Murau

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Murau (disambiguation) .

Borough Murau
coat of arms	Austria map
Basic data
Country:	Austria
State :	Styria
Political District :	Murau
License plate :	MU
Surface:	76.63 km²
Coordinates :	47 ° 7 '  N , 14 ° 10'  E Coordinates: 47 ° 6 '43 "  N , 14 ° 10' 23"  E
Height :	829  m above sea level A.
Residents :	3,499 (January 1, 2020)
Postal code :	8850
Area code :	03532
Community code :	6 14 38
Address of the municipal administration:	Raffaltplatz 10 8850 Murau
Website:	www.murau.gv.at/
politics
Mayor :	Thomas Kalcher ( ÖVP )
Municipal Council : ( 2020 ) (20 members)	16 3 2 16 3 2  A total of 21 seats ÖVP : 16 SPÖ : 3 GREEN : 2
Location of Murau in the Murau district
Performance of Shakespeare in Styria in Murau (2014)
Source: Municipal data from Statistics Austria

Murau is the administrative seat of the Murau district ( Upper Styria ) in the state of Styria in Austria with 3499 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020).

As of January 1, 2015, the formerly independent municipalities of Laßnitz bei Murau , Stolzalpe and Triebendorf were incorporated as part of the municipal structural reform in Styria .

geography

View of town with castle and parish church

Community structure

The municipality includes the following six localities or cadastral communities (residents and area: population as of January 1, 2020):

• Laßnitz-Lambrecht (19 inhabitants, 1,690.75 ha)
• Laßnitz-Murau (5 inhabitants, 1,701.27 ha)
• Murau (3408 Ew., 1,075.13 ha)
• Sankt Egidi (4 Ew.), Egidi (1,154.98 ha)
• Stolzalpe (61 inhabitants, 1,190.06 ha)
• Triebendorf (2 Ew., 850.69 ha)

Neighboring communities

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history

The area was already settled in the Bronze and Roman Ages, Murau was first mentioned in documents in 1250, and town charter was granted in 1298.

Based on ancient distance information from the (in this regard very imprecise) Tabula Peutingeriana , it was assumed in the late 18th and 19th centuries that Noreia , the capital of the Celtic Kingdom of Noricum, was supposed to have been near Murau. This has not been found to this day, despite repeated reports of find. Likewise - because of the name - the Immurium station on the Roman road Virunum - Iuvavum was suspected here, but due to modern findings it is seen near Moosham in Lungau.

From the 13th to the 15th century, the Murau area was the center of the dominion of the Styrian noble Liechtenstein family. This family was an independent family that arose independently of the Liechtenstein family from Lower Austria. The minstrel Ulrich von Liechtenstein , who lived on the Frauenburg near Unzmarkt , comes from the Styrian family. The name of this family is derived from the Liechtenstein Castle east of Judenburg. Relationships between the two families are not due to common ancestors, but to individual marriages. The dominion of the Styrian Liechtensteiners extended from Upper Carinthia to Lower Austria ( Kreuzstetten ).

The Styrian regional court of the Liechtenstein family an der Mur was first mentioned in documents in 1256. It comprised the Murtal from the Salzburg border to the Lungau to Teufenbach in the east. In 1574 Anna Neumann bought the Murau estate. In 1617, the 81-year-old Anna Neumann married the 31-year-old Count Georg Ludwig von Schwarzenberg. Since then, the castle has belonged to the Schwarzenbergs , who are still located in the castle today.

During the Second World War there was a prison camp of the German Wehrmacht in Murau , in which mainly British prisoners of war were interned towards the end of the war . Resistance groups liberated these prisoners in the first days of May 1945 in order to trick the Soviet troops into believing that Murau had already been occupied by the British. In fact, the Soviets withdrew and left the city to the British. The city was in the British zone of occupation until 1955 . The idea for this came from the local Heimwehr leader and councilor Karl Brunner , who had recently been released from his prison cell in Graz.

