Pinkafeld is a municipality with 5900 inhabitants in Burgenland in the Oberwart district (Austria). It is named after the Pinka, a tributary of the Raab. With the establishment of the HTBLuVA Pinkafeld on the site of the former manorialMeierhof, Pinkafeld made an important step in the direction of a school and technical college town in 1967. As such, it has since achieved supra-regional importance and notoriety, in particular because of the training opportunities in the field of technology. Pinkafeld is one of the 25 climate protection communities in Burgenland since 2002.
The first documentary mention probably comes from the year 860. During the following 1000 years Pinkafeld was most of the time in the Kingdom of Hungary. Nevertheless, as in most of the former German West Hungary (today Burgenland), the population has been predominantly German-speaking since the time of Charlemagne. Historically, Pinkafeld is a town of craftsmen and citizens. As early as the Late Middle Ages, the city acquired numerous privileges such as blood jurisdiction, market and toll rights and freedom from customs duties. In the further course of history, the Pinkafelder citizens were always very interested in keeping these privileges. And indeed, the Pinkafelder privileges have been confirmed and expanded again and again by many emperors, kings and regional rulers. From the 17th century to the early 20th century, the city was shaped by the textile industry.
Pinkafeld is located in the northwest of southern Burgenland on the Styrian border just a few kilometers from the triangle of Lower Austria–Styria–Burgenland in the Pinkatal on the foothills of the Wechsel area (Bernsteiner Bergland in the northeast, Bucklige Welt in the northwest, Joglland in the west) that passes over into the south the hill country of southern Burgenland. The landscape is dominated by gentle hills and, in large areas, by the changeable massif. The SOS Children’s Village and Gfangen are located in the west and Hochart in the north-east on elevations above the city.
To the north, the city borders on Styria in the Pinggau district of Sinnersdorf. After Sinnersdorf (which, although it belongs to Styria, is looked after by post and church from Pinkafeld) the local area of the Styrian neighboring town of Pinggau follows and then Friedberg. The community of Riedlingsdorf, with which Pinkafeld has already merged, is directly adjacent to the south. A state road leads west over the Richtberg to Grafenschachen and from there on to Loipersdorf-Kitzladen. The eastern and southeastern neighbors Wiesfleck and Oberschützen can also be reached by roads over hilly elevations. For many neighbors, Pinkafeld is a shopping location and a destination for local visits. The greatest cohesion with the neighboring communities is given by the Pinkafelder schools, in whose catchment area all neighboring communities are located.
