!!!Steyr

Steyr, Upper Austria, statutory town, alt. 310 m, pop. 39,337, 
area 26.56 km%%sup 2/%, third largest town in Upper Austria at 
the confluence of the Rivers Steyr and Enns, 11 districts (including 
Christkindl, Steyrdorf, Ennsdorf). - District commission, district 
court, district fire brigade command, district school inspectorate, 
district building authority, labour market service, area commission 
for torrent and avalanche control, provincial court and prison, tax 
office, health care office, Office of Weights, Measures and Surveying, 
customs office, Economic Chamber, Chamber of Labour, district Chamber 
of Agricultural and Allied Workers, Vocational Training Institute, 
office of the regional health and social insurance agency and 
outpatient clinics, hospital, advice centre for drug abuse, 2 day 
centres of the Lebenshilfe charity, probation assistance, Caritas 
(advice centre, reformatory), youth centres, cultural centre, youth 
counselling centre, Kolpinghaus centre, psychosocial and school 
psychological counselling service, vocational training centre, 
educational and rehabilitation centre, Dominican educational centre, 
parent-child centre, Friedensdorf International (relief organisation 
with projects in Albania, Afghanistan and Angola), town theatre, 
Stadtsaal (multi-purpose hall), Altes Theater, Youth Culture Centre, 
Wehrgraben multi-purpose hall, Theaterkeller theatre, Museum of 
Industrial Labour Environment, Steyrer Museumsbahn historical railway, 
ice rink, sports facilities, Tabor sports hall, Muenichholz leisure 
and cultural centre, Fachhochschule, Bundesgymnasium secondary school, 
Bundesrealgymnasium secondary school, commercial academy, vocational 
school (commercial and trade professions), advanced-level commercial 
school, upper secondary school of engineering, federal training 
institute of kindergarten teachers, school of nursing, adult education 
centre, district-heating plant and gas works, central administration 
of the Ennskraftwerke AG, forestry enterprise of the Oesterreichische 
Bundesforste AG (Austrian Federal Forests), central offices of the 
newspapers "Oberoesterreichische Nachrichten", "Steyrer 
Rundschau" and "Korrekt Zeitung"; 24,051 persons in 
gainful employment (1991), 54 % employed in the production 
sector, centre of the metal-processing industry: Main factory of the  
Steyr-Nutzfahrzeuge AG and  Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG (driving systems) 
(production of power-driven and utility vehicles, vehicle parts, 
industrial engineering and systems engineering), production of roller 
bearings,  BMW Motoren GmbH engine works, machine industry; popular 
destination for day trips, congress tourism (57,816 overnight stays). 
- The town developed around the castle, first documented mention as 
"Stirapurch" 985-991; town since 1170, owned by the Styrian  
Otakare until 1192, then handed over to the Babenbergs, part of the 
dominions north of the River Enns, confirmation of town status and 
settlement rights of iron and wood trade in 1287, centre of Austrian 
iron industry since the Middle Ages ( Iron). - Ancient Gothic castle, 
converted into the Baroque Lamberg Castle after a fire in 1727 
(construction by J. M. Prunner); medieval "Roemerturm" 
tower; castle chapel and clock tower (1731); Gothic town parish church 
(1443-1522, 1630-1636), hall church after plans of H. Puchsbaum, M. 
Kronschacher and H. Schwedchorer; Gothic sacrament house with glass 
windows (14%%sup th/% /15%%sup th/%  century), font from Laxenburg 
castle (1569), tombstones (15%%sup th/%  - 19%%sup th/%  century; the 
town parish church, the late-Gothic Margaretenkapelle chapel, the 
presbytery (1687), the late-Gothic sacristan´s house and the 
former cemetery (1572) form an architecturally homogenous unit; former 
Dominican church, rebuilt in Baroque (1642-1647) with Rococo interior, 
Jesuit church since 1865; Baroque church dedicated to St. Michael 
(1635-1677) with impressive high altar (1766), suburban parish church 
since 1785; former hospital church, altered late-Gothic construction 
with hospital (12%%sup th/%  century); former Coelestinerinnenkirche 
Church (1676-1681), after the dissolution of the monastery (1792) 
turned into the town theatre; town hall (1765-1778, after plans of J. 
G. Hayberger), one of the most beautiful Rococo secular buildings in 
Austria; Innerberger Stadel (1612), formerly ironmongers' storehouse, 
now museum of local history and culture with collection of knives, 
ancient scythe workshop and the  Steyrer Kripperl. The town centre is 
characterised by three-storied late-Gothic town houses with jutting 
upper floors and arcaded courtyards with façades converted in 
Baroque or Rococo style. Noteworthy buildings include: Schoenthanhaus 
and Madlsederhaus with Renaissance courtyard, Gothic 
"Bummerlhaus" (around 1497), Sternhaus; Dunklhof house with 
the most beautiful late-Gothic courtyard in Steyr (1520-1525); 
Messererkreuz cross (Plague Column, 1715); Monuments for J.  Werndl 
(1894) und A. Bruckner (1898) by V. Tilgner; remaining parts of the 
ancient town fortifications: tower of the fire guards, Schnallentor 
Gate (1613), Neutor Gate (1573), water tower (constructed as pumping 
station in order to supply the town with water, 1572); Renaissance 
castles of Engelhof and Engelsegg. In the southern district of Steyr, 
pilgrimage church at  Christkindl and former monastery at  Gleink.

!Literature
I. Krenn, Haeuserchronik der Altstadt Steyr, doctoral 
thesis, Innsbruck 1950; J. Ofner, Die Eisenstadt Steyr, 1956; 
Oesterreichisches Staedtebuch, vol. I, Die Staedte 
Oberoesterreichs, 1968; A. Rolleder, Heimatkunde von Steyr, 1975; M. 
Brandl, Neue Geschichte von Steyr, 1980; J. Ofner, Steyr. Kurzer 
geschichtlicher und kultureller Ueberblick, 1980; R. Koch and B. 
Prokisch, Stadtpfarrkirche Steyr, 1993.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Steyr|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]