Mürzzuschlag
Encyclopedia
Mürzzuschlag is a town in northeastern Styria
, Austria
, the capital of the Mürzzuschlag District. It is located on the Mürz
river near the Semmering Pass, the border with the state of Lower Austria
, about 85 km (52.8 mi) southwest of Vienna
. The population is 8,745 (2011). Original an industrial area, the nearby mountains are today a popular ski resort
.
was first documented in 1227. The minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein
in his 1255 poem Frauendienst mentioned murzuslage, which he passed on his journey from Venice
to Vienna. In 1360 the Habsburg duke Rudolf IV
confirmed the inhabitants' privilege of iron
production, competing with the town of Leoben
.
In 1854 the Semmering railway
opened, by which the Austrian Southern Railway
company provided direct access to Vienna, largely promoting the local economy. The Bleckmann steel mill
was founded in 1862, it is today part of Böhler-Uddeholm
.
A railway museum exhibits a collection of steam locomotives, associated equipment and rolling stock.
In the late 19th century, the mountainous Semmering area was the site of the first alpine skiing
attempts in Central Europe, which made it one of the oldest ski resorts of Austria, documented by the world's largest skiing and wintersports museum. Mürzzuschlag received town privileges
in 1923.
was held in the town. The games were larger (both in number of participants and spectators) than the 1932 Winter Olympics
held in Lake Placid
, USA.
, Tanzania
Blansko
, Czech Republic
Chillán
, Chile
Styria (state)
Styria is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. ...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the capital of the Mürzzuschlag District. It is located on the Mürz
Mürz
The Mürz is a river in Austria.It begins north of the Schneealpe in Lower Austria, flows into Styria, and meets the Mur River after 98 km in Bruck an der Mur. Its headwaters end at Mürzzuschlag. Along its course are the tracks of the Southern Railway as well as the Semmering Highway....
river near the Semmering Pass, the border with the state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
, about 85 km (52.8 mi) southwest of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. The population is 8,745 (2011). Original an industrial area, the nearby mountains are today a popular ski resort
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
.
History
The settlement in the Duchy of StyriaDuchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
was first documented in 1227. The minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein
Ulrich von Liechtenstein
Ulrich von Liechtenstein was a medieval nobleman, knight, politician, and minnesanger. He was born in 1200 in Murau, located in present day Austria. After the usual noble training as a page and a squire to Margrave Heinrich of Istria, he was knighted by Duke Leopold VI of Austria in 1223...
in his 1255 poem Frauendienst mentioned murzuslage, which he passed on his journey from Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to Vienna. In 1360 the Habsburg duke Rudolf IV
Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria
Rudolf IV der Stifter was a scion of the House of Habsburg and Duke of Austria and Duke of Styria and Carinthia from 1358, as well as Count of Tyrol from 1363 and first Duke of Carniola from 1364 until his death...
confirmed the inhabitants' privilege of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
production, competing with the town of Leoben
Leoben
Leoben is a Styrian city in central Austria, located by the Mur river. With a population of about 25,000 it is a local industrial center and hosts the University of Leoben which specialises in mining...
.
In 1854 the Semmering railway
Semmering Railway
The Semmering railway, Austria, which starts at Gloggnitz and leads over the Semmering to Mürzzuschlag was the first mountain railway in Europe built with a standard gauge track. It is commonly referred to as the world's first true mountain railway, given the very difficult terrain and the...
opened, by which the Austrian Southern Railway
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
company provided direct access to Vienna, largely promoting the local economy. The Bleckmann steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
was founded in 1862, it is today part of Böhler-Uddeholm
Böhler-Uddeholm
Böhler-Uddeholm is a large Austrian company specialised in producing tool steel and special forgings. It was formed in 1991 as a result of a merger between the Austrian parastatal Böhler and of Uddeholms AB of Sweden. The company has production sites in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Belgium,...
.
A railway museum exhibits a collection of steam locomotives, associated equipment and rolling stock.
In the late 19th century, the mountainous Semmering area was the site of the first alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
attempts in Central Europe, which made it one of the oldest ski resorts of Austria, documented by the world's largest skiing and wintersports museum. Mürzzuschlag received town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
in 1923.
1931 Workers' Olympiad
In February 5-8, 1931 the second winter Workers' Olympiad organised by the Socialist Workers' Sport InternationalSocialist Workers' Sport International
Socialist Workers' Sport International was an international socialist sporting organisation, based in Lucerne. It was founded in 1920, and consisted of six national federations at the time of its foundation. Initially it was known as International Association for Sports and Physical Culture...
was held in the town. The games were larger (both in number of participants and spectators) than the 1932 Winter Olympics
1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
held in Lake Placid
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, USA.
Twin towns — sister cities
Mürzzuschlag is twinned with: ArushaArusha
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1,288,088, including 281,608 for the Arusha District . Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
Blansko
Blansko
Blansko is a town in Blansko District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Blansko is the biggest town in Blansko District.Blansko was mentioned for the first time as a castle in 1141, while a town began to develop near it by 1277...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Chillán
Chillán
Chillán is a city in the Biobío Region of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of Ñuble Province and, with a population of approximately 170,000 people , the most populated urban center of this province...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
Notable people
- Viktor KaplanViktor KaplanViktor Kaplan was an Austrian engineer and the inventor of the Kaplan turbine.-Life:Kaplan was born in Mürzzuschlag, Austria into a railroad worker's family. He graduated from high school in Vienna in 1895, after which he attended the Technical University of Vienna, where he studied civil...
(1876–1934), engineer and inventor of the Kaplan turbineKaplan turbineThe Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and... - Johannes BrahmsJohannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
(1833-1897) during his 1884 and 1885 summer vacations in Mürzzuschlag wrote his Symphony No. 4Symphony No. 4 (Brahms)The Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms is the last of his symphonies. Brahms began working on the piece in 1884, just a year after completing his Symphony No...
, commemorated by a Brahms museum - Elfriede JelinekElfriede JelinekElfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
(born 1946), playwright and novelist, 2004 Nobel laureateNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...