Rohonc: full of historical memories
Rohonc lies on the southern slope of the Kőszeg Hills. The northern part of its territory is covered by forest. It includes the Austrian side of the highest peak of the Kőszegi Hills: the Írott-Kőkő. At the foot of the mountains are vineyards and orchards, which merge with the plantations of Bozsok. By main road you can reach it from Felsőőr and Szombathely on the B63, from Léka on the B56, and from Kőszeg and Bucsu on the lower road. The railway station serves only freight traffic, the remaining section of the former Szombathely-Pinkafő railway line on the Austrian side ends here - soon there will be a cycle path on the former railway line all the way to Unterőr. As the founder of the Írottkő Nature Park, it is an important cycling centre, says Wikipedia.
500 years ago the area was inhabited by Celts. The Romans brought the water from here to Savaria. In 1259 it is mentioned as Ruhoncz, but it is a place inhabited since ancient times, rich in Iron Age, Bronze Age and Roman finds. The settlement once consisted of two parts: Deutschmarkt on the west bank of the Rohonc stream belonged to the Németújvár people, and the remains of its former castle can be seen on the Höhenburg.
The town had the right to hold fairs from the 15th century, and its parish was already functioning in 1400. On the eastern side, Ungermarkt was the property of the Ják clan, and from the 16th century it belonged to the Batthyánys, who built their castle in the early 17th century. In 1839, Gustáv Batthyány donated his library of 30 000 volumes to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
One of the dark spots in the history of the settlement is that on 24 March 1945, nearly 200 weakened Jewish labour servicemen who had been deported from the labour camp in Kőszeg to Rohonc were slaughtered. Although this is just one of dozens of mass murders committed by Austrian and German Nazis and Hungarian Arrow Cross fighters against Jewish forced labourers on both sides of the Reich border, Rohonc is the best known story. The main reason for this is that the mass graves of the Jewish victims killed there are still being searched for today, as is the story of the mass murder in which the local elite (e.g. Countess Margit Thyssen-Bornemisza) participated or assisted. The mass graves could not be excavated, and in September 2020, after nearly two dozen unsuccessful attempts, new excavations began in the fields of Rohonc. The work is being led by a young Austrian research team with a multidisciplinary background, using expert material from a variety of sources.
It stands on the southern border of the municipality the Kreuzstadl (Cross Barn) memorial site, the open-air museum commemorates the tens of thousands of forced labourers who took part in the construction of the South-Eastern Wall, including 180 Hungarian Jews who were massacred in one night at the crossroads of Rohonc.
Hiking trails
The municipality is concerned the Alpannonia hiking trail, which was born in 2004 and has been expanding, improving and developing ever since. It is special because it is an international hiking trail linking the Alpine mountains with the Pannonian region. The alpannonia route takes hikers through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the region, offering them unforgettable experiences and panoramic views almost the whole way.
Including Rohonc Írottkő-Geschriebenstein Nature Park is located in two countries. As the first cross-border nature park, it covers the Kőszeg Hills and its region on both the Austrian and Hungarian sides. The Írottkő Nature Park has a centre in Kőszeg.
For tourists coming to the region, our lookouts are a special experience, as you can admire the landscapes of Hungary and Austria if you are not afraid to "climb" a few steps. The Írottkő Lookout on the border, the Óház Lookout in Kőszeg, the Suleyman Lookout, the Margarethenwarte (Margaret Lookout) above Léka (Lockenhaus) offer unforgettable moments.
You can further enrich your nature experience on the Cák historic cellar row, on the canopy trail in Markt Neuhodis (Baumwipfelweg), in Gyöngyösfalu at the Holdfényliget Adventure Park, in the forest environment of Rohoncon (Rechnitz) at the bathing lake in the Faludi Valley (Faludital) and many more experiences to choose from bilingual website of the Nature Park.
Wine is an important gastronomic asset for both countries.Those interested in wine culture can choose from a wide range of wine-related activities, taste and buy high quality, award-winning wines in the Hungarian villages of Kőszeg, Csepreg, Cák, Lukácsháza (http://koszegibor.hu/), and on the Austrian side Rohoncon (Rechnitz) https://www.weinidylle.at/
Írottkő lookout
From the parking lot next to the main road 56, you can reach Írottkő after a 20-30 minute, comfortable hike. On the way up, you can learn all sorts of interesting facts about the geology of the Kőszeg Hills.
Another unique feature of the tower, built in 1913, is that the border between Hungary and Austria runs through the middle of the tower. The popular excursion site was completely renovated in 2010. A sundial is located on the façade of the lookout tower.
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: +43 (0) 3363/79143
E-mail: naturpark@rechnitz.at
Web:www.naturpark-geschriebenstein.at
Bach Flower Therapy (holistic medicine) park
The Bach Flower Garden is the only natural facility in the world where you can experience a very positive feeling.
