Scheibbs in Lower Austria - Part II

A few years of economic crisis followed, worsened by the Napoleonic Wars. Only after approximately 1820, the iron industries recovered and the cash started to flow again. In 1850, Scheibbs became a county town and in 1877, the now seriously important iron industry city is linked to the rapidly growing railway network of the Habsburg Empire. In 1886, Scheibbs is the first city of the Empire to have electric street lights. WWI and WWII came with the usual events, the latter one followed by a period of Soviet occupation until 1955. After the war, Scheibbs recovered quickly and gained rapidly in terms of population. It grew beyond its historic city limits.

Today, Scheibbs is an important regional centre with a hospital, a court and other administrative facilities. Tourists will find a limited, but well-kept infrastructure for holidays mostly spent here by domestic, Austrian tourists. In terms of sightseeing attractions, Scheibbs offers surprisingly much. Note that about one third of the historic city walls are preserved. Note the Schützenscheibenmuseum, a museum of the town rifle guild – apparently a source of great regional pride. The local view is that the shooting skills of Scheibbs′ riflemen saved the town′s neck when the Turks tried to conquer it in 1529 and again in 1683.

The late-Medieval and Renaissance boom period of Scheibbs is impressively visible through the parish church: The Stadtpfarrkirche St. Magdalena is one of the biggest parish churches of Lower Austria and built in late-Gothic style. It has three naves, was built around 1500 and gained a Baroque upgrade in 1726. Another church is the Klosterkirche St. Barbara, a monastic church that was associated with the Karthause in Gaming. It is a plain, Baroque church with an altar painting by Martin Johann Schmidt, a well-known Baroque artist from Krems in the Wachau.

 Scheibbs Castle & other Attractions of Scheibbs

The castle of Scheibbs was built on Roman foundations (in its current appearance in 1439) and served as administrative building for centuries. The Rathaus or City Hall was built in 1583 and was originally home to the court of Scheibbs. Throughout the city centre, you will find parts of the city walls of 1352, old gun powder towers and Medieval or Baroque burgher houses.

A walk through Scheibbs is therefore worth being considered – note also the Töpperpark and the Stadtpark, the two public parks of Scheibbs. The former occupies the site of an old cemetery (the dissolved one mentioned above). South of Scheibbs, you can find Schloss Lehenhof, a 19th century chateaux. It was built by a local industrialist/aristocrat and is still private property.

Speaking of the city′s industrial heritage: Scheibbs has a ceramics and porcelain manufactory, which at least in some form is tracked back to the early 20th century. A fairly new "Keramikmuseum" or museum of ceramics presents this part of Scheibbs′ history, which is strongly linked to the Wiener Werkstätte. For a view on Scheibbs from outside the city, go to the Urlingerwarte on a local hill.

Return to "Scheibbs - Part I"

Back to: "Lower Austria Sightseeing Guide"

Sightseeing by Austrian Province

Bregenz and Vorarlberg - Innsbruck and Tyrol - Salzburg - Salzkammergut - Graz and Styria - Klagenfurt and Carinthia - Wachau and Lower Austria - Vienna - Burgenland

Further Reading

Official Website of Lower Austria