!!!Steiermark
Styria (Steiermark): Area: 16,388.14 km%%sup 2/%; pop: 1,184,720;
population density: 72 per km%%sup 2/%; capital: Graz; buildings:
288,802; households: 426,607; 1 statutory town, 17 administrative
districts, 33 judicial districts, 543 municipalities (of which 31 are
towns and 102 market towns); Higher Provincial Court
(Oberlandesgericht) in Graz, provincial courts in Graz and Leoben.
\\
Location: Styria is the second largest province and has the third
highest population (1991) of all Austrian provinces. In the west, it
borders on the provinces of Salzburg and Upper Austria, in the south
on Carinthia and Slovenia, in the east on Burgenland, in the northeast
and north on Lower Austria and Upper Austria. Its name was derived
from the ancestral castle of the Counts of Traungau in the town of
Steyr, Upper Austria.
\\
Landscape: Three quarters of Styria are richly wooded mountain area,
also called "Gruene Mark" ("Green March"). The
mountainous Upper Styrian region, formerly the home of forges, scythe
works and iron mills ("Eherne Mark" - "Iron march"), comprises the
headwater region of the River Traun, the Styrian Salzkammergut,
Ausseer Land), the upper and middle reaches of the River Enns and the
Salza as well as the valleys of the Mur and Muerz rivers. They are
crossed by mountain ranges of the Northern Limestone Alps (Dachstein
Massif, Totes Gebirge Mountains, Grimming Mountain, Enntaler Alpen
Mountains, Hochschwab Mountains, Styrian-Lower Austrian Limestone
Alps), parts of the central Alps (Schladminger, Woelzer, Rottenmanner,
Triebener Tauern Mountains and Seckau Alps) and the Eisenerzer Alps
(Styrian Erzberg Mountain). The Gurktal and Seetal Alps, the Stubalpe
and Gleinalpe Mountains and the Fischbach Alps rise to the south of
the Rivers Mur and Muerz. Central Styria, an area characterized by
mountains and hills, comprises the central portion of the River Mur,
the Graz Basin, the Grazer Feld Plain and the Leibnitzer Feld Plain.
Main rivers include the Rivers Mur, Raab and Feistritz. Western Styria
comprises the eastern foothills of the Glein-, Stub-, Pack- und
Koralpe Mountains ("Weststeirisches Huegelland", hilly area
of western Styria) and is divided into long-stretched ranges of hills
by the Rivers Kainach, Lassnitz and Sulm. Eastern Styria consists of
the "Oststeirisches Huegelland" (hilly area of eastern
Styria), which is drained towards the Hungarian lowland plains in the
east. It is bordered by the foothills of the Fischbach Alps and the
Wechsel Mountain in the north. What used to be South Styria (situated
between the Rivers Drau and Save) had to be ceded to Yugoslavia after
World War I.
\\
Climate: The climate of Styria belongs to the European transitional
climate: The north and northwest of Styria are under the influence of
an Alpine climate, the south and southwest under the influence of the
Pannonian climate. Precipitation is heaviest in Upper Styria
(Altaussee: 2,080 mm precipitation, 179 rainy days/year) and decreases
towards the south (Bad Radkersburg: 113 rainy days/year). Spring and
autumn are the main rainy seasons. The coldest areas are the upper Mur
valley (average temperature during the vegetation period not below
17°C). The terraces around Aflenz, the Stolzalpe Mountain and
Ramsau are the sunniest regions.
\\
Population: 15,2 % of the Austrian population live in Styria, of
which 21.1 % live in Graz (237,000, second largest municipality
in Austria after Vienna). The second-largest district, Graz-Umgebung,
has around 118,000 inhabitants (10 %); according to the census of
1991 9,500 people (8.9 %) have moved to Graz-Umgebung in recent
years, whereas the districts of Judenburg and Leoben have registered a
heavy decrease in population.
\\
Styrians speak a dialect that is characterized by strong diphthongs.
Slovenes live along the southern border. The majority of Styrians are
of Roman Catholic denomination (84 %), 4.6 % are Protestants
(larger communities in the Ennstal valley, the Salzkammergut district
and Graz). In Upper Styria, farmhouse types include the Paarhof and
the Inneroesterreichischer Haufenhof (upper Ennstal valley, Muerztal
valley); in Upper Styria the Vierseithof prevails alongside the
Dreiseithof. Hakenhof and Streckhof types occur along the River Mur.
