!!!Marchfeld

Marchfeld Plain, Lower Austria, largest plain of Lower Austria; 
geologically part of the Vienna Basin; bordered to the south by the 
River Danube, to the east by the River March/Morava, to the north by 
the hilly regions of the Weinviertel (one of Lower Austria´s 
four main regions) and to the west by the Bisamberg Hill (alt. 385 m); 
approximately 45 km in length and 30 km in breadth; some 
190 km%%sup 2/% of the Marchfeld Plain made up by water-meadows 
(declared a national park in 1996) provide a habitat for an extremely 
diverse wildlife. In the northern parts, stretches of diluvial gravel 
partly covered with loess. Lying between the market town of 
Deutsch-Wagram and the town of Marchegg, a terrace of roughly 10 m in 
height (  Wagram) divides the plain into the Upper Marchfeld Plain and 
the Lower Marchfeld Plain. Stretches of wind-borne sand alternate with 
pine forests, meadowlands and fertile grain and sugar beets fields. 
The largest Central European petroleum and gas field (extending over 
120 km%%sup 2/% under the surface) is to be found in the 
northernmost part of the Marchfeld Plain near the market towns of 
Matzen and Auersthal. The south-western parts of the Marchfeld Plain 
belong to the municipality of Vienna (were integrated into the 
21%%sup st/%  district in 1904; added to the 22%%sup nd/%  district in 
1938, after a short interruption re-integrated into the 22%%sup nd/%  
district in 1954). Some time ago the Marchfeld Plain (which is also 
called the "granary of Austria") was in danger of becoming barren and 
desolate. Today the water quality is still low (quality rating 4) with 
sinking ground water levels and extensive agricultural exploitation 
having resulted in a increase in barren territory and a loss of 80% of 
the wetlands in recent years. While the water problem seriously 
inhibits overall economic growth, efforts are being made to remedy the 
situation by completing the  Marchfeld Canal.

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Many beautiful palaces are to be found in the Marchfeld Plain 
(especially in the southern part), the most famous of which are 
situated at Oberhausen bei Gross-Enzersdorf (Sachsengang Palace), Orth 
an der Donau, Eckartsau, Niederweiden, Schlosshof and Marchegg. 
The main centres of the region are the towns of Gross-Enzersdorf, 
Marchegg, Deutsch-Wagram and the market town of Strasshof an der 
Nordbahn. The Marchfeld Plain is highly important for its gas and 
petroleum industry, the main companies of which are a gas reprocessing 
and desulphurization plant at the village of Aderklaa, the main 
control and supply centre at the market town of Auersthal, the main 
branch of the gas and petroleum group OMV at the town of Gaenserndorf 
and another supply centre at Baumgarten an der March (called the 
hub of gas supply in Europe) supplying Austria, as well as other parts 
of Europe with natural gas imported from Russia. There is a sugar 
factory at the village of Leopoldsdorf. Transport links: railway 
networks to the north and north-west of the country (towards the Czech 
Republic, the operation of Eurocity-trains has recently been 
introduced on the railway network to the north), as well as the 
Marchegg Railway Link (to Slovakia), since 1962 Vienna urban service 
to Gaenserndorf. - Throughout history, numerous battles were fought in 
those stretches of the Marchfeld Plain bordering Slovakia: from 165 to 
180 A.D. the Romans fought against the Quadi and the Marcomanni; King 
Otakar II of Bohemia won victory over King Bela of Hungary near  
Groissenbrunn in 1260; Otakar II was defeated by Rudolf of Habsburg in 
a decisive battle near Duernkrut and Jedenspeigen in 1278; in 1809 the 
Habsburg Empire fought against Napoleonic troops in the Battles of 
Aspern and Deutsch-Wagram.


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