It was created in 2007 by the municipality of Rechnitz in collaboration with international Bach flower expert Mechthild Scheffer. All 38 Bach flowers grow here, the positive energies of which Mechthild Scheffer has condensed into a motivating power formula.
Castle Park
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: +43 (0)1 5338640
E-mail: info@bach-bluetentherapie.com
Web:www.bach-bluetentherapie.com
Lake Rohonc and camping
The Faludi Valley was filled with water from the Rohonci stream between 1961 and 1964, creating a lake suitable for bathing and a popular recreation area for both Austrians and Hungarians. Its service facilities were built in 1993. The crystal-clear waters of Lake Rohonc are 300 metres long by 100 metres wide and 7 metres deep. On hot summer days, the water slide, the water trampoline and the playgrounds provide relaxation.
Staying open:
from June to August (weather permitting)
The 2022 entrants prices are available here, half-day tickets are available from 2.30 p.m.
Information about the lake in Hungarian
Address: 7471 Rechnitz, Faludital
GPS: 47° 18′ 56.59056″, 16° 26′ 18.74224″
A camping site is open from May to October, and there are also pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes.
Spa and campsite website (in German) available here.
Church monuments
St Catherine's Church
Among its noteworthy features is the parish church dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria, built by Gr. It was built in 1679 by Adam Batthyány on the site of an earlier parish church that burnt down in 1644, and rebuilt in Baroque style between 1727 and 1730. Ferenc Faludi is buried in its tomb.
Lutheran Church
The Lutheran church was built in 1783. In 1853 it was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, with a new tower, façade and windows. Its altarpiece, Christ on the Mount of Olives, was painted in 1813. It was renovated in 1972 and 1996.
Chapels
The cemetery chapel dedicated to Saints Fabian and Sebastian was built between 1703 and 1710. It was burnt down during the fighting in March 1945. It was rebuilt after the war and renovated in 1972. The cemetery cross dates from 1700.
The convent chapel was built at the same time as the convent of the Sisters of Mercy in 1904. It was used as a kitchen during the Second World War and was rededicated in 1949.
The Chapel of the Holy Cross at the crossroads of the Szombathely road was built in 1930.
The Tábor chapel, at the intersection of Lower and Upper Tábor streets, was already standing in 1757. It was renovated in 1960 and 1971.
The chapel of St. Hubertus on the forest road to Léka was built in 1986 by the Batthyány family.
The chapel of St. Orban, standing on the vineyard, was built by Count Ádám Batthyány in 1700. It was renovated in 1960 and 1996. The chapel of St. Donat in the vineyard was built in 1700.
The date of construction of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, which stands on the road to Szombathely, is unknown, but it was already standing in 1757.
In the western part of the city, the Fatima Chapel, which stands on the Town Hall road, was erected in 1954, its predecessor being an 18th century image column.
Columns
The Our Lady of Sorrows column in front of the Catholic Church was built in memory of the plague of 1710 at the expense of the Batthyány family. In 1793, after a storm toppled it, it had to be rebuilt.
The 1848 Column of Freedom on the Main Square was made by a sculptor from Kőszeg to commemorate the liberation of the serfs. It was first erected in August 1898. It was removed in the 1970s and only returned to the square after restoration in 1997.
On the road to Bozsok, opposite the Catholic cemetery, there is a Pieta column built in the first half of the 18th century, renovated in 1971.
At the southern exit of the town, next to the sports field, stands an 18th century Baroque column of Mary, restored in 1996.
Jewish cemetery
The Jewish cemetery was established in the first half of the 18th century. It suffered severe damage during the Nazi period. It was restored between 1988 and 1990.
The mills of Rohonc
Over the centuries, Rohonc has had no fewer than twelve mills.
As the water yield of the Rohonci, also known as the Mill Stream, is small, several small mills were built in the village. The stream was dammed up with dams, which was used to drive the mill wheels.
The only mill still in operation (Simon mill) is located in the Faludi Valley, one of the oldest milling sites in the village. Several buildings have changed hands (the Fleck and Bertok mills), while the Reiter, Werderitsch and Winkler mills are still owned by families and used as residential buildings.
Castle Park (Schlosspark)
In the centre of Rohonc is the former castle park, which was redesigned in 2004 and divided into four areas, with the fountain at the centre:
- Silence and remembrance: the existing 1968 war memorial to the fallen of the two world wars has been renovated and the monument to the Rohonc resistance has been moved here.
- Culture and leisure: The Christmas market, summer festivals, wine tastings or concerts of square music are held here.
- Leisure and relaxation: walking paths and quiet spaces with benches and tables.
- Games and entertainment: the area is a playground for children
In the southern part of the park are the tennis courts of Rohonc and a lake, and here stood the mausoleum of the Sajbély family, which was demolished towards the end of the Second World War.
