St. Michael in Obersteiermark#
St. Michael in Obersteiermark, Styria, market town in the district of Leoben, alt. 588 m, pop. 3,565, area 56.09 km2, railway junction situated at the junction of the Rivers Liesing and Mur. - Landwehr camp, office and toll station (Gleinalm Tunnel) of the Pyhrn Autobahn AG, field agency of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics; predominant economic activity: transport, Austrian Federal Railways (railway station, transformation plant) the main employer, carriers, warehouse. - Parish church (first documented mention in 925, largest parish in Styria) with Gothic frescoes (early 14th century) and paintings (1784) by G. Lederwasch; filial church of St. Walpurgis with choir from 1294-1297 (one of the earliest examples of Gothic art in Styria), stained glass (13th century), fresco of the Crucifixion (around 1300) and beautiful Baroque high altar (around 1630); memorial to a battle between Austrian and French troops on May 25, 1809.
Literature#
R. Maier, Zur Geschichte der Pfarre und der Ortsgemeinde St. Michael in der Obersteiermark, 1927.