Blumau: Industrial History, Remembrance and Nature

Blumau brings together local and industrial history with the landscape: monuments, a cemetery steeped in history and the story of gunpowder production take centre stage, while avenues, paths through the wetlands and old trees complete the picture. For planning purposes, memorial sites, historical traces and outdoor activities can be considered as different areas of focus.

Traces of gunpowder production

Serial production of M92 rifle powder began at the Blumau-Neurißhof munitions factory in 1892. During the First World War, the factory employed more than 30,000 workers. Around 40,000 people lived near the factory in Blumau-Neurißhof, in houses and barracks stretching from Neurißhof to Felixdorf. These figures also describe a settlement area that extended beyond Blumau.

The most severe explosion occurred at 4 a.m. on 25 May 1922. It damaged or destroyed every building in the town and could be heard as far away as Vienna. Blumau was first mentioned in a document as early as 1380. Gunpowder production is therefore one chapter in a much longer local history.

The monumental entrance gate, two administrative buildings, the water tower, two guard barracks, the smithy and the industrial railway tracks towards Felixdorf are reminders of the factory’s heyday. The water tower is at Pottendorferstraße 12b in Blumau-Neurißhof and is listed as a protected monument in the Federal Monuments Authority’s register dated 23 June 2026. The protected parish church in Blumau-Neurißhof is also distinguished by its blend of industrial and traditional regional styles. Access to some historic sites may be restricted.

Monuments and memorial sites

There is a war memorial at the cemetery in Blumau. One of Austria’s largest military cemeteries is located next to Blumau Cemetery. It was established between 1978 and 1985 as the final resting place for 4,393 war dead from both world wars. The cemetery in Blumau, with its chapel, is also a local attraction.

Other monuments can be found at specific locations in the Blumau district: the Franz Schubert monument is in Kasinostraße, between numbers 8 and 12, and the Eduard Göth monument is at Hauptallee 5. Alongside the cemetery memorials, individual monuments around the town are also worth exploring.

Avenues, wetland paths and old trees

Blumau’s oldest tree is a plane tree planted in 1810. It has a circumference of 5.8 metres and stands about 50 metres tall. There are also old plane trees in Steinböck Park in Blumau-Neurißhof. Around 500 chestnut trees line paths and roads in Blumau-Neurißhof and at the group training ground; many of them are approximately 100 years old.

Picturesque avenues and wetland paths in Blumau-Neurißhof invite you to run, hike and cycle. There is also a dedicated running and fitness trail. If you would like to include exercise in your travel plans, you can choose between routes for different activities and the purpose-built trail.

Discover more destinations: Oberwaltersdorf, Schönau An Der Triesting, Alland, Mayerling, Leobersdorf, Reisenberg, Günselsdorf, Siegenfeld.

Return to the overview of the region: Baden.