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Retz is a town with a population of 4,168 in the Hollabrunn District in Lower Austria, Austria.
Rudolf von Habsburg awarded Count Berthold of Rabenswalde (1278–1312) shire and sovereignty of Hardegg as a fiefdom. The count did not stay for long in Hardegg, and moved to Retz, where he founded the monastery of the Dominican Order (called Dominikanerkloster). The monastery was finished in 1295. Finally he founded the city of Retz around 1300.
Around 1343 the preacher Franz von Retz was born. He reformed the Dominican Order, taught at the University of Vienna, was their Dean for five times, and also represented the university at the Council of Pisa. He died on September 8, 1427, in Vienna.
In 1425, the conquered Retz (November 25), and only a few days later, Schrattenthal and Pulkau. The city was destroyed and many people were killed. A chronicle from Klosterneuburg reported of 6000 captives, among them Count Heinrich of Maidburg (Hardegg), who were led to Prague. Nearly 8000 men were said to be slain and over 30 Catholic churches destroyed. In 1431 the Hussites came to raid Retz for a second time.
In 1467 the Burgerspitalkapelle ("Citizens' Hospital Chapel"), located between the Verderberhaus and the Znojmo Tor, was consecrated. It was secularized in 1783. Today it serves as a museum for the South Moravian gallery.
After the reconstruction of the city Retz was conquered by Matthias Corvinus on October 10, 1486, after a six-day siege. Until 1492 Retz belonged to his dominion. During that time the city received the privileges concerning the trade of wine which were responsible for its future wealth. Also as a consequence of these privileges the huge and multi-storied wine cellar system was built. Today it is used for guided tours and serves as the location for a Christmas market during Advent.
In 1576, the Sgraffitohaus was built. In 1928, the overpainted paintings were discovered and uncovered again.
The eye-catching Verderberhaus originates to the year 1583. It has its name from a family named Verderber which was a very wealthy family in Retz at that time. The family acquired the building in 1848.
The Thirty Years' War brought destruction to the town, and also did the Sweden under Lennart Torstensson, who set up his headquarters in Schrattenthal.
Between 1660 and 1670 the castle of the Suttner-Gatterburg family was built. Today it is home to the bicycle museum of Retz. During the shootings for the TV series Julia - eine außergewöhnliche Frau between 1998 and 2002, the fictional police station was situated there.
In 1680 the bubonic plague came to the town. The Pestsäule on the main square still recalls this dramatic event.
After 1696 it was permitted to build buildings higher than the city's defensive wall. This was the reason for the Dominican Order to increase the size of their monastery by a third story.
The first windmill in Retz was entirely built out of wood in 1772. Later, a second windmill, built out of stone, was erected nearby. The second windmill is not used as a windmill anymore, and now serves as a residential house.
In 1831 the wooden windmill was removed and a new windmill was built on the same spot. This is still one of the town's landmarks today, for it is the only fully functional windmill left in Austria. There was also a bricklayer from Lesná u Znojma (South Moravia) involved in this project. He used the knowledge he acquired to build a windmill in his hometown, which was later inherited by the son of the miller of Retz. In 1927, the windmill was shut down. Not far from the windmill the Kalvarienberg is located. It was erected in the years 1727–37 by Jakob Seer.
On November 1, 1871, Retz was connected to the Rail transport by the Austrian Northwestern Railway.
In 1896, a Judaism house of prayer was built, which does not exist anymore. The local post office dates from the year 1897.
There are 206 non-agricultural workplaces as of 2001, and 315 agricultural workplaces as of 1999. The number of gainful persons is 1,709 according to the census of 2001. The activity rate was 42.08 percent.
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