Eisenstadt

11 August 2010

Wednesday we headed out on a bus for the Alps, but took a detour to learn more about a prominent hungarian ruling family. We stopped at Eisenstadt, a small town outside of Vienna, the capital of Austria's easternmost state, Burgenland ('land of castles'). Eisenstadt was the main center of power for the Esterhazy family, a Hungarian noble family who owned a considerable amount of land during the Habsburg's reign, obtained from redistribution of Protestant lands, redistribution of land of the defeated Turks, and through marriages. They appealed both to the Habsburgs and the Catholic Church, thus gaining notoriety and prominence in Austria and in Hungary.

Count Nikolaus was the first member of the family to become powerful, elected as Palatine of Hungary in 1625. Nikolaus's son, Paul was soon elected Palatine of Hungary as well as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire by Emperor Leopold I and a member of the prestigious Order of the Golden Fleece, thus yielding considerable power. Paul inherited his father's stature and land, and he continued his expansion of land through marriage. Paul was a devout supporter of the Catholic Church, having been raised by Jesuits, and thus became a major patron of the local church in Eisenstadt. His first marriage was to his niece, Countess Ursula, to prevent the division of the Esterhazy lands and thus uniting them - leaving his lands to his two oldest sons upon his death also ensured the unity of the lands.

In 1946, the Esterhazy family lost all of their fortunes, becoming Swiss citizens and losing all of their land to the state. 500,000 acres of land were lost to the Hungarians, but some of their Austrian lands were retained.

Paul I's devotion to the Church led him to build a Franciscan church on an artificial hill within Eisenstadt, naming it Mount Calvary Church; they also oversaw a hospital. The church was built by 15th and 16th century Franciscans, portraying imitations of Calvary due to the Turks' siege on Jerusalem in 1071. The church was built in thanksgiving for driving the Turks from Austria and Eisenstadt - freedom, an army, and faith were the building blocks of the church.

Outside of the church there is a plague statue, erected in thanksgiving for surviving the plague; another plague statue is found on the Hauptstrasse (main street), in memory of the last plague to have come to Eisenstadt. The church itself is built highly irregular, with an uneven roof and stairs climbing the outside. Behind the altar lies a door, leading those religious on a physical tour of the stations of the cross, with an altar or small alcove dedicated to a particular station. These stations begin inside the church, but wind around and lead up to the church's roof, where the crucifixion of Christ is portrayed.

The most famous association with this church, and with the Esterhazy family, is the composer Haydn. Paul II became a patron to the composer Haydn, and later Nikolaus I became a patron as well, beginning a lasting and close knit history between the family and the composer. Haydn was the first composer to earn a salary from music, performing mainly in Vienna and was hired as Kapellmeister for the Esterhazy court. Inside the church lays both the Haydn organ on which Haydn played his various compositions, and Haydn's remains. In 1820, a crypt was built within the church, and to this day Haydn's remains are found there. His music stands apart from other classical composers in that it is not overwhelming with grandeur and pomp but shows raw talent and creativity. It is easy to listen to and does not require a particular mood for one to be in upon hearing it.

The palace we saw was once a medieval fortress of 250 rooms, built to fortify the family from the threat of Turkish invasion. However, in the 1660s, Paul began renovations to transform the palace from medieval to baroque. Thus, not only were we able to see the domination and power of the Esterhazy family within the style of the palace, we were able to see the family's close association to both the Catholic Church and classical music.

After our tour of the Esterhazy palace, we were given time to walk through the town, and then we were off to the Alps. We arrived at dusk, and had to take a gondola from the mountain's base to the top in order to arrive at the inn. The place was extremely neat, perched on the top of a mountain, and surrounded by amazing views. The inn is used as a ski resort in the winter, and as a popular hiking destination in the summer. Seeing the

beauty and grandeur of the Alps for the first time made it very clear the power of the Habsburgs and their intimidation to other nations - the sheer amount of land, impenetrable land at that, made the Habsburgs politically and financially powerful.