Illmitz


Illmitz is a market town in the district of Neusiedl am See in Burgenland in Austria. It is located in a region to the east of the Lake Neusiedl which is named the Seewinkel.

Geography

Illmitz is in the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl. The town is at an elevation of 117 meters above sea level. Nearby, an area above sea level is the lowest elevation of Austria. Characteristic of the area are wide open plains and salt marsh flora, with many small salt lakes around. The Lange Lacke is the largest of about forty such lakes nearby.

History

In 1897, the Austrian Empire was dissolved, and Austria-Hungary was formed, with separate governments in Vienna and Budapest.
After the First World War, Burgenland was named Deutsch-Westungarn in the 1919 Treaty of St. Germain and the Treaty of Trianon and was awarded to Austria in 1919. Since 1921, the town has been part of the newly founded State of Burgenland. In December 2001, the National Park Neusiedlersee was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Population

Economy and infrastructure

In Illmitz the primary business is wine production. The city is surrounded by fields with grapevines in them. Tourism also is significant. Every year in May, many ornithologists come from all over Europe to see the rare birds. Long before the establishment of the National Park, the Lange Lacke already was an important nature reserve. Lange Lacke is the largest of about forty salt lakes near the town. It has more than 100 years of scientific data collected on bird life. The bird population and grape growers are in conflict, and farmers have sonic cannons in the fields to frighten birds from eating the grapes.
Although a small village only, Illmitz is known to wine lovers worldwide. Winemakers such as Alois Kracher, Willi Opitz and Stefan Tschida and Salzl are famous for their noble sweet wines.