Loosdorf
Loosdorf | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint Lawrence | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Loosdorf Location within Austria | |
| Coordinates:48°12′N15°24′E/ 48.200°N 15.400°E | |
| Country | Austria |
| State | Lower Austria |
| District | Melk |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | Thomas Vasku (SPÖ) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.89 km2(4.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 234 m (768 ft) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[2] | |
| • Total | 3,794 |
| • Density | 320/km2(830/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | 3382 |
| Area code | 02754 |
| Website | www.loosdorf.at |
Loosdorfis a town in the district ofMelkin theAustrianstate ofLower Austria.
History[edit]
The first-known mention of Loosdorf, then referred to as "Ladestorf," dates to 1145. Even from this period, the town had a strong connection to the nearbySchallaburgCastle. Documents from the reign of King Ottokar prove thatsaffronplayed a major role in Loosdorf's economy from an early stage.[3]
Loosdorf in the 16th Century[edit]
The town experienced a major period of prosperity in the 16th century, under the reign of Hans Wilhem of Losenstein, who expanded the Schallaburg, rebuilt the town church, which had been destroyed by Turkish soldiers in 1588 and, opened a protestant school in Loosdorf, called 'dieHohe Schule' ('the High School'). During this period, Loosdorf also achieved the right to organize a market (1584) and a weekly market (1588), solidifying its status as a market town(Marktgemeinde),which it bears to this day.[3]
Under Hans Wilhelm von Losenstein, Loosdorf became a hub of Protestantism in Austria.[4]The Hohe Schule started as a private school, especially for the children of the Lutheran nobility. The statutes of the Lutheran Germangymnasiumof Loosdorf were printed inAugsburgin 1574. Two original copies still exist. The school statutes are an important source for the study of the history ofpedagogyin Austria. It is regarded as original, although some parts show much resemblance to that of the Lutheran gymnasium ofStrasbourg.During thecounter-reformation,pressure from the Catholic authorities became too great, and in 1627 the school was forced to close after the local prince sent the teachers and administrators of the school into exile.[5]
Loosdorf and the Western Railway[edit]
Due to its location and relative size, Loosdorf was given a train station on theWestern Railway(Westbahn)upon its opening in 1858. Loosdorf's train station was an importantwater stopfor the steam locomotives used at the time.[6]The connection to the Western Railway was of such importance that Loosdorf was referred to as "Loosdorf an der Westbahn" (Loosdorf by the Western Railway).[7]The economic boom brought by the railway came hand-in-hand with a societal realignment, as the connection to nearby industrial hubs led to the conservative, bourgeois population being largely replaced by a new, predominately social democratic working class.[8]
The Ledóchowska house in Loosdorf from 1862[edit]
In 1843 the Austrian Polish count Antoni August Halka Ledóchowski, a brother of the later Archbishop and CardinalMieczysław Halka Ledóchowski,acquired the estate Sitzenthal near Loosdorf. He was married to Countess Seilern and they had three sons, Timothy, Anthony, and Casimir. After the early death of his first wife, he married Countess Josephine Salis-Zizers.
In 1862 Anthoni Halka Ledóchowski built a manor house in Loosdorf, where he moved, together with his family.[9]In 1863Mary Theresawas born in this house. Then followed Julia (later called Ursula, after becoming a nun), thenWlodimir,Mary, Ernestine, Frances and Ignatius. Two others died soon after their birth.[10]
Due to thebank crash of 1873,Antoni Halka Ledóchowski lost most of his capital, so in 1874 he sold his house in Loosdorf and moved toSt. Pölten.Julia and Mary Theresa attended the Institute B.M.V.,[11]then a grammar school for girls run by nuns of the congregation founded byMary Ward.In April 1882 Count Antoni Halka Ledóchowski acquired an estate inLipnicain Lower Poland, about 48 km fromKraków.Mary Theresa conducted the renovation and enlargement of the manor house, and in 1883 the family moved there.[12]
In 1883Julia Halka Ledóchowskabecame an Ursuline nun in Kraków and after a year she got the nameUrsula.She became a missionary in Russia andScandinavia.She founded theCongregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus,also called the Grey Ursulines, because of their grey habits. Her brotherWlodimir Halka Ledóchowskiwas the 26th general of the Jesuits. Mary Theresa founded the Soladity of Saint Peter Claver,[13]that acted against slavery in Africa. Ignatius became a general in the Polish army. In 1975Mary Theresawas beatified byPope Paul VI.In 1983Ursula Halka Ledóchowskawas also beatified, byPope John Paul II.In 2003Ursula Ledóchowskawas canonized as a Roman Catholic saint by Pope John Paul II.