Main square
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: +43 (0) 3363/79202
E-mail: post@rechnitz.bgld.gv.at
Roman plumbing
There are also traces of the Roman aqueduct in and around Rohonc: the town of Savaria was supplied with drinking water from the Kőszeg Hills. One of the most distant springs is located in the castle park of Boszok. The aqueduct enters Rohonc at the present-day border crossing.
There are still a few springs or wells in the vineyards of Rohonc, whose water was also fed into the Roman aqueduct. One of these wells is the so-called Rindlerbrunnen. The well was restored to its present appearance in 1930, when a Roman lion's head was discovered.
Castles of Rohonc
Ödes Schloss - the castle of the people of Németújváros
To the north of the settlement, on a hill rising on the western side of the Faludi Valley, stood the medieval castle of the Németújvár family, which was so damaged by the numerous sieges it had endured over the centuries that it was no longer considered worth rebuilding after King Matthias' attack in 1478. The ruined walls were demolished in 1838, and only trenches, ramparts and the remains of the foundations of the building here and there remain to remind us of the former castle.
Batthyány Castle
In the 16th century, the Batthyány family, who acquired an estate in the settlement, built a very large castle on the eastern side of today's Main Square in the 17th century, which dominated the image of the whole town. According to surviving depictions, it was a nearly square building with four corner towers and an inner courtyard. The courtyard façades had an arcade running around the entire perimeter. The main entrance was a gateway in the axis of the western façade, surmounted by a prominent tower. In the centre of the eastern wing there was a chapel with a sanctuary that projected eastwards from the plane of the façade. The chapel was designed by the famous imperial architect Filiberto Lucchese, who was in the service of the Batthyans in 1640.
The castle was burnt down during the German retreat in World War II, and most of its remains were razed to the ground and replaced by modern high-rise buildings and family houses. However, it seems that not all the wings of the huge castle were destroyed. The southeast corner of the building, including the castle's corner bastion, has been heavily rebuilt and converted into apartments, but still stands today.
Wurlitzer Museum
In one of Rohonc's wine cellars, you can see Otti Varga's collection of jukeboxes and wurlitzers. The owner - a big Beatles fan - is passionate about collecting the equipment.
Varga is also known as a concert promoter: the Coco-Bar in Schachendorf was the first disco in South Burgenland and a cult venue frequented by Austrian pop musicians.
The owner of the collection has placed more than 250 jukeboxes in the cellar of the Rohonc museum.
The exhibition is open by appointment from May to October.
Wurlitzer Museum
Mountains of wine
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: 00-43-664 3087579
Boots Museum
In the converted Rohonc Municipality building you will find the boot museum, which commemorates the long history of boot making in Rohonc. Austria's craft is now almost extinct, but in Rohonc a complete boot workshop with tools and machines is interesting to see, but guild shops are also on display. Master shoemaker Julius Koch gives a guided tour of the museum.
Main square 10
7471 Rechnitz
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, office hours.
Guided tours available (in German):
Tel. 00-43-3363/79 515.
Rohonc Bird Tower
The bird tower next to the Rohonc bathing lake and the wonderful canopy trail in the Althodis forest offer a barrier-free nature experience.The creator and operator of the attractions lives his daily life in a wheelchair, so accessibility here is really 100%!
The bird tower of Rohonc is a "bird house" built into a 22 m high tower. You can walk to the top of the tower, admire the birds' habitat and enjoy the view. Children with disabilities can enjoy a maze and a sandpit.
There is also an accessible canopy trail 23 km from Kőszeg in the forest near Althodis. The elaborately designed wooden bridge structure leads you up to the canopy of trees, rewarding you with a wealth of attractions and information panels in Hungarian. For the blind and visually impaired, life-size wooden animal sculptures complete the forest experience.
Open from the beginning of April to the end of October from 10 am to 5 pm. adult admission €6.
More information: www.wald-und-vogelwelt.at
Hotels and catering
Apartment Panoramic view
Vineyards, Deep path
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: 0664/400 02 18
E-mail: urlaub@marlovits.cc
Web:www.marlovits.cc
Gabriel Bakery ( Bakery)
Main square 12
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: 03363/79402
E-mail: baeckerei-gabriel@aon.at
Web:http://www.bäckerei-gabriel.at/index.php/de/
Sandwiches
Zöhrer Bread rolls
Mühlbachgasse 83
7471 Rechnitz
Zöhrer Leopoldine
Tel: 0664/162 77 80
E-mail: office@broetchenstube.at
Web:www.broetchenstube.at
Cafe Gabi
Main square 25
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: 0664/45 72 477
Cafe and discotheque
63 Herrenstrasse
7471 Rechnitz
Tel: 0676/94 06 846
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