Editing Mayerling

{{Short description|Village in Baden, Austria}}
{{About|the village of Mayerling|other uses|Mayerling (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Mayerling - Ortsansicht.JPG|thumb|250px|Southeast view of Mayerling]]
'''Mayerling''' is a small village (pop. 200) in [[Lower Austria]] belonging to the municipality of [[Alland]] in the district of [[Baden (district of Austria)|Baden]]. It is situated on the [[Schwechat]] river, in the [[Vienna Woods|Wienerwald]] (''Vienna woods''), {{convert|24|km|mi}} southwest of [[Vienna]]. From 1550, it was in the possession of the abbey of [[Heiligenkreuz Abbey|Heiligenkreuz]].

==The Mayerling incident==
{{main|Mayerling incident}}
In 1886, [[Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria|Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria]], only son of Emperor [[Franz Joseph I of Austria]] and Empress [[Elisabeth of Bavaria|Elisabeth]], and heir to the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] crown, acquired the manor and transformed it into a [[Jagdschloss|hunting lodge]]. It was in this hunting lodge that, on 30 January 1889, he was found dead with his mistress, [[Baroness Mary Vetsera]], apparently as a result of [[suicide]]. 

Exactly what happened is unknown, but on 31 July 2015, the [[Austrian National Library]] issued copies of Vetsera's letters of farewell to her mother and other family members. The letters — written in Mayerling shortly before the deaths — state clearly and unambiguously that Mary Vetsera was preparing to commit suicide alongside Rudolf, out of love.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.onb.ac.at/services/presse_23385.htm | title=Sensationsfund in der Schoellerbank: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek erhält verloren geglaubte Abschiedsbriefe von Mary Vetsera | trans-title=Sensational find in the Schoellerbank: Austrian National Library receives farewell letters from Mary Vetsera that were thought to be lost |publisher=Austrian National Library|date=31 July 2015|language=German|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731165412/http://www.onb.ac.at/services/presse_23385.htm|archivedate=31 July 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Alland - Karmel Mayerling, Gesamtanlage.JPG|thumb|Church and convent of the [[Discalced Carmelites|Discalced Carmelite nuns]] at Mayerling]]
After the deaths of Rudolf and Vetsera, Emperor Franz Joseph, who wanted to endow a new church building, had the hunting lodge changed into a convent which then was settled by nuns of the [[Discalced Carmelites|Discalced Carmelite Order]]. The church was dedicated to [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel]], the convent to [[Saint Joseph]]. A statue of the Virgin Mary in the [[Lady Chapel]] has the facial features of the Empress Elisabeth and a dagger pierces the [[Immaculate Heart of Mary]]. The position of the main cross in the chapel is supposed to be where the bed of Rudolf of Austria and Mary Vetsera were situated. Prayers are still said daily by the nuns for the repose of the souls of Rudolf and Mary.

A visitor center nearby the convent was opened in 2014.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://noe.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2674387/| title = Museum im Karmel Mayerling eröffnet - noe.ORF.at| date = 18 October 2014}}</ref> This center, the restored tea pavilion and some other rooms with objects from the 19th century now form the exhibition of the "Museum Altes Jagdschloss Mayerling".

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Mayerling}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194202/http://www.travel2austria.com/?cat=6 Travel to Austria]
* [http://www.karmel-mayerling.org The Mayerling-Information-Center]

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[[Category:Populated places in Lower Austria]]


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