Perchtoldsdorf

Infobox Town AT
name=Perchtoldsdorf
name_local=
image_coa = Wappen at perchtoldsdorf.jpg


state = Lower Austria
regbzk =
district = Mödling
population =13998
population_as_of = 01.01.2001
population_ref =
pop_dens =
area = 12.6
elevation = 265
lat_deg=48
lat_min=7
lat_hem=N
lon_deg=16
lon_min=16
lon_hem=E
postal_code = 2380
area_code =01
mayor = Martin Schuster
website = [http://www.perchtoldsdorf.at www.perchtoldsdorf.at]

Perchtoldsdorf is a town in the district of Mödling in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, located about 16 km southwest of Vienna.

It is the site of a castle in a chain of fortifications constructedduring Babenberg rule, while the region waspart of the March of Austria, to defend newly conquered territories from the recently displaced Magyars on behalf of the Ottonian and Salian emperors.

The Babenberg vassals continued to rule from the castle after theend of that dynasty until the death of Otto von Perchtoldsdorf in
1286, when the House of Habsburg inherited control.

During the medieval period, the settlement was granted the rights of a
Market town and the castle was used as a residence for the widowedDuchesses of the Habsburg dynasty, including Johanna von Pfirt (widow of Albert II) and Beatrix von Zollern (widow of Albert III). The Duchess Beatrix established a hospital in 1407, now demolished, and an attached church which still survives.

The conflict between Frederick III and Albert VI started an unstable period in the region. In 1446, many homes in the town were burned during the invasion of John Hunyadi, the regent of Hungary. During this time, the castle was occupied by various rival forces, including mercenaries of the King of Hungary from 1477 until 1490 when Maximilian I reestablished Habsburg control over the area. This turbulent period interrupted the construction of the Peel tower which started in 1450 and was finished about 1521.

This tower and other fortifications permitted a successful defense of the city against the Turkish troops during the Siege of Vienna in 1529. But, a later Turkish assault on 16 July 1683 before the Battle of Vienna effectively destroyed the town, and many residents were killed or enslaved.

In modern times, the town is a tourist destination for vacations and visits to the nearby region of the Vienna Woods. It also continues a long history of viticulture and winemaking as the primary agricultural product.