Archaeology in the Vienna Alps

The Alpine south of Lower Austria is known not just for its archaeological finds but also for its magnificent treasures.

Even in the past, the inhabitants of the Vienna Alps used the mountain landscape in their own way: as a mine for the extraction of copper, for example, or for well-protected hilltop settlements.

Thousands of years ago, the enchanting natural landscape of the Lower Austrian Alps was a booming industrial area and the centre of a wide-reaching trade network. In places like Prigglitz, copper ore was mined and processed on a large scale 3,500 years ago. The prosperity of the region at the time is reflected in the rich burial sites in Pitten and valuable offerings such as the Stollhof Hoard. Large fortified settlements built by the Celts, such as the one near Schwarzenbach, or from the Early Middle Ages, such as the castle hill settlement in Pitten, served as trading posts and administrative centres. The spectacular hoard found in Wiener Neustadt also illustrates the wealth of merchants in this town, which was founded in 1192.