“Now the time has come: the municipality of Strasshof on the Nordbahn is being turned into a city,” said State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner yesterday, Friday, in the presence of numerous guests and guests of honor from politics, business, public security, education, business, media and many citizens. She spoke of a historic day, “when Strasshof is made the 77th city in Lower Austria today” and a “nice feeling of being a guest when a wish comes true.” The path began in 2002 with visions and ideas under the mayor at the time Rolf Neidhart started it, former mayor Herbert Farthofer continued it. “You are the grandfathers of this city uprising and with the state parliament resolution of April 25, 2024, your vision will become reality.”
Strasshof an der Nordbahn is “a beautiful city that has developed rapidly, especially in the last 30 years, where the population has doubled,” emphasized Mikl-Leitner. A dynamic development that is beautiful, but has posed major challenges in terms of infrastructure, schools, public services and many other areas. “It’s a feat of strength that can only be achieved through working together to maintain the local community,” she was convinced. “But Strasshof has shown how it can be done, has grown to meet the challenges and has become a livable and lovable home for people.” The state governor spoke, among other things, of the wide range of leisure and sports on offer and the educational location, “where we were only two years ago “We opened a modern school campus in the last few years,” the cultural institutions such as the local history and railway museums, the Strasshofer Kellertheater or “the children’s culture subscription, which gives even the youngest people access to art and culture.”
In Strasshof an der Nordbahn you can feel that people look out for each other and are there for each other, as the large number of clubs shows. Mikl-Leitner highlighted, among other things, the music club, “which creates a great atmosphere at today’s festival and even specially composed the ‘Strasshofer Stadtlevesmarsch’, which is celebrating its premiere here today.” Lower Austria is proud of its clubs because “they are the lifeline here Strasshof and in all our communities and cities. Above all, the many voluntary organizations that work every day for their fellow human beings,” she emphasized. She also particularly highlighted the volunteer fire brigades, “who worked tirelessly during the flood disaster together with the armed forces, rescue organizations and numerous volunteers and helpers.” The Strasshof volunteer fire brigade also worked in one of the hardest hit areas, in Rust in Tullnerfeld , helped.
Finally, the state governor was convinced: “Today’s city survey is not the end point, but rather just the start for the further successful development of Strasshof” and that the state will continue to be a reliable and fair partner and make its contribution. Above all, the future federal government, regardless of which parties it is composed of, will not be left out of its responsibility to make its contribution. “We will demand that transport policy promises that were made many years ago – S1, S8, Lobau Tunnel – be implemented. “It can no longer be said, ‘business as usual’,” emphasized Mikl-Leitner.
Former mayor Herbert Farthofer, former mayor Rolf Neidhart and the incumbent mayor Ludwig Deltl spoke about the route from Strasshof on the Nordbahn to the city. In 2002, when the state of Lower Austria was first approached with the request to elevate the community to a city, from today’s perspective the time was not yet ripe, said Neidhart. “But as the saying goes: constant dripping wears away the stone.” The former mayor then implemented many initiatives and projects to pave the way forward. “We set up wholesale markets and businesses, opened kindergartens, conducted tough negotiations with the federal railways, connected the daycare center to the elementary school and much more,” recalled Farthofer. One of the decisive points in making Strasshof a city was, among other things, the opening of the school campus, said the incumbent mayor. He reported on the renewed application, the positive preliminary examination, the resolution in the local council in September 2023 and the resolution in the Lower Austrian state parliament. “And today we finally receive the certificate for city elevation,” said Deltl. He thanked his predecessors, his team on the local council and, above all, his family: “She is the driving force that gives me strength to continue working for Strasshof.”
Yesterday’s city elevation celebration was musically accompanied by the Strasshof music club on the Nordbahn. As part of the ceremony, city councilor Achim Wörner was awarded the city’s gold ring of honor for his 20 years of work in the community and now the municipality of Strasshof.