Category: Austria

Friends in Loretto suggested a day trip to the old Roman city of Carnuntum. What remains of this city is to be found next to the modern day village of Petronell-Carnuntum, 30 miles east of Vienna and not far from Austria’s border with Slovakia. It is an extraorinary archaeological site (without any doubt, the most impressive I have seen) and well worth a visit.

Carnuntum started life in the time of Caesar Augustus as a winter garrison for one of Rome’s Legions but flourished to become a huge military base and the capital city of the Roman Province of Upper Pannanonia. During it’s time Carnuntum was home to 4 different Legions with the famous XIV Legion (XIIII Legion Gemina to use it’s correct name) being permanently based there for 300+ years and; at it’s peak the city numbered more than 50,000 inhabitants. In the 4th century the city declined following both a devastating earthquake and increasing barbarian invasion (particularly at the hands of the Huns) and; was finally abandoned early in the 5th century except that the city’s walls and buildings continued to be plundered for the construction of new buildings until well into the 19th century. Indeed, this destruction continued until at least 1884 when the Carnuntum Association (now the Society of Friends of Carnuntum) started archaeological research on the site.

The site covers 1,600 acres (exactly 2.5 square miles) and it therefore came as no surprise to learn that archaeological research continues to this day. As recently as 2011 a large gladitorial school was unearthed just outside the old city walls. It was discovered next to a 2nd century amphitheatre which could hold 13,000 spectators and was itself excavated less than 100 years ago. We wandered the area of the amphitheatre and the gladiatorial school; also taking in the nearby triumphal arch known as the Heidentor or Heathen’s Gate but; it is the ‘City Quarter’ which is the most interesting part of this incredible archaeological site.

The City Quarter is a mix of original ruins and reconstructed premises put together using authentic materials and building methods and finished to an incredibly accurate standard. These restored buildings are furnished with copies of the original fittings (some of which are displayed in a museum in the neighbouring village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg) and they provide a vivid understanding and appreciation of how the city’s occupants once lived. This area is located where the civilian city once stood and is accessed through a Visitors Centre containing various introductory exhibits and explanatory videos and then; outside, on past a large scale model of what the entire Roman settlement and military base may have looked like at it’s peak. The model sets the scene perfectly and provides a real feel as to the size of the old city.

Several different properties in the ‘City Quarter’ have already been either entirely or partially restored. These include an Oil Merchant’s house and his adjoining business premises; the city palace or stately home of an upper class citizen (Villa Urbana); a middle class citizen’s house (the House of Lucius) and; most impressive of all, a Roman Public Baths complex which is fully functional. Anyone interested in Roman history will find the ‘City Quarter’ wholly captivating. It blew Vanya and I away. The site is good value too. I think we paid about 15 Euros a head entrance fee.

The first of the restored buildings to be encountered in the City Quarter (and the most recent to have been completed) are the oil merchant’s premises which comprise a showroom, sales office, storage facilities and his living quarters. He dealt in olive oil which was used not only as a staple in cooking but; as a balm in medicine (for muscles, joints and even eczma); personal hygiene (olive oil was used to help cleanse and moisturise skin and it served to soften and protect hair) and; of course, it was used as fuel in lamps. Pliny the Elder perhaps best described the importance of olive oil to Rome when he wrote “There are two liquids that are especially agreeable to the human body; wine inside and oil outside, both of them the most excellent of all the products of the tree class, but oil an absolute necessity”.

Across the street from the oil merchant are a couple of villas belonging to the gentry. These properties are currently work in progress but both are sufficiently developed to reveal something of the lifestyle of Carnuntum’s patrician class. I think the most impressive of the two, on account of it’s splendid public rooms, is the stately town house known as ‘Villa Urbana’.

Without any doubt, the building complex which most impresses is the meticulously restored Public Baths. It is truly spectacular comprising three different baths (fridarium, tepidarium and caldarium) and all appropriate ante-rooms but; and this is the most amazing point, they are all fully functionel with the water supply and underfloor heating functions having been restored as per the original Roman technology of 2,000 years ago.

A great part of the Carnuntum Archaeological Park remains unexcavated; especially in those areas where the military camp, the city’s temples and the governor’s residence are located. Further excavations are planned and more buildings will be restored but, as has already been mentioned, this is work in progress and slow progress at that. Meanwhile, there’s enough left to see to warrant another visit. It’s a place I cannot recommend highly enough… and it makes such a pleasant change from the usual castles, churches and vineyards.

We passed the 2,000 mile mark of this tour while travelling from Carinthia to Burgenland to see friends in Loretto.

We visited Loretto earlier in the year (Tour 11) and those interested in the village can read read about it in the blog from that visit. This more recent visit was a short one. We were there primarily to see our friends although, at their suggestion, we would also visit the old Roman city of Carnuntum. However, our friends introduced us, too, to the neighbouring village of Leithaprodersdorf when we went for dinner at the heurige ‘Eder Am Spitz’.

At first glance, Leithaprodersdorf appeared a mostly unimpressive village of just under 1,200 people and a short visit of less than three hours wouldn’t ordinarily warrant a blog of it’s own (not least because we saw so little of the place during our visit) but; we were treated so well by the management and guests of the Eder Am Spitz that it deserves some special recognition.

Arriving late in the evening and not having made a reservation, we weren’t confident about getting a table but; the manager seemed more sympathetic to our request after seeing Nala in her wheels and he found us a table (the last one) in the party tent adjoining the heurige bar.