The Erzherzog-Johann Haus type can be found in the suburbs of Graz
(urban-bourgeois influence, classicist construction). In Western
Styria, farmhouse types such as Streckhof and Hakenhof (in non-Alpine
areas) merge with Paarhof and Haufenhof (in Alpine regions); towards
the south, smaller and simpler farmhouse types are prevalent.
\\
Economy: Traditionally, Styria is an industrial province. The past
twenty years have been characterized by far-reaching structural
transformation; both private and nationalised industries have altered
their products and production methods. In the 1970s, several
businesses merged and formed 2 large enterprises, VOEST ALPINE Montan
AG and Vereinigte Edelstahlwerke AG. They were centrally managed by
OeIAG but split up in the 1980s. In the 1990s, these companies became
legally independent entities, and some of their plants were
privatised. At the same time, rationalisation and staff reductions
took place. The share of the raw materials industry and basic industry
in the total net product remained almost the same, whereas the share
of machine building, steel construction, iron and metal, electrical
and electronics industries and especially of the motor industry
soared. Around 60 % of all industrial products manufactured in
Styria are exported (especially steel, paper, machines, electrical and
electronics products, motor vehicles, leather products and wood). The
number of persons employed in industries has decreased by 30,000 in
the past 20 years and currently amounts to little more than 80,000
(1995). At the same time, the number of employees in the service
sector has risen considerably. The ancient industrial area of Upper
Styria is especially affected by the structural problems of the
stainless steel works; important production sites of the iron and
steel industry include Leoben-Donawitz (production of rails and wire),
Kapfenberg and Muerzzusschlag (high-quality stainless steel),
Judenburg (spring and bright drawn steel), Bruck an der Mur (wire),
Kindberg and Krieglach (tubes), Mitterndorf and Graz (electric steel
works). Machine building can be found especially in the valleys of the
Rivers Mur and Muerz (Zeltweg, Knittelfeld, Bruck an der Mur and
Kapfenberg), the area around Graz and in Voitsberg. The electrical and
electronics industry is mainly located in Graz, Deutschlandsberg,
Unterpremstaetten, Lebring, Leoben, Spielberg, Kindberg and Fehring.
Paper, cellulose and cardboard are mainly produced in Gratkorn,
Frohnleiten, Bruck an der Mur, Niklasdorf, Poels and Rosegg. Glass
production is concentrated in Koeflach and Baernbach, the stone and
ceramics industries are represented in Retznei and Peggau (cement), in
Gleinstaetten (bricks), Frauental (porcelain catalytic converters),
Gleisdorf, Weissenbach, Bad Aussee (gypsum works) and Graz. Styria
also has a long tradition as a location for the food, beverage and
tobacco industry, with production sites in Graz and its surrounding
area, in Stainach, Leoben-Goess, Feldbach, Gleisdorf, Stainz and
Hartberg.; Graz is also a traditional motor industry town. Paper is
processed in Graz, Zeltweg, Kalsdorf, St. Ruprecht and other sites.
Leather goods are manufactured in Feldbach, St. Ruprecht an der Raab
and Leibnitz, chemical firms can be found in Werndorf and Graz as well
as in Upper, Eastern and Western Styria. Sawmills and the wood
processing industry are traditionally well-represented in Styria,
being Austria´s most wooded province (51 % of the total
area), esp. in Leoben, Anger, Frohnleiten, Uebelbach, Gaishorn, the
area around Obdach, the Muerztal valley, as well as in Upper and
Western Styria. Textile industries can be found in Graz, Hartberg,
Neudau, Feldbach, Weisskirchen, Bad Mitterndorf and Zeltweg. Textile
factories are located at Graz and Hartberg and especially in Eastern
and Upper Styria. Styria has a 51.7 % share in the entire
Austrian mining industry and caters for the majority of all raw
materials in the country. Around 1.2 million tons of mineral raw
materials free for mining in the form of coal were obtained from the
western Styrian lignite deposit, from the Oberndorf open-cast mining
area and from the Koeflach deposit in 1993. There are three gypsum and
anhydrite mines and one production site of raw graphite in Kaiserberg
bei Leoben. All Austrian talcum mining areas are situated in Styria
(annual output 145,000 t), main deposits are located in the eastern
Styrian Rabenwald heights. From the economic point of view, magnesite
is the most important raw material. Magnesite is exploited in
Breitenau, Oberdorf an der Laming and Wald am Schoberpass (620,000
tons of raw magnesite in 1993). Production of magnesite, sintered
magnesite and magnesite blocks is located at Breitenau, Veitsch,
Trieben, Oberndorf an der Laming and Leoben. Salt production in
Altaussee is still of importance.