In 1883 the Ledóchowska House came into the property of the Counts of Montecuccoli. It changed hands several times. From 1928 until 1938 it belonged to the Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Austria, which opened an agricultural winter school in the building. Finally, the Soladity of Saint Peter Claver ofSalzburg,that was founded by Mary Theresa Ledóchowska, acquired the house.[9]
Fauna[edit]
TheRiver Pielachflows through Loosdorf. The meandering river is home to a multitude of wildlife and the rareHuchen,the Danube salmon.[citation needed]
Industry[edit]
Ytonghas its Austrian manufacturing in Loosdorf.[citation needed]
Born in Loosdorf[edit]
- Ursula Ledóchowska(1865–1939), a Roman Catholic saint
- Maria Teresia Ledóchowska(1863–1922), a Roman Catholic missionary
- Wladimir Ledóchowski(1868–1942), the 26th general of the Jesuits (from 1915 until 1942)
- Ignacy Kazimierz Ledóchowski (1871–1945), a Polish general
- Hans (von) Hammerstein-Equord (1881–1947), Austrian politician and writer
References[edit]
- ^"Dauersiedlungsraum der Gemeinden Politischen Bezirke und Bundesländer - Gebietsstand 1.1.2018".Statistics Austria.Retrieved10 March2019.
- ^"Einwohnerzahl 1.1.2018 nach Gemeinden mit Status, Gebietsstand 1.1.2018".Statistics Austria.Retrieved9 March2019.
- ^abFloßmann, Gerhard (1994).Herzstück Niederösterreichs. Der Bezirk Melk(in German). Melk: Kuratorium zur Herausgabe einer Bezirkskunde für den Bezirk Melk. p. 50.
- ^Floßmann, Gerhard (1974).Loosdorf(in German). St. Pölten: Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus. p. 3.
- ^Floßmann, Gerhard (1994).Herzstück Niederösterreichs. Der Bezirk Melk(in German). Melk: Kuratorium zur Herausgabe einer Bezirkskunde für den Bezirk Melk. p. 54.
- ^Floßmann, Gerhard; Gruber, Alfred; Schedlmayer, Herbert (2000).Loosdorf und die Westbahn(in German). Loosdorf: Verschönerungs Verein Loosdorf. pp. 10, 14.
- ^Floßmann, Gerhard; Gruber, Alfred; Schedlmayer, Herbert (2000).Loosdorf und die Westbahn(in German). Loosdorf: Verschönerungs Verein Loosdorf. p. 24.
- ^Floßmann, Gerhard (2013).Kulturführer der Region Schallaburg(in German). Loosdorf: Marktgemeinde Loosdorf. p. 14.
- ^abFloßmann, Gerhard (1999).Loosdorf - Ansichten(in German). Loosdorf: Marktgemeinde Loosdorf. p. 59.
- ^Bielak, Valeria (1944).The Servant Of God, Mary Theresa Countess Ledochowska: Foundress Of The Sodality Of Saint Peter Claver(2nd ed.). St. Paul, Minnesota: Soladity of St. Peter Claver. p. 4.
- ^IBMV stands for 'Institutum Beatae Mariae Virginis', in English it is called IBMV, 'the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary'. That was the name of the Institute from 1749. In German it is called 'Institut B.M.V. der Englischen Fräulein'. Since 2004 it is called Institute CJ (Congregatio Jesu).
- ^Bielak, Valeria (1944).The Servant Of God, Mary Theresa Countess Ledochowska: Foundress Of The Sodality Of Saint Peter Claver(2nd ed.). St. Paul, Minnesota: Soladity of St. Peter Claver. pp. 13–14.
- ^named afterSaint Peter Claver
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