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Styria

Styria (German: Steiermark; Slovenian: Štajerska) is a state or Land, located in the southeast of Austria. In area, it is the second largest of the nine Austrian states, covering 16,388 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. The population (as of 2006) was 1,203,986. The capital city is Graz.

State            AT-6 (ISO)
Capitol         Graz
Governor    Franz Voves (SPÖ)
Area             16,392 km²
Population 1,203,986

Geography

The term "Upper Styria" (German: Obersteiermark) used by an Austrian refers to the northern and northwestern parts of the federal state (districts Liezen, Murau, Judenburg, Knittelfeld, Leoben, Bruck an der Mur and Mürzzuschlag). The term "West Styria" (Weststeiermark) is used for the districts to the west of Graz (Voitsberg, Deutschlandsberg, western part of the district Leibnitz), the districts east of Graz (Weiz, Hartberg, Feldbach, Fürstenfeld and Radkersburg) are referred to as "East Styria" (Oststeiermark). The western and eastern parts of the district Graz-Umgebung may or may not be considered parts of West and East Styria, respectively. The southern parts of the Duchy of Styria, which have formed part of Slovenia since 1918, were (and sometimes colloquially still are) referred to as "Lower Styria" (Untersteiermark; Slovenian: Spodnja Štajerska

History

The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern state of Styria from its settlement by Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present. This mountainous and scenic region, which became a centre for mountaineering in the 19th century, is often called the "Green March", because half of the area is covered with forests and one quarter with meadows, grasslands, vineyards and orchards. Styria is also rich in minerals, soft coal and iron, which has been mined at Erzberg since the time of the Romans. The Windisch Bueheln (Slovenske gorice) is a famous wine-producing district, stretching between Slovenia and Austria. Styria was for long the most densely-populated and productive mountain region in Europe.

Styria's population before World War I was 68% German-speaking, 32% Slovene, bordered on (clockwise) Lower Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Carniola, Carinthia, Salzburg, and Upper Austria. In 1918 after World War I the southern, Slovene-speaking third south of the river Mur was incorporated into Slovenia in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The remaining two thirds became the Austrian federal state of Styria, while the Slovenian third (Lower Styria) is an informal province in Slovenia. The capital of the duchy has always been Graz as well as the residence of the governor and the seat of the administration of the province.

Economy

Like everywhere in the developed world there has been a shift away from the manufacturing sector towards the service sector in Styria. This has had negative consequences for the industrial regions of upper Styria which have suffered a steady decline in population in recent years. In 2004 Styria had the strongest economic growth rate in Austria at 3.8% - mainly due to the Graz area which saw strong economic growth that year and has continued to grow in economic and population terms since then.

Administrativ devision

The state is divided into 16 districts (Bezirke), and a statutory city.

Statutory City:

   1. Graz

Districts

   2. Bruck an der Mur
   3. Deutschlandsberg
   4. Feldbach
   5. Fürstenfeld
   6. Graz-Umgebung
   7. Hartberg
   8. Judenburg
   9. Knittelfeld
10. Leibnitz
11. Leoben
12. Liezen with the subdistricts

Gröbming and Bad Aussee

13. Mürzzuschlag
14. Murau
15. Radkersburg
16. Voitsberg
17. Weiz

Politics

The state had been a stronghold of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) since 1945. The governor (Austrian political term: Landeshauptmann) was usually a member of this party.

Notable persons

    * Frank Stronach (born 1932), founder of Magna International, billionaire
    * Jochen Rindt (1942-1970), Formula 1 World Champion
    * Dr. Helmut Marko (born 1943), former racing driver
    * Dietrich Mateschitz (born 1944), founder and CEO of Red Bull, billionaire
    * Klaus Maria Brandauer (born 1944), Austrian actor and director
    * Elfriede Jelinek (born 1946), Nobel Prize in Literature winner
    * Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947), Hollywood actor and Governor of California
    * Thomas Muster (born 1967), former World No. 1 tennis player
    * Ulla Weigerstorfer (born 1967), Miss Austria and Miss World 1987
    * Chrissi Klug (born 1989), Austrian singer
    * Michèle Luttenberger (born 1990), Austrian singer

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