\\
Agriculture: Styria has the largest wooded area of all the provinces
(840,000 hectares, 51 % of the entire Styrian territory,
26 % of the Austrian forest stand). Arable land makes up
11 %, meadows, pastures and Alpine pastures amount to around
25 % of the overall territory. In the north (Mur-Muerz valley),
cereals, potatoes, vegetables and fodder plants are the main crops
grown; maize, wheat and buckwheat (as second crop) are grown in the
southeast (highest yield per hectare in Austria). In warmer regions
and in eastern Styria, tobacco and hops (around Leutschach) are also
grown. Wine (1992: 126,000 hectolitres, around 4.9 % of the total
amount of wine produced in Austria) is grown to the south of the lower
reaches of the River Kainach, on the eastern slopes of Sausal Hill and
on the Windische Buehel Hills. Styria, especially eastern and
southeastern Styria, is the most important province for fruit
cultivation. In 1992, fruit was grown on plantations with a total area
of 5,000 hectares (4,230 hectares of apples, 250 hectares of pears and
425 hectares of peaches). The yield of winter apples (1992: 106,000
tons, covering the entire domestic requirement) and peaches (6,061
tons) is the highest in Austria, the yield of plums is second highest.
Animal husbandry prevails (accounts for more than 50% of famers´
income), esp. animals for slaughter and dairying. The number of cattle
totalled 396,000 in 1993 (439,254 in 1959). The following types of
cattle are those which are mainly bred in the Alpine regions:
Pinzgauer- and Murbodner (Gelbvieh) breeds of cattle, Simmentaler
Rasse (Fleckvieh) breed of cattle in western and eastern Styria and
the Kaerntner Blondvieh breed of cattle around Mariahof. Apart from
cattle, horses ( Haflinger Horses, Lipizzaner Horses), poultry
("Styrian table poultry"), carp (in the Waldschach lakes
south of the River Preding), trout (in Kalwang) and sheep (wool is
used for the production of the "Steirer Loden" fabric) are
also kept.
\\
Tourism: Important tourist areas include the Styrian Salzkammergut
District with the Ausseer Land, the Loser-Sandling and Tauplitzalm
skiing areas, the winter sports resorts of Aflenz, Mariazell,
Mitterndorf, Schladming, Tauplitz, Turracher Hoehe Pass etc., and spas
(Bad Aussee, Bad Mitterndorf as well as the thermal spring areas of
Loipersdorf, Bad Gleichenberg, Bad Radkersburg and Bad Waltersdorf).
Climatic health resorts include Aflenz Kurort, Lassnitzhoehe,
Mariazell, Neumarkt, St. Radegund bei Graz, the Stolzalpe Mountain and
Ramsau; the "Styrian Castle Road" (Steirische
Schloesserstrasse), including Riegersburg Castle and Schloss
Herberstein, the wine-growing region of the southern parts of Styria
(Suedsteirisches Weinland) and several caves accessible to the public
( Drachenhoehle, Grasslhoehle, Katerloch Cave near Weiz, Lurgrotte
Cave, Rettenwandhoehle Cave near Kapfenberg) are situated in the
southeast of Styria. The province ranks fourth in terms of tourism
after Tirol, Salzburg and Carinthia. Leading tourist centres (1992)
include Ramsau, Graz, Rohrmoos-Untertal and Schladming.
\\
Traffic and Transport: Graz is the junction of two important roads:
the Suedautobahn motorway (A2, Wien Inzersdorf-Thoerl, national
border) and the Pyrhrnautobahn motorway (A 9, Wels- St. Michael
im Lungau, Donawitz- Spielfeld, Slovenian border). The A9 motorway and
its extension, the Innkreisautobahn motorway in Upper Austria, will
provide an important connection between the Balkan region and western
Europe. The S6 rapid transit route connects Seebenstein junction (A2
motorway) with Leoben via the Semmering Pass. Ancient pass routes run
parallel to the A9 and A2 motorways, which connect Styria with Upper
Austria (Federal Road B 138 via the Pyhrn Pass) and Carinthia (Federal
Road B 70 via the Packsattel Pass). The Southern Railway departing
from Vienna gives access to Slovenia (via Graz) and Italy (from Bruck
an der Mur via Leoben and Klagenfurt). The airport of Graz is
connected to the international network of air routes.
