/Blutgasse commerating the dead. Joseph Haydn’s grandfather was one of the survivors.
If you smell sweet raw tobacco it’s because there’s been a tobacco factory there since the 1720s.
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| The ruins of Schloss Hainburg from atop Braunsberg |
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| The Danube floating into the sky from above Hainburg |
The Danubian Flood Plain National Park (Nationalpark Donau-Auen) - A protected swathe of primeval forest/wetland running from Hainburg to Vienna. Walking, sightseeing, boating etc etc tours and excursions are available. There are beavers. Check it out at
Bad Deutsch-Altenburg - Just down the road from Hainburg (you can walk, it's about 2.5 kilometers). There are two points of interest in BDA: the museum and the church.
The church -- Pfarrkirche Maria Himmelfarht (Parrish church of the Assumption of Mary), an impressive Romanesque Basilica from the early 12th century. The church is surrounded by a cemetery which includes a monument to the war dead and a single grave for 11 Hungarian-Jewish slave laborers murdered during a death march from Petrzelka in 1945. They didn't make onto the boat to Mauthausen.
Archaeological Museum Carnuntum - I recommend going here before venturing on to the ruins as the museum does a good job putting the site in historical and cultural context. One 9€ ticket will get you in the museum, the open-air museum, (the Kulturfabrik in Hainburg), and the amphitheatre; plus a free car/van ride between them. Friends, this is value. For more information see:
BY BIKE
You can rent a bike in Austria for 1€/hr or 5€/day. You need to register first. Check here, for details:
EXTRA
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| Nameless |
Some other places that look like they are worth visiting include Eckartsau and Rust but they are a little bit more difficult to get to. You can check them out at
Eckartsau
and
Rust: Wine and storks. You can get here from Eisenstadt (dom platz)
Another useful link is the Austrian train/bus site:
