!!!Schwaz

Schwaz, Tirol, town in the district of Schwaz, alt. 545 m, pop. 
11,839 (pop. 10,929 in 1981), area 20.21 km%%sup 2/%, 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 15%%sup th/%  and 16%%sup th/%  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 
16%%sup th/%  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 
(12%%sup th/% - 15%%sup th/% 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 16%%sup th/%  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
Stadtgemeinde Schwaz (ed.), Heimatbuch der Stadt Schwaz, 
1948; R. v. Klebelsberg et al., Schwaz-Buch, 1951; E. Egg, 
Die Silberstadt Schwaz, %%sup 2/%1966; Oesterreichisches Staedtebuch 
vol. V, part 1, Die Staedte Tirols, 1980; E. Egg et al., 
Stadtbuch Schwaz, 1986; H. Andreatta and K. Kandler, Schwaz. Portraet 
einer Tiroler Bezirksstadt, 1993.


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