Small historic towns in Austria
Here you can feel the past up close and enjoy the present with relish. Centuries-old buildings tell stories. Lively cultural life combines the historic and the contemporary. City paths invite you to take a sensual stroll.
Enjoy the variety of cultural offerings, culinary delights, special natural landscapes and numerous listed buildings. In summer, top-class events attract visitors to the castle courtyard, museum courtyard and Hartberg's main square. History comes alive on guided tours with certified guides.
Historic city in the garden
HARTBERG
The city of Hartberg is a member of the cooperation "Small Historic Towns in Austria". There are a total of seventeen Austrian towns that can count themselves among them. Like finely polished pieces of jewelry, they enchant with their distinctive historical townscape. Hartberg's old town is characterized by medieval traces. The tour leads from the former castle through the old town center to the jewel of the city. The Hartberg Karner is one of the most important Romanesque buildings in Austria.
Since the summer of 2020, city paths have been inviting visitors to walk and stroll, while urban oases tempt them to pause and linger. On the main square, people take a seat on spacious lounge furniture, surrounded by the cooling air of "breathing parasols" around the listed city fountain. Historical and contemporary elements blend harmoniously into a whole. Hartberg can be experienced and enjoyed as a cultural-historical jewel with garden-cultural gems in many facets. Start your city tour in the center, at the main square.
Enjoy Hartberg with all your senses and treat yourself to all the time in the world!
FOUNDING HISTORY OF THE CITY
A castle and a market were built in Hartberg in the 12th century. As the first Traungau palace on Styrian soil, Hartberg's political position made it the central town of the province. Only later did Graz take over this function. In the second half of the century, the fortification of the town was begun and a ring wall with towers, typical for the Middle Ages, was built. In this period, along the entire border from Friedberg to Radkersburg to Hungary, security and defense measures are created, knight's residences and castles are built.
In the course of the Middle Ages and modern times, these were repeatedly put to the test. While Fürstenfeld and Radkersburg were developed into bulwarks, the fortifications in Hartberg were not rebuilt or extended. Thus, the medieval remains characterize the image of the town under the Ringkogel until today.
Hartberg - A city with history