\\
Art and Culture: Styria possesses ancient archaeological finds
(Drachenhoehle Cave near Mixnitz, Repolusthoehle Cave near Peggau,
Strettweg, necropolises from the Hallstatt period in the Sulmtal
valley etc.), finds from the Roman era (Flavia Solva, Frauenberg bei
Leibnitz, Loeffelbach bei Hartberg, St. Johann bei Herberstein etc.)
and important mediaeval architectural monuments in Romanesque
(basilica in Seckau, charnel house in Hartberg, chapel dedicated to
St. John in Puergg, parish church in Piber) and Gothic style (town
parish church in Murau, Leechkirche church in Graz, pilgrimage
churches of Maria Strassengel, Poellauberg and Maria Rehkogel, the
Cathedral of Graz, the collegiate church of Neuberg an der Muerz and
Kornmesserhaus (secular building) in Bruck an der Mur. Styria also
boasts outstanding examples of architectural monuments from other
periods, which include buildings from the Renaissance (Landhaus and
armoury in Graz, Hollenegg, Frondsberg, Thannhausen and Strechau
castles), Mannerism (Eggenberg castle, Eggenberger-Mausoleum in
Ehrenhausen), Baroque (St. Lambrecht, Poellau, Stainz, Vorau, Rein
Abbeys, Admont collegiate library), Classicism (Graz Corps
Headquarters, Lambrechter Hof in Graz) and Historicism (Herz-Jesu
Church in Graz, Admont collegiate church). The St. Michael
Walpurgiskirche church, Maria Strassengel church, the Leechkirche
church in Graz, St. Erhard in der Breitenau church and the
Waasenkirche church in Leoben all have magnificent works of stained
glass. St. John´s chapel in Puergg has unique Romanesque
frescoes; the Bischofskapelle chapel of Goess, the Seckau collegiate
church, the Puergg and Murau parish churches, the St. Erhard filial
church in Goess, St. Georgen bei Judenburg church, the church of the
Friars Minor and the St. Rupert church in Bruck an der Mur have Gothic
frescoes. The collegiate churches in Poellau, Vorau, Stainz, Rein, the
Frauenberg bei Admont, Mariazell, and Weizburg pilgrimage churches as
well as the Festenburg Castle church are decorated with Baroque
frescoes. The Romanesque Goesser vestments and the Gothic lenten veil
of St. Lambrecht are also important objects of art. Early modern
Styrian artists include the sculptors J. T. Stammel, J. J.
Schoy, M. Schokotnigg, P. J. Straub, V. Koeniger, the painters
H. A. Weissenkirchner, M. v. Goerz, J. C. Hackhofer and
J. B. A. Raunacher. The architect J. B. Fischer von
Erlach was born in Styria but created only few works (e.g. the
interior decoration of the mausoleum in Graz, high altar in
Mariazell). H. Boeckl´s frescoes in the Engelkapelle chapel at
Seckau (1952-1960) constitute his most important monumental work and
are a key masterpiece of Styrian religious art. The Forum Stadtpark
in Graz has been a centre of avant-garde fine arts, photography,
literature and modern theatre.
