Page 163 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

A USTRIA REGION b y REGION  161
STYRIA

Austria’s second-largest province, in the country’s
southeast, Styria has a population of 1.2 million.
It is dominated by forests, meadows and vineyards
cover ing some three-quarters of its total area of
16,387 sq km (6,327 sq miles). It is also an area of iron
ore extrac tion and processing, and Erzberg (Iron Ore
Mountain), glittering in every hue of red and brown, is a major tourist attraction.

Iron ore was already extracted by the capture the imagination of visitors
Romans, who had named this part of to the region.
Austria the Roman province of Noricum. Styria’s great attractions include the
The mineral shaped the history of this south-facing slopes of Raxalpen, its
province through the centuries, and its gentle climate and its rural idylls – it is
traces survive to this day. Following known as “the green heart” of Austria.
the highs and lows of the early Middle In the west, along its border with the
Ages, Styria fell into the hands of the Salzburger Land, the area is dominated
Habsburg dynasty in the 13th century by the lofty peaks of the Salzburg
and shared in its fate and fortunes. Alps and Lower Tauern. Here you will
The province was repeatedly ravaged find excellent winter sport centres
by Hungarians and Turks, and, after around Schladming, and at the foot
having staved off the Turkish threat, of Dachstein, the highest peak in the
also became susceptible to attacks by region, with the best cross-country-
the French. skiing trails.
A legacy of these times are its numerous The Salzkammergut in the north is a
hilltop castle strongholds and imposing stunningly beautiful lake district. The
fortified abbeys. Some have survived province’s main rivers are the Mur,
intact, others have been meticulously which flows through Graz, its tributary
restored to their former splendour to the Mürz, and the Salza.

Bad Blumau, an architectural complex based on Franz Hundertwasser’s designs
Steep, terraced vineyards near Gamlitz

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