Leibnitz#

Leibnitz, Styria, town in the district of Leibnitz, alt. 274 m, pop. 6,551, area 5.95 km2, close to the confluence of the Sulm and Mur/Mura rivers in the Leibnitz plain. Main town of southern Styria and centre of the wine growing area in south-west Styria. - District Commission, local court, district office of public works (in Wagna), Employment Services, fiscal authority, hunting authority and Office of Measures and Surveying, Customs Office and Customs post, provincial hospital (in the market town of Wagna), Hermann barracks, Economic Chamber, Chamber of Labour, district Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry, health insurance agency, administration of diocesan real-estate, school psychological counselling service, public library, New Apostolic community, Hugo Wolf multi-purpose hall, town museum with archaeological finds from the Roman settlement of Flavia Solva. Schools: vocational school, Bundesgymnasium and Bundesrealgymnasium, secondary schools, commercial academy. Water works. The run-of-river stations of River Mur/Mura in Obervogau (built in 1977, 13 MW) and Gabersdorf (built in 1974, 14.5 MW) are close to Leibnitz. Commuter centre, 4,874 employed people in 1991, of which approximately 67 % in the tertiary sector (personal, social and public service, trade, e.g. mail-order companies). Production: plastics industry, metal processing industry, wood processing industry, production of concrete products, beverage industry, meat production, textile industry (knitwear, machine knitwear, special clothing), dairy industry, construction and building industry, summer tourism. - Close to the important Roman settlement of Flavia Solva; first documentary mention in 970 as "Lipnizza", planned settlement around 1135, destroyed by Turks in 1532, owned by the archdiocese of Salzburg until the 16th century, status of town in 1913. Town parish church (first documentary mention in 1170), Gothic building remodelled in Baroque style after 1700, high altar (1782); Capuchin church (consecrated in 1639) and monastery; Protestant church (1910-1911); column dedicated to the Virgin Mary (1744); town hall (1876, renovated in 1914); Retzhof palace (in Wagna, present building dates above all from the 17th century, today adult education institution). Lake Sulm and Lake Planksee are close to Leibnitz.

Literature#