\\
Important mediaeval authors were Ulrich von Liechtenstein, Herrand von
Wildonie and Ottokar aus der Gaal. Important writers since the
19%%sup th/% century have included A. Gruen, P. Rosegger, W. Fischer,
R. H. Bartsch, O. Kernstock, H. Kloepfer, P. Grogger and M. Mell,
authors who chose to live in Styria were R. Hamerling, H. Leifhelm and
F. Nabl. Modern Styrian literature includes writers such as W. Bauer,
A. Kolleritsch, R. P. Gruber, G. Roth and B. Frischmuth. Styria
is also the home of Nobel Prize winners, including V. F. Hess
(physics), F. Pregl (chemistry), the turbine engineer V. Kaplan,
linguists J. v. Hammer-Purgstall and F. Miklosich, the law scholar
F. A. v. Zeiller, the criminologist H. Gross, the physicians
L. v. Auenbrugger, R. Paltauf, L. v. Schroetter and E.
Wertheim. Outstanding musicians were J. J. Fux, H. Wolf, J. Marx
and W. Kienzl, who was not born in Styria, but spent his adult life
there, and the conductor K. Boehm, who achieved worldwide fame. Graz
(Karl Franz University, University of Technology, University of Music
and the Performing Arts) and Leoben (University of Mining and
Metallurgy) are centres of scholarship and art. The Vereinigte Buehnen
Graz, which runs the opera house and the Schauspielhaus theatre,
stages plays, operas, operettas and musicals. The Styrian section of
the Urania adult education association, the adult education centres of
the Chamber of Workers and Employees and the Obersteirische Kulturbund
cultural associations are centres of cultural life and adult
education. The Styrian Volksbildungswerk (adult education institution
for Styria) is the parent organisation of many cultural association
and contributes substantially to the preservation of cultural
traditions. The tradition of Styrian folk music ( Dulcimer), folk
costumes ( Steireranzug), folk dance and arts and crafts as well as
regional specialities ("Kernoel" pumpkin oil,
"Schilcher" wine) are kept alive by associations such as the
Steirisches Heimatwerk or the Steirischer Kunstverein. Styria has
presented itself in three large provincial exhibitions since 1959. The
steirischer herbst festival, a supraregional avant-garde festival,
began in 1968; the Styriarte is a festival of ancient music in Graz
which has taken place annually since 1985.
\\
History: The earliest traces of human life in Styria go back to the
Old Stone Age (Alpine Palaeolithic Age). Several finds have been made
from the Neolithic Age, the Bronze Age, the Urnfield Culture and the
Hallstatt Culture ( Strettweger Kultwagen; funerary objects from
Sulmtal valley and Klein-Klein). The Celts arrived in the 4%%sup th/%
century B.C.; their kingdom of Noricum was occupied by the Romans in
15 B.C.; Styria formed part of the Roman province Noricum
(Municipium Flavia Solva), eastern Styria belonged to the province of
Pannonia. The main centre of that time was Noreia, which is only
known by name and was for a long time erroneously located near
Neumarkt. Christianity appeared for the first time in the 4%%sup th/%
century.
\\
In the last quarter of the 6%%sup th/% century, the Avars and the
Alpine Slavs ( Slavs) advanced towards the headwaters of the River Mur
and established the territory of Carantania; several names of
villages, mountains, rivers and clearings go back to that time. Around
740, the Bavarian Duke Ovilo supported the insurgent Slavs against the
Avars and was in turn granted sovereignty over Carantania, which was
also the starting point for the Christianisation of Styria. Styria and
all the other Bavarian territories came under Frankish rule in 788, in
803, the Carolingian Marches were established as part of the Duchy
of Bavaria. In terms of church administration, the Archdiocese of
Salzburg was given supremacy over the territory. Eastern and central
Styria were repeatedly attacked by the Magyars after 907. In 976,
three marches of the Duchy of Carinthia were founded on the territory
of what later was to become Styria: the March on the middle reaches of
the River Mur ("Carinthian March" or "marchia
Carentana", became the core part of today´s Styria), the
march on the River Drau/Drava and the march on the River Sann. At
first, the sovereign lived in Hengistburg Castle in the Wildon area.
The first Margrave was the Bavarian Margrave Markwart (d. around 995),
whose successors called themselves Eppensteiner after their Upper
Styrian possessions. His successor Adalbero owned many estates and was
also Duke of Carinthia from 1012-1035. After his deposition he was
succeeded by Count Arnold of the dynasty of Wels-Lambach, whose son
Gottfried defeated the Magyars in 1042. It was around this time, but
certainly not later, that the wooded areas between Semmering, the
Wechsel region, the Bucklige Welt and the Lower Austrian River
Piesting were united with the Styrian territories, the border was
extended to the River Lafnitz, and thus the remaining part of eastern
Styria was connected with the Carinthian March. After the murder of
Gottfried, Count Otakar (Margrave 1056-1064) was given the Carinthian
March. The Otakare called themselves "Traungauer" or
"Counts of Steyr" according to the name of their ancestral
castle after which "Styria" was finally named.
"Styria" was first documented in written language as
"Marchia Styriae"; orally, it continued to be called
"Steier" or "Steirerland" for a long time.
