Semmering, Austria

• ÖVP: 12
• SPÖ: 2
• FPÖ: 1

Semmering is a climatic health and tourist resort in the district of Neunkirchen, on the southern border of Lower Austria to Styria ( Austria ) with 543 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2013 )

• 3.1 Demographics
• 3.2 Religion

Geography

Semmering is located at an altitude of 962 m above sea level. A., and has an area of 8.72 km ². The village lies on the peak height of the Semmering Pass on the Semmeringschnellstraße S 6, which passes under the pass since 2004 and thus the site in a tunnel, and on the southern railway, here called the Semmering Railway.

Neighboring communities

Tourism and economy

Since the 19th century, the place is a popular holiday destination of the " high society " of Vienna in the summer. In the villas of the posh spa not only the nobility gathered ( Emperor Charles I spent around here with his son Otto often the holiday at Villa Wartholz ), but also the Second Company and artists (such as Oskar Kokoschka, Adolf Loos, Peter Altenberg and Karl Kraus ). They gave and give the feeling of life here that name.

Famous hotels like the Southern Railway Hotel ( built in 1882 ) or the Panhans Hotel ( built in 1888 ) and the Kurhaus Semmering ( built in 1909 ) and the Hotel Archduke Johann at the pass (the latter destroyed in 1945 ) were up in the interwar period magnet for tourists and hikers. After 1945 the spa town suffered from the consequences of the fighting end of the war, the Russian occupation and the loss of upper-middle - Jewish clientele. He is currently positioned mainly as a winter resort. The hotel Panhans was revitalized, the fate of the Südbahnhotel but - after partial reconstruction - uncertain.

Broken Flowers is the place especially with the construction of the railway over the Semmering, which was opened in 1854. With you of the Semmering was reached from Vienna barely 80 kilometers away in a few hours.

According to the mundane character of the place they tried to entertain his guests. So it was in 1899 the first Semmering hillclimb race, a motorsports event more than ten kilometer for the then little mature automobiles and motorcycles. Until 1933, found with some interruptions annual race held in the winners' lists itself contributed a household names such as Rudolf Caracciola and Hans Stuck. Today, the Semmering is probably the most popular venue for classic car rallies and historic motorsport in Vienna Nahgebiet.

In the 1920s and 1930s, several high-level chess tournaments were held at the Semmering, among the participants as sounding name as the world chess champion Alexander Alekhine and José Raúl Capablanca, the world chess champion Vera Menchik or the grandmaster Paul Keres, Efim Bogolyubov and Rudolf Spielmann.

From the early 1930s until about 1960 the Semmering Alpine beach was one of the attractions of the area. Since the turn of the century Semmering is also a winter sports. Today lifts lead to the Hirschkogel ( who has again received the nickname Magic Mountain ). In addition, World Cup ski race will take place on Hirschkogel regularly.

In the summer, the ski lifts at Magic Mountain, are used for the Bike Park Semmering, only crossed from downhill and freeride mountain bikers since 2006. The lifts are the bikers from June to October available. In the bike park, several trails are of varying difficulty (among family trail, freeride course, downhill track ) and numerous jumps, root sections, steep turns, etc. In addition, in 2006 the first 24-hour downhill race was held.

Also, in summer, the performances of the Festival of Reichenau in Südbahnhotel attraction for the visitors. In 2007 also Alma, the piece about Alma Mahler -Werfel experienced in the Kurhaus Semmering numerous performances. Alma Mahler -Werfel had a villa on the Semmering, and her daughter Anna Mahler had become engaged during a stay in the spa with her future husband, Paul Zsolnay.

The Semmering was especially appreciated in 1900 by the Viennese as recreation and tourist area. Even today, the winter tourism and spa tourism is of great economic importance ( 180,000 overnight stays per year, and the trend is rising).

Located at the Semmering Pass, the place was also of great importance in terms of the north-south intercourse. The increasingly growing freight transport on the road led to a tunnel under the Semmering planned and was completed in 2004 ( Semmeringschnellstraße ). The center is currently in transformation, including the possibility that closed in 2007 Restaurant " Archduke Johann" early March 2010, was reopened.

Hotel Panhans, landmark of Semmering

Kurhaus Semmering

Parsonage Semmering

Parish Church of the Holy Family

Population

Demographics

Religion

According to the data of the 2001 census, 75.2 % of the population were Roman Catholic, 3.1% Protestant, 1.1% were Orthodox churches. 11.8% of the population had no religious affiliation.

Policy

• Mayor of the municipality is Horst Schröttner.
• The ÖVP had in the last election in 2010, 12 seats and 558 votes ( 72.47 %). The Social Democratic Party got 107 votes and thus 13.90% of all valid votes 2 mandates. With 59 votes and thus with 7.66% of the valid votes, the FPÖ received 1 mandate.

Culture and sights

• Semmering Railway: since 1998 the Semmering Railway is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• Ghegadenkmal: Carl Ritter von Ghega, the builder of the Semmering Railway, dedicated monument is located on the Semmering railway station

Historical Maps

• Semmering and its surroundings in historic maps, 1790 and 1873

Lower Austrian side with Gloggnitz, Schott Vienna (bottom left), circa 1790

Styrian side, northern part, with Adlitzgräben and Preiner Gscheid, 1873 (bottom right)

Styrian side, southern part, with stone house, hospital and Miirzzuschlag (top right)

Lower Austrian side, rail and road expanded in 1873 (bottom left)