The Murau district administration was rebuilt between 1999 and 2001 by the architects Wolfgang Tschapeller / Friedrich W. Schöffauer on a slope sloping towards the Mur.

Population development

Culture and sights

See also:  List of listed objects in Murau

• Murau Castle : baroque, with a knight's hall and extensive dungeon; Knight's hall with concert performances; owned by the Schwarzenberg family
• City parish church Murau hl. Matthäus: consecrated by Bishop von Lavant in 1296, early Gothic, frescos are partially well preserved, rare crossing tower with six bells that is unique in Austria
• Evangelical Elisabeth Church and Evangelical Diocesan Museum in Styria
• Annakirche: Annakirche is the cemetery church of the city of Murau. It was built around 1400 and has a ribbed vault, Gothic winged altar and baroque high altar with three figures Anna-Maria-Jesus as well as plenty of frescoes and glass window decorations. The building is said to be on the site of stolen hosts in the late Middle Ages.
• Leonhardikirche: The Leonhardikirche is part of the Grünstels castle complex in Murau and was first mentioned in 1439. It is built in the very slim and tall late Gothic style and has artistic keystones. To the west of this is the Holy Sepulcher Chapel with the crucifixion group. The Burgberg Grünstels with the Leonhardikirche is an artistic Calvary with all stations of the cross.
• City walls and gates are partially preserved
• Former gallows : The former gallows next to the road to Ranten , consisting of three stone pillars and a surrounding wall
• Murauer Handwerksmuseum, in the former Capuchin monastery, Grazerstraße 19
• Catholic branch church Egidi hl. Aegydius

• Attractions
• 

  Evangelical Elizabeth Church

• 

  City parish church Murau

• 

  Leonhardikirche

Regular events

Samson parade 2014

• Shakespeare in Styria : The European Shakespeare Days are an annual cultural event, they were founded by Nick Allen and Rudolph J. Wojta in 2002. From 2007 to 2010 , the “Artistic Director” was Daniel Winder , who is directing at the Iris Theater in London . The festival is sponsored by the Shakespeare in Styria association . Young actors and students from all over Europe created original Shakespeare productions, which were shown in the castle courtyard until 2011. Concerts and readings in the knight's hall accompany the performances. Since 2013, the Domenig Pavilion in Murau's city park has been playing in German every year . From summer 2016 the festival found a new home in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Lambrecht , 14 km from Murau. Since then there have been no more performances in Murau itself.
• Murau Operetta Festival : The Murau Operetta Festival has been an integral part of cultural life in Murau since 1998.
• Murauer Theaterrunde: The Murauer Theaterrunde stages at least one music production in its home town every year , with the focus on the operetta genre .
• Samson parade on August 15th ( Assumption of Mary )

Economy and Infrastructure

• As an office, school and business town, Murau is the center of the district of the same name in the upper Mur Valley. In addition, summer and winter tourism (ski area on the Kreischberg ) plays an important role for the city . In Murau a brewery produces Murau beer and soft drinks; some wood industries owe themselves to the wealth of forests in the area. The Murauer Stadtwerke generate electricity from hydropower.
• Tourism association: Together with Ranten and St. Georgen am Kreischberg, the municipality forms the “Murau- Kreischberg ” tourism association . Its seat is in Murau.
• Kreischberg and Grebenzen are the closest ski areas to the city, the Frauenalpe as a former ski area is still used intensively by tourers

traffic

Panorama of Murau with the Murtalbahn

• Murtalbahn : Murau has a train station and the operational center of the Murtalbahn.
• Road traffic: In Murau, Murauer Straße B 97 branches off from Murtal Straße B 96 to Predlitz .

politics

The municipal council has 21 members.

