Schwaz#

Schwaz, Tirol, town in the district of Schwaz, alt. 545 m, pop. 11,839 (pop. 10,929 in 1981), area 20.21 km2, situated on the debris cone of the River Lahnbach, at the confluence of River Inn and River Lahnbach, at the foot of Kellerjoch Mountain. - District Commission, district court, forest inspection, hospital, Frundsberg barracks, employment services, tax office, geodetic station, land development office, economic chamber, Institute for Economic Promotion, chamber of labour, regional health and social insurance office, advisory service for families, school psychological service, Lebenshilfe welfare organisation, advisory and treatment centre for drug addicts, Protestant recreation centre, Turkish Islamic community, Bundesrealgymnasium and Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium secondary schools, Paulinum episcopal Gymnasium secondary school (boarding school), commercial academy, vocational school of trade and commerce, commercial school, school of domestic science, Sankt Martin sociopedagogical centre, Franciscan philosophical and theological institute, training college for teachers of religion, library, sports hall, district-heating and water station; 6,046 people employed (1991), around 55 % of whom in the service sector (personal, social and public services, trade, financial services), tourism (42,546 overnight stays in 1992); Falkenstein mine of the Montanwerke Brixlegg (gravel and dolomite debris extraction), factories producing abrasives, varnish, tobacco and refrigerating machines. - Schwaz has been a centre of copper mining since the Bronze Age, documented mention as "Suazes" in 930, flourished particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries due to the beginning of mining activity around 1410 (silver mining at Falkenstein the site and copper mining at the "Alte Zeche" site), already had 20,000 citizens around 1500, maximum yield around 1523 (estimated 346 tonnes of silver and 22,400 tonnes of copper from 1500-1529) with 7,400 miners (1554) at Falkenstein, decline of mining activity in the late 16th century, today show mine. Granted the status of a town in 1899. - Schwaz is overlooked by Freundsberg Castle (documented mention 1174/78) with partly Romanesque residential tower (12th - 15th centuries, frescoes around 1475, local heritage museum); the castle contains a chapel with a columned altar from 1637 and a painted paper crib (around 1760 by C. A. Mayr); late-Gothic parish church (1460-1478), 4-nave hall church with north tower and 5-storey Gothic roof truss covered with 15,000 copper slates (1508-1510), altered in Baroque style from 1728-1730, redecorated in Gothic style in 1908/09, neo-Gothic high altar (1913), stained glass (early 16th century), in the tower (1910) "Maximiliana" bell (1503); by the northern churchyard wall, Gothic mortuary chapel (built 1504-1506 by C. Reichartinger) with Gothic winged altar; late-Gothic Franciscan church and monastery (1507-1515 by C. Reichartinger), cloister with a series of frescoes (1519-1526), the most important evidence of late-Gothic fresco painting in Tirol; hospital church (1515-1542); Gothic church of St. Martin; redecorated in Baroque style, town hall (1505-1510) with façade frescoes (1760) by C. A. Mayr and courtyard; Tannenberg-Enzenberg Palace (altered in Baroque style 1700-1705); Fugger residential home (1520-1525, convent of the Franciscan Tertiaries since 1841); neo-Gothic Friedheim Palace; Haus der Voelker ("House of the Peoples", museum of art and ethnography).

Literature#