Kittsee | ||
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Location within Austria | ||
Coordinates: 48°04′00″N 17°04′00″E / 48.06667°N 17.06667°ECoordinates: 48°04′00″N 17°04′00″E / 48.06667°N 17.06667°E | ||
Country | Austria | |
State | Burgenland | |
District | Neusiedl am See | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Dr. Gabriele Nabinger (SPÖ) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 19.3 km2 (7.5 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 138 m (453 ft) | |
Population (1 January 2016) | ||
• Total | 2,999 | |
• Density | 160/km2 (400/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 2421 | |
Vehicle registration | ND | |
Website | www.kittsee.at |
Kittsee (Slovak: Kopčany, Hungarian: Köpcsény, Croatian: Gijeca) is an Austrian municipality in the District of Neusiedl am See, Burgenland.
In the Middle Ages, the settlement was situated in the Kingdom of Hungary, and was probably settled by Pecheneg border guards in the 11th century. There was a Hungarian royal castle on the site of the settlement as early as the 12th century. The first documented mention of the settlement was in 1291; the name Koeche was in use in 1390. It is thought that the name is of Hungarian origin and the older form was Küccse.
Since the settlement guards the entrance of the Danube into Hungary, it often played a key role in the defense of Hungary. This was the gathering site of the crusader army of Frederick I in 1198. The town was the site of Géza II's battle with the Austrians, and the wedding of Béla, son of Béla IV and Kunigunda, niece of Ottokar II, King of Bohemia, in 1264. The peace treaty of Andrew III and Albert I was signed here in 1291. After 1363, the town was owned by the Scharfenecki, Szentgyörgyi, Esterházy and Batthyányi families.
In 1455, this was the scene of a meeting between John Hunyadi and Ulrich II of Celje. Ferdinand I received envoys here from Hungary on the way to his coronation in Székesfehérvár. In 1529 and 1683 it was destroyed by Ottoman armies. In 1676, it became the property of the Esterházy family. The town's ancient moated castle, built in the 12th century was first mentioned in 1344, and was destroyed by the Ottomans in 1529. It was replaced by the Grange, built in 1552.