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 1,203,036. The capital city is Graz.
State AT-6 (ISO)
Capitol Graz
Area 16,392 km²
Population 1.203.036
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).
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. Nonetheless Styria had between 2003 and 2007 the strongest economic growth rate in Austria - mainly due to the Graz area.
External Links
Official Webpage
Tourism in Styria
Travel Guide
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