Gaming, Austria

Gaming is in the Ötscher region of Austria, an area that offers many natural attractions to tourists.[4] One of these attractions is the Second Viennese Spring Water Channel, which starts at the base of the Alps and provides high quality water to Vienna. Near Gaming is the Ötscher-Tormauer Nature Park, which is the largest of the parks in Lower Austria, and is valued for its rivers, waterfalls, and rock formations. The Ötscher region also contains one of the last ancient forests existing within Central Europe.

The area appeals to tourists due to its natural environment, the presence of nature trails (one book named as many as fifty-five), and its abundance of clean water. In addition, the area attracts tourists for its ski slopes and mountains, and the rivers and lakes are used for kayaking, boating, rafting, and swimming.

A settlement existed in Gaming as early as the ninth century. It was initially settled by Celts, Germanic tribes, and Romans, before eventually becoming home to Slavs. The name "Gaming" is derived from the Slavic language and can be translated as "stone" or "hollow".[8] The land was taken over by the Avars, who were then defeated by Charlemagne at the end of the eighth century.[8]

The area was soon Christianized by the Franks and the Bavarians, and became formally overseen by the province of Carinthia.[8] The first mention of a parish priest in Gaming comes from a document from 1274.[8]

During the late Middle Ages, the iron trade formed most of Gaming's economy, as it was an important part of the economy of the nearby province of Styria.[9] Consequently, the forests became an essential resource as well, since extreme heat was needed to make iron products.[9] During this time, they developed systems for moving the wood, both via river and via land. The structures put in place on the river still stand today.[7]

The Gaming charterhouse with church

In 1330, Duke Albert II of the Habsburg family got the endowment to form a charterhouse in Gaming.[10] However, the cornerstone for the Kartause was not laid until a few years later, on 15 August 1332.[10] The Kartause Gaming was to be called "Mariathron", which literally means "Mary, Throne of Christ".[11] It was intended to be a Carthusian monastery, as well as his residence and a burial place for his family.[12] The remains of Duke Albert, his wife, and his daughter-in-law are in the crypt of the Kartause today.[13]

The Carthusians who occupied the Kartause were given numerous resources, including many large tracts of land.[14] These they rented out to tenants, used for farming and for the raising of livestock. Those who lived on this land paid their dues with cheese, oats, clarified butter, roof shingles, and hoops made for wine barrels.[7] The Carthusians were also given fishing rights for the surrounding ponds, lakes, and rivers. Their rights extended as far as the river of Ybbs, which was more than two hours away.[15] Important sources of income included: wine (which was the most important export for Lower Austria at the time), vineyards, salt, iron, and forestry and hunting areas, as well as other market items such as cheese.[15]

The Kartause served as the main parish for the village from 1334 to 1782.[8] In 1782, the Kartause was suppressed and its monks were relieved of their vows.[16] Over the course of about 200 years, the Kartause degraded, due to mishandling by its owners, lack of funding, and the damage caused by the Russian troops who began to occupy it in 1945.[17]

Walter Hildebrand purchased the Kartause in 1983 and began to renovate it.[18] The restoration process was sixty percent complete within the first ten years.[19] Renovations still continue today, mainly to expand the Kartause for the institutions that use it.[19] The Kartause has served as a study abroad campus for Franciscan University of Steubenville in OH, US.[20] It also serves as the base for the Language and Catechetical Institute, which gives students in post-Communist countries an opportunity to learn about Western countries, in the hope that they can help facilitate communication between the East and the West.[21]