“Apfelbach” or “small chapel?” That’s what Gablitz might mean. This market town lies five kilometers west of Vienna’s city limits. Gablitz is nestled in the Wienerwald in Lower Austria.
Gablitz covers 18.17 square kilometers. About 71.9% of it is forest. Gablitz includes settlements like Allhang and Laabach. The Troppberg is its highest point at 542 meters above sea level. The Gablitzbach’s crossing to Purkersdorf is the lowest. It is around 260 meters above sea level.
Let’s step back in time. The region was part of the Roman province Pannonia in ancient times. A gravestone from the 2nd century AD was unearthed in 1975. No exact details exist about Gablitz’s founding. The name suggests a Slavic origin. This likely dates to the 7th or 8th century.
Laabach is now part of Gablitz. It was first noted as “Loupach” in 1060. It belonged to Ollern then. Ollern had been under the Archdiocese of Freising since 1033.
Around the late 12th century, “Hainricus de Gabliz” was mentioned. He was a tenant of “Ulricus de Vrindorf.” “Hartrudus des Sassingan” also appeared as a witness. The Sachsengangers were Freising’s vassals.
In 1311, Greif, a Viennese citizen, received Gablitz. Emicho, Bishop of Freising, gave it as a fief. It included a forest near the Rozwärtingergraben.
“Jans der Greyffe” sold the estate in 1337. He was a citizen of Vienna with his wife Anna. They sold it to Duke Otto the Merry. It included a mill, forest, and orchard. The Freising bishop approved.
Albrecht III granted the estate to Paul Ernst in 1380. He was a Viennese citizen. Michael Menschen, a Vienna councilor, appeared in 1398. He sold the estate to Leutold von Chreusbach. This included fields, a village, and a mill. In 1410, he sold the estate and mill to Ulrich and Cecilia Missinger. They were enfeoffed by Duke Leopold. The Missingers gave the estate to the Mauerbach Charterhouse a year later. The village, estate, and mill remained a ducal fief of the Mauerbach Charterhouse.
Turkish forces destroyed many houses and the chapel in 1529. Hans Wolfstriegel repaired the damaged chapel. Gablitz had 11 freehold properties in 1575. These were 15 families. There were also some forest workers. By 1619, there were 25. In 1657, 27 leases were recorded.
Sophie Strauss received Gablitz in 1621. She was the “Straussin von Hadersdorf.” She likely had the Thurnhof built. Her descendants pledged the town to Hans Wolfstrigl. He was a Viennese councilor. In 1642, he had the church roofed. This led to conflict with the Mauerbach Charterhouse prior. Wolfstrigl sold 18 houses to the Charterhouse in 1648. They remained there until 1782. The Mauerbach coat of arms is visible on the Gablitz church. It shows the year 1642. It is also visible on the former farmyard or monastery inn.
Gablitz was devastated during the second Turkish siege of Vienna. House numbers were first recorded in 1786. There were 43 houses listed. Count Meraviglia and Johann Georg Mayrhofer were the largest landowners.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, noble landowners appeared in the land register. Christoph Ignaz Freiherr von und zu Lilienberg was one. He was also Lord of Hacking and Winterspach Castle in Laab. Count and Countess Salla and Count Albrechtsberg were others. Johann Heinrich von Schmid from Bohemia and Reichsgraf Meraviglia were also landowners. The Gablitz population consisted of peasants and forest workers then.
Gablitz became a popular summer resort in the 19th and 20th centuries. Families and artists from Vienna discovered it. They came from other parts of the Habsburg Empire too. Villas were built. The town was invigorated by various initiatives. Numerous clubs and associations were founded.
In 1977, Gablitz was raised to the status of a market town. The Lower Austrian government granted it a coat of arms. The market flag colors are blue, gold, and black. Otto Zeiller designed the coat of arms. He received the ring of honor from the municipality in return.