Puchberg Am Schneeberg

Puchberg is a very old and picturesque town that has been in existence at least since the Roman times, when it was situated on the Amber road that brought amber from Poland to Rome and places thereon. The main street that runs through Puchberg and on to Vienna is part of that road, and Roman street signs (a bas relief hand pointing the way) have been excavated and some have been repositioned alongside the road. Legend has it that the town of Puchberg was officially founded when a group of Roma grew tired of their nomadic existence and settled down in the little camp, but if this is true all traces of the Roma were assimilated centuries ago into the general Austrian population. French soldiers settling down during the Napoleonic wars were similarly assimilated, and the general atmosphere is of one of traditional Austrian country life.

The town view is dominated by the spectacular mountain Schneeberg and the castle ruins that date from the 13th century and is the oldest in the region. It is still owned by the Count of Hoyus and is open for special events, although unofficially locals like to climb in the windows for courtyard picnics and tennis games. There were two other castles in the area. The first of these, Stixenstein, is located a bit out of town on the curviest road in Austria (a real accomplishment in a country with more mountains per square meter than any other European country) and is very large and well preserved. It is the property of the city of Vienna and is open for special occasions. The second was almost in the center of town, but it was destroyed during WWII, and the ruin imploded to bury the weapons left behind.

The castle shares its hilltop with the school Puchberg museum and the church. The church building itself is mostly a reconstruction following the destruction of WWII, but the grounds contain graves from the past nine centuries and the church baptism, marriage and death records can trace some local families’ histories back for five.

Due to its location along the road from the East to Vienna Puchberg suffered two invasions by the Ottoman Empire on the way to besiege Vienna, and in the Austrian tradition several buildings are marked by plaques detailing what happened there (and many other key events such as the end of the plague and visits by the emperor). For similar reasons Puchberg also suffered during World War II as the Soviet/Nazi front passed right through it, although fortunately many of its beautiful and historic buildings and farmhouses survived. Much of Puchberg was built in the 18th and 19th centuries as the region became a resort area for the Viennese upper classes seeking to escape the city in summer, and it still serves as a nature retreat today.