The Eder Am Spitz specialises in game served cold. Indeed, none of their dishes are even warmed let alone served hot. That may not sound very tempting but, there is plenty of choice and the chefs endeavour to ensure each dish is as visually appealing as it is delicious. I chose one of the many venison dishes and it was first class.

I mentioned earlier that the guests at the heurige were as welcoming as the management and staff. I should perhaps explain that many of the diners in the party tent were part of a choir and during the course of the evening they put on an impromptu singing performance. They were really very good and great fun. We had a great time there. Thank you to the heurige Eder Am Spitz and thank you to Leithaprodersorf.

I feel certain we will return to the heurige and when we do we’ll make a point of having a proper look around the village.

This will be a short post because, after Loretto, we made our way to Rust am Neusiedlsee; a place we visited not so long ago. You need only refer to the Tour 6 blog on Rust to find out about Rust’s two most interesting buildings, the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity and the Fischerkirche. I think I previously mentioned that, if you get your timings right, it is possible to climb up into the belfry of the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity for some quite exceptional views over the city and across the lake. Well, once again our timings were out, as the church was closed. On this occasion I wasn’t too disappointed because the weather was awful and I doubt we’d have been able to see very much but; more to the point, we had returned to Rust to see some of the hundreds of Greylag Geese which wander the city at this time of the year and the 24 breeding pairs of white storks which nest above the city roofs at this time of the year.

What I perhaps didn’t mention previously is that, with a little over 1,900 inhabitants, Rust am Neusiedlsee is Austria’s smallest city (having been endowed with the rights of a Royal Free City by the Hungarian Crown in 1681) and that Rust is known as the City of Storks; on account of the many storks which breed on the city’s chimneys. The stork is close to the hearts of the people of Rust and are viewed as the city’s heraldic bird. They have nested in the city since the early 20th century but numbers dwindled until in 1965 there were only 3 nesting pairs. A stork club, dedicated to the conservation of the resident storks, was formed (the Ruster Storchenverein) and, good news, last year saw a record 86 young storks hatch in the city’s nests.

While the bad weather didn’t stop us in our pursuit of the storks and the geese, it did impinge on the city’s annual musical festival which was underway as we arrived. A grand tent sheltered us and the performing artists from the worst of the falling rain but the tent had been pitched on a slight slope and rainwater was streaming around our feet and on through the tent towards the lake.

We stopped and listened to a couple of bands complete their repertoire but, despite their best efforts, it was not a fun experience. It was simply too wet underfoot.

Eventually it stopped raining and began to brighten up but by then we had had enough…

…and we set off for dinner at the Oleander Heurige in Trausdorf an der Wulke, just outside Eisenstadt. The welcome was warm and the food was pretty good at the Oleander but it is more of a restaurant than a heurige.

We arrived in Loretto to meet with friends, Claire and Thomas, and would stay three or four days; visiting Loretto, the nearby city of Rust (we were there a couple of years ago) and Trausdorf an der Walke during that time.

The first day, however, was simply about chilling with our friends in the garden over one of the best barbecues ever – Dorade (Sea Bream), Sardines & Prawns were on the menu. And the drinks? We went through a bottle of Deveaux Champagne we’d bought in France, numerous glasses of the local (Burgenland) Chardonnay, a couple of really great Margaritas made by our host and half a bottle of a Single Malt Laphraoig.

Loretto is a tiny market town with fewer than 500 residents. It was elevated to town status in 1991 which, surely makes it the smallest market town in Austria and yet; it’s Basilica, the Basilika Maria Loretto, attracts 100,000 pilgrims every year and at least 20,000 on one day in August (Assumption Day). Imagine trying to park your car in the town on that day. The Basilica grew from a simple chapel in 1659 to become a Servite Monastery and thereafter a Papal Basilica. The monks departed years ago but they left their cherry orchard intact and we spent much of our second day in Loretto first wandering the Basilica and then collecting cherries from the large orchard.

Just a little history about the church – The 1659 chapel was built soon after a miracle was recorded in Loretto. It seems the house of Mary (mother of Jesus) suddenly appeared in Loretto. I’m not convinced as to the veracity of that particular tale but the then Pope thought it true and; in 1997 Pope John Paul II awarded the church (the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Loretto to give it it’s full name) the title of ‘Papal Basilica Minor’. Whether you believe the supposed miracle or not, the interior of the Basilica is truly stunning and in the original church (around which the monastery was built) is a Black Madonna. I’ve only ever seen one of those before during our travels and I cannot recall precisely where (but I think it was somewhere in Spain).

Except for the Basilica, there’s little else to Loretto. It has a Heurige (a wine tavern), the Gasthof Graf (a local pub) and a bakery but that’s pretty much it except that it sits at the heart of the beautiful Austrian Province of Burgenland.

In case you are unaware, Burgenland is the smallest and most easterly of Austria’s twelve Provinces. It is a narrow strip of land which extends along the entire border between Austria and Hungary. At it’s northern end, it borders Slovakia for a few kilometres and at it’s southern end it borders Slovenia. To it’s west are the two Austrian Provinces of Styria and Lower Austria. Austria’s capital city of Vienna, in Lower Austria, is only 30 miles from Loretto. Burgenland’s quite remarkable capital, Eisenstadt, is just 8 miles from Loretto and Rust am Neusiedlersee is just 16 miles away. Those three cities, Vienna, Eisenstadt and Rust figure among the most beautiful in Austria. And, before I forget, Burgenland is home to some of the finest wines in the country.

In the morning, weather permitting, we’ll visit Rust.