According to H. Pirchegger, the year 1122 can be classified as the
"year of birth of Styria", since the rich inheritance in the
Mur and Muerz valley fell to Leopold der Starke (1122-1129) of the
Traungau dynasty. Margrave Otakar III. (1129-64) is said to have
been the founder of the principality of Styria; about that time, Graz
became the preferred residence of the Margraves. In 1180, Styria was
separated from Bavaria and raised to the status of an independent
Duchy. Otakar IV was appointed Duke by Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa.
Since Otakar IV was not able to marry because he suffered from
leprosy, he concluded - already incurably ill - a treaty of
inheritance ( Georgenberger Handfeste) with the Babenberg Leopold V on
the Georgenberg Hill near Enns in 1186. Leopold was made his heir, and
after the Duke´s death in 1192, Styria devolved on the
Babenberg, but kept its independence in terms of its legal status. In
1254, Otakar II of Bohemia received the territory to the north of the
Wechsel Mountain and the Semmering Pass as well as the Traungau
region. In 1259, the Styrian nobles invited him to rule the country
and as a result, Otakar II occupied Styria after the victory of
Groissenbrunn. However, the nobles very soon became discontented with
his reign and rebelled against him, and in 1276, Otakar had to cede
Styria to Rudolf von Habsburg, who enfeoffed his sons Albrecht I and
Rudolf II. In 1283, Albrecht became the sole Prince of Styria. In
1292, the Styrian nobility also revolted against him, but Albrecht
defeated them yet recognised the privileges of the nobility. After the
Counts von Cilli had died out in 1456, their territory was handed over
to the Habsburgs. The division of the Habsburg possessions in 1379 (
Neuberger Teilungsvertrag) and the ( Ferdinandeische Hausordnung)
increased the importance of Styria considerably, because it became a
core possession within the inner group of Austrian lands. Graz was the
seat of the court, administration and defence of Inneroesterreich.
from 1564-1619. In the course of the exact definition of
Styria´s borders after 1521, part of the Lungau area and Murau
were integrated into Styria in 1526. In 1535, territorial sovereignty
was extended to the possessions of Salzburg lying within the borders
of Styria. The Magyars invaded Styria in 1418, 1440 and 1478-1490, and
during the Turkish Wars of 1480 and 1532 Styria proved a frontier
stronghold and the "border of the Holy Roman Empire". Graz
was Inneroesterreich´s centre and main border fortress in the
south east and also the most important strategic point of the military
frontier against the Turks. In 1578, the Court Council of War was set
up. During the Reformation, the secular Estates, their peasant vassals
and the inhabitants of the majority of the towns were Protestants. The
astronomer and mathematician J. Kepler taught at the Protestant
collegiate school of Graz. The Styrian Duke Karl II had to grant
religious freedom to the Protestants in the "Brucker
Libell"; the Counter-Reformation began under the reign of his
son Ferdinand (later Emperor Ferdinand II) and was substantially
supported by the Jesuits. In 1598, the Protestant preachers were
driven out of Graz and the rest of Styria was re-Catholicised, partly
by the use of force. In 1797, 1805 and 1809, Styria was occupied by
the French (Preliminary Peace of Leoben, 1797); major military events
of 1809 included the battle of St. Michael and the siege of the
Schlossberg Hill in Graz.
\\
The negotiations of the princes with the Estates resulted in the
foundation of the Styrian Landtag or diet (first documented mention
1422). After the revolution of 1848, a provisional Landtag with three
Estates (landed proprietors, citizens, peasants) was elected. In the
statutes of organisation of the Landtag, Styria was unanimously
(including the votes of the Slovenian speaking Lower Styrian
delegates) laid down as a "united indivisible duchy". As a result
of the Treaty of Saint Germain, southern Styria 946 km%%sup 2/%,
pop. 490,000, of whom 75,000 spoke German, esp. residents of towns)
including the towns Maribor (then: Marburg an der Drau), which used to
be the province´s second largest town, Ptuj (then: Pettau) and
Celje (then: Cilli), had to be ceded to the kingdom of Serbia, Croatia
and Slovenia (the SHS states, which were to become Yugoslavia, now
Slovenia). The loss of the railway connection between Graz and
Klagenfurt via Marburg proved a particular disadvantage. During the
Third Reich, southern Burgenland formed part of the Reichsgau
Steiermark, the Salzkammergut region was part of Upper Austria. From
1941-1945, what had been Lower Styria was once again integrated into
Styria. During the Second World War, esp. industrial areas (Zeltweg,
Knittelfeld) and residential and cultural zones (Graz) were
particularly heavily hit by allied bombing from 1943. The northern and
southeastern parts of Eastern Styria became a battle area for the
German Wehrmacht and the Red Army during the last months of the war.