• With the municipal council elections in Styria 2015 , the municipal council had the following distribution: 15 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ, 1 forum for Murau, 1 FPÖ and 1 Greens.
• With the municipal council elections in Styria 2020 , the municipal council has the following distribution: 16 ÖVP, 3 SPÖ and 2 Greens.

mayor

• until 2008 Herbert Pacher (ÖVP)
• since 2008 Thomas Kalcher (ÖVP)

coat of arms

Blazon : "In a red shield a silver, black and grouted crenellated city walls with open gate and a keyed golden portcullis behind silver two square towers, each with double round window, black, silver ausgefugtem pitched roof and golden knob, between which the battlements of the rear curtain wall are visible ; against the side edges of the shield on both sides a smaller tower of a similar design, but without a round window. Above the rear ring wall on a silver hanging device attached in the middle of the upper edge of the shield, a silver label with two black diagonal bars hanging from the upper left corner. " Due to the amalgamation of the municipalities, the coat of arms lost its official validity on January 1st, 2015. The re-award took place on December 1, 2015.

Community partnerships

• since ? Fagagna in Friuli Venezia Giulia , Italy

Personalities

Honorary citizen

• 1852: Ferdinand von Scherer, district doctor and councilor
• 1852: Georg Lenk, district captain
• 1894: Karl Wurmb (1850–1907), builder of the Murtalbahn
• 1924: Carl Gasteiger, Mayor of Murau 1907–1910, 1913–1919
• 1930: Wilhelm Klonfero, master builder
• 1933: Bernhard Fest (1865–1936), district veterinarian
• 1933: Johann Pauli, dean, parish priest of Murau 1912–1939
• 1933: Hans Richter, Vice Mayor
• 1937: Jakob Kitzmüller, Mayor of Murau 1924–1937
• 1937: Matthias Schwaiger, head of the municipal care home
• 1947: Konrad Schuchnigg, Vice Mayor
• 1955: Friedrich Pechmann, Mayor of Murau 1937–1938, 1945–1946, 1947–1955
• 1960: Karl Brunner (1889–1964), ÖVP politician , member of the National Council 1945–1953, Provincial Council 1953–1961, President of the Styrian Landtag 1961–1964
• 1960: Heinrich Schwarzenberg, lord of the Obermurau castle
• 1963: Josef Krainer (1903–1971), Governor of Styria 1948–1971
• 1967: Ernst Gasteiger (1901–1970), pharmacist
• 1975: Anton Schwaiger, Mayor of Murau 1955–1973
• 1975: Franz Wegart (1918–2009), Provincial Councilor
• 1975: Anton Peltzmann (1920–2000), Provincial Councilor
• 1978: Karel Schwarzenberg (* 1937), lord of the Obermurau castle
• 1978: Friedrich Niederl (1920–2012), Governor of Styria 1971–1980
• 1983: Josef Krainer (1930–2016), Governor of Styria 1980–1996
• 1989: Ehrenfried Illitsch, Mayor of Murau 1973–1990
• Alfred Kalcher (1936–2017), Mayor of Murau 1990–2003

Sons and daughters of Murau

• Mathias Edlinger († 1645), stonemason and sculptor in Wiener Neustadt and in the Kaisersteinbruch on Leithaberg
• Johann Baptist von Winklern (1768–1841), theologian and historian
• Johann Gualbert Raffalt (1836–1865) painter
• Anton Steyrer (1873–1943), internist and university professor
• Fritz Haas (1890–1968), power plant builder
• Hugo Gasteiger (1899–1978), ophthalmologist in Dresden and Berlin
• Artur Hartlieb-Wallthor (* 1927), entrepreneur
• Willi Egger (1932–2008), ski jumper, Nordic combined athlete
• Hans Scherz (* 1937), author, nutritionist and health trainer
• Brunner & Brunner Karl (* 1955) and Johann (* 1958), Schlager duo
• Michaela Rösler (* 1961), politician (SPÖ)
• Klaus Ofner (* 1968), Nordic combined athlete
• Max Lercher (* 1986), politician (SPÖ)

