Fürstenfeld (Austria)

Fürstenfeld (Austrian German: [ˈfʏrstn̩fɛld]; Hungarian: Fölöstöm) is a small historic city in Styria, Austria. It is situated near the border with Hungary, which is why the city was originally founded. The town has become quite famous in Austria and Germany because of the song by the same name by Styrian band S.T.S.. Fürstenfeld has a population of some 8,902 as of January 1st 2024. It was the centre of an eponymous district until the end of 2012, when it was merged with Hartberg to form the district of Hartberg-Fürstenfeld. Fürstenfeld was founded around 1170 as a defense against the Hungarians (the present Austrian state of Burgenland was part of Hungary until after World War I, so Fürstenfeld used to lie right on the border) and received its town charter in 1215. Today it is known for its schools, middle-sized industry, and vicinity to several spa towns (Bad Blumau, Bad Loipersdorf and Bad Waltersdorf in Styria, and Stegersbach in Burgenland).