Originally part of the Russian sector, the entire province of Styria
was turned over to the British occupational forces in July 1945.
\\
Styria's Provincial Constitution is based upon the "Provincial
Constitutional Law of 1960" passed on November 23, 1959 and on
the reinstatement of the Provincial Constitutional Law, which entered
into force retroactively on December 1, 1945 (Original version -
Landesgesetzblatt No. 1/1960; 18 amendments 1960-1993). Styria sends
27 delegates (1995) to the Nationalrat and 10 to the Bundesrat; the
Styrian Landtag comprises 56 members, the provincial government 9
(1996: 4 OeVP, 4 SPOe, 1 FPOe). Styria has had an OeVP
provincial governor since 1945; for the first time in Austria, a woman
was elected head of the provincial government in 1996. Styria forms
part of the diocese of Graz-Seckau. The Protestant provincial
superintendency, the religious community of the Old Catholic Church
and the Jewish community are based in Graz.
!Literature
R. Baravalle, Burgen und Schloesser der Steiermark, 1961;
W. Suppan, Steirisches Musiklexikon, 1962-1966; F. Tremel, Land an der
Grenze, 1966; K. Woisetschlaeger and P. Krenn, Alte steirische
Herrlichkeiten. 800 Jahre Kunst in der Steiermark, 1968; B. Sutter
(ed.), Die Steiermark Land, Leute, Leistung, %%sup 2/%1971; Austrian
Academy of Sciences (ed.), Theatergeschichte Oesterreichs, Steiermark,
vol. 5, 1974; Regionalstatistik Steiermark, edited by the Styrian
Chamber of Labour, 1982ff.; K. Woisetschlaeger and P. Krenn,
Steiermark (ohne Graz), Dehio-Handbook, 1982; F. Achleitner,
Oesterreichische Architektur im 20. Jahrhundert, vol. 2,
Kaernten, Steiermark, Burgenland, 1983; Amt der Steiermaerkischen
Landesregierung, Steiermark-Information, 1984; M. Gossler,
Steiermark-Informationen. Ausgewaehlte Bibliographie, Nachschlagwerke
und wissenschaftliche Zeitschriften ueber die Steiermark aus dem
Bestand der Universitaets-Bibliothek Graz, 1986; S. Karner, Die
Steiermark im Dritten Reich 1938-45, %%sup 3/%1994; Steiermark:
Umweltschutzbericht des Landes Steiermark, ed. by the Amt der
Steiermaerkischen Landesregierung, 1986ff.; Mitteilungen der
Archaeologischen Gesellschaft Graz, 1987ff.; H. Strobl et al.,
Der Weg in die neue Heimat. Die Volksdeutschen in der Steiermark,
1988; F. Attems, Kirchen und Stifte der Steiermark, 1988; W.
Zitzenbacher (ed.), Landeschronik Steiermark, 1988; M. Jasser, Hoch
vom Dachstein an. Das Steiermark-Brevier, 1990; P. Wilding, "...
Fuer Arbeit und Brot". Arbeitslose in Bewegung, 1990; H. J.
Mezler-Andelberg et al., Kirche in der Steiermark, 1994. -
Catalogues of the Styrian provincial exhibitions: Erzherzog Johann,
1959 and 1982; Graz als Residenz. Inneroesterreich 1564-1619, 1964;
Der steirische Bauer, 1966; Der Bergmann - Der Huettenmann, 1968;
Steirisches Handwerk, 1970; Literatur in der Steiermark, 1976; Gotik
in der Steiermark, 1978; Musik in der Steiermark, 1980; Erz und Eisen,
1984; Bruecke und Bollwerk, 1986; Hexen und Zauberer, 1987; Glas und
Kohle, 1988; Weinkultur, 1989; Menschen, Muenzen, Maerkte, 1990;
Sport, 1991; Lust und Leid. Barock in der Steiermark, 1992; P.
Rosegger, 1993; Wege zur Kraft - Wallfahrt, 1994; Holzzeit, 1995;
Schatz und Schicksal, 1996.
%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Steiermark|class='wikipage austrian']
%%
[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]