Greetings from Zwettl, Lower Austria

As I'm getting ready for a week of travel, one of my destinations is this gem--check out this gem of a small town in rural Austria across the 20th century

Often, unforeseen events change one’s life, and one of these instances certainly changed my life nearly twenty years ago. When I asked out a fellow student, little did I know how much I’d come to appreciate the northern, rugged parts of Lower Austria the way I do today.

The place I’ll introduce you today is a small town in rural Lower Austria called Zwettl. Founded apparently, in the early 12th century, it has a long and rich history, is situated nearby one of the oldest continually operational Cistercian monasteries, Zwettl Abbey (more about it will follow in due course), and my mother-in-law is from that area.

Oh, lest I forget, my wife and I got married outside Zwettl over a decade ago, and every time I get the chance to go to the area, it means good memories and family reunions. A win-win situation for me, so to speak.

Since I recently opened the Lower Austrian boxes with picture postcards, I thought to commence at the end of the alphabet (which is also why few people think of places like Zwettl). Lo and behold, I’ve gotten a few picture postcards for you, and they’ll cover the period from 1911 through the early 1980s.

Enjoy them, if you will, and if you’re ever in the area, let me know for travel and other recommendations.

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Zwettl is located at the confluence of two rivers, the bigger of which is called the Kamp. Shown is a coloured postcard sent in 1911, as its reverse (below) indicates.

Zwettl was among the more renowned summer holiday destinations (Sommerfrische), and it looks a bit like the picture shown above; it was sent in 1933, as the reverse (below) shows.

There was little combat action during WW2, and hence also relatively little damage.

The above “aerial photography no. 288” was mailed in 1959; note the parish church in the centre, which is going to re-appear below.

In the centre of the town, there’s a Trinity Column, and although the postcard doesn’t carry a date, I included it as it shows rural Lower Austrian life in around 1970 (I think).

The final postcard for right now shows a postcard sent in 1982, and it, too, shows a few scenes of town life around 1980.