Personalities associated with Murau

• Ulrich von Liechtenstein (around 1200–1275), minstrel and poet
• Anna Neumann von Wasserleonburg (1535–1623), Mistress von Murau (protagonist of a novel by Maria Steurer)
• Ignaz Raffalt (1800–1857), Biedermeier painter
• Nicholas Allen (* 1947), director and founder of Shakespeare in Styria
• Christoph Sumann (* 1976), biathlon athlete
• Martin Fritz (* 1994), Nordic combined athlete

literature

• Walter Brunner : Murau. A city presents its history. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the city charter . Volume 1: From the beginning to 1850 . Self-published by the municipality of Murau, Murau 1998.
• Wolfgang Wieland: Murau. A city presents its history. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the city charter . Volume 2: From 1850 to the present . Self-published by the municipality of Murau, Murau 1998.
• Wolfgang Wieland: pioneers - idealists - world champions. 100 years of skiing in Murau . Self-published by the winter sports club Erste Murau, Murau 1993; ISBN 3-9500244-0-9 .
• Wolfgang Wieland: Murau Castle . Schwarzenberg Archives, Murau 1994.
• Wolfgang Wieland: Anna Neumanin von Wasserleonburg. The mistress of Murau . 2nd Edition. Self-published, Murau 1999; ISBN 3-9501004-0-7 .

Web links

Commons : Murau  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• 61438 - Murau. Community data, Statistics Austria .

Wikisource: Muerau in the Topographia Austriacarum (Matthäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

Wikisource: Muerau in the appendix of the Topographia Austriacarum (Matthäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

• Website of the municipality of Murau

Individual evidence

1. ^ Announcement of the Styrian regional government of December 5, 2013 on the unification of the municipality of Murau and the municipalities of Laßnitz bei Murau, Stolzalpe and Triebendorf, all of the political district of Murau. Styrian Provincial Law Gazette of December 20, 2013. No. 170, 37th issue. ZDB ID 705127-x . P. 712.
2. ↑ Statistics Austria: Population on January 1st, 2020 by locality (area status on January 1st, 2020) , ( CSV )
3. ↑ cadastral communities Styria. 2015 (Excel file, 128 kB)
4. ↑ cf. August von Wersebe: About the peoples and peoples' alliances of old Germany: tried again, largely based on entirely new views, explanations. Hahnsche Hofbuchhandlung, Hanover 1826, p. 268 ( Google eBook, complete view ).
5. ↑ On the fundamental question in which of the main valleys the road from Carinthia to Salzburg ran, see for example Christian Gugl: From Virunum to Iuvavum. Topographical problems in the vicinity of the Norwegian provincial capital. In: Forum Archaeologiae - Journal for Classical Archeology 19 / VI / 2001 (article online, univie.ac.at).
6. ↑ Norbert Weiss: The oldest secular land register manuscript in Styria. The possession of the Styrian Liechtensteiners in the 14th century. Sources on the historical regional studies of Styria, published by the Historical Commission for Styria (HLK), Volume 18; Self-published by HLK, Graz 2005; ISBN 3-901251-28-6 ; Pp. 24, 39.
7. ↑ Weiss: Urbarhandschrift . Pages 40-42.
8. ^ Municipality of Murau -. Retrieved April 4, 2019 . 
9. ↑ murauer-handwerksmuseum.at website of the museum, accessed January 16, 2017.
10. ^ Grazer Zeitung , Official Gazette for Styria. December 30, 2014, 210th year, 52nd piece. No. 310. ZDB -ID 1291268-2 p. 627.
11. ^ Election result of the 2015 municipal council election in Murau. State of Styria, March 22, 2015, accessed on July 1, 2020 . 
12. ↑ Results of the municipal council elections 2020 in Murau. State of Styria, June 28, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020 . 
13. ↑ 98. Announcement of the Styrian state government of November 5, 2015 on the granting of the right to use a municipal coat of arms to the municipality of Murau (political district Murau) , accessed on December 1, 2015
14. ^ Wolfgang Wieland: Murau. A city presents its history. On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the city charter . Volume 2: From 1850 to the present . Self-published by the municipality of Murau, Murau 1998, pp. 